Gorgeous inside and out
It also gets more aggressive styling, featuring a carbon-fibre front splitter, horizontal vent slots on the hood’s edges, extended side sills, a carbon-fibre rear bumper diffuser, and a rear wing with carbon-fibre trim.
Inside, the visual appeal carries on with 16-way adjustable sport seats that host a patchwork of carbon-textured leather. Blue piping and contrast stitching are found on just about every surface, complementing the car’s already sporty cabin atmosphere. Our tester was also trimmed with Piano Black Veneer, which blends in very well.
The rest of the car’s features pretty much carryover from the XKR including the JaguarDrive Control with winter and dynamic drive modes. Alas, the car’s touchscreen multimedia setup is still slow-witted and unintuitive to use while driving.
The price
While the XKR Coupe checks in at just under $110k, the XKR-S is listed at $139,000. That’s a little more expensive than a 550-hp Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG ($120k) and a 638-hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 ($131k), but more affordable than a 430-hp Aston Martin V8 Vantage S ($159k) and a 525-hp Audi R8 5.2 ($173k). Then again, if you’re shopping for a luxury car with a six-figure MSRP, I guess we’re talking about pocket change here.
The XKR-S has easily become, in my hamster-running-in-a-wheel mind, one of the top three most desirable Jaguars to date alongside the XK-E and the XJ220. Actually, on engine sound alone, I know which kitty cat I’d take home in a heartbeat.
It also gets more aggressive styling, featuring a carbon-fibre front splitter, horizontal vent slots on the hood’s edges, extended side sills, a carbon-fibre rear bumper diffuser, and a rear wing with carbon-fibre trim.
Inside, the visual appeal carries on with 16-way adjustable sport seats that host a patchwork of carbon-textured leather. Blue piping and contrast stitching are found on just about every surface, complementing the car’s already sporty cabin atmosphere. Our tester was also trimmed with Piano Black Veneer, which blends in very well.
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| The 2012 Jaguar XKR-S starts at $139,000. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
The rest of the car’s features pretty much carryover from the XKR including the JaguarDrive Control with winter and dynamic drive modes. Alas, the car’s touchscreen multimedia setup is still slow-witted and unintuitive to use while driving.
The price
While the XKR Coupe checks in at just under $110k, the XKR-S is listed at $139,000. That’s a little more expensive than a 550-hp Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG ($120k) and a 638-hp Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 ($131k), but more affordable than a 430-hp Aston Martin V8 Vantage S ($159k) and a 525-hp Audi R8 5.2 ($173k). Then again, if you’re shopping for a luxury car with a six-figure MSRP, I guess we’re talking about pocket change here.
The XKR-S has easily become, in my hamster-running-in-a-wheel mind, one of the top three most desirable Jaguars to date alongside the XK-E and the XJ220. Actually, on engine sound alone, I know which kitty cat I’d take home in a heartbeat.
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