Jaguar Considering Track-Focused Special-Edition XKR-S Coupe

Jaguar is considering building a handful of special-edition XKR-S coupes—of course, with just 100 of the super coupes being built each of the next three years, the “non-special” car already will be a rare sight.

Frank Klaas, Jaguar’s global head of communications who describes the XKR-S as an “ambassador of the brand,” said that the proposed special-edition model would appeal to the guy who wants to drive to the track, lap or race to his heart’s content, and drive home. As such, the car might lose its rear seats and gain lighter stereo and HVAC units for the touch-screen-based systems, hard-core racing seats, a fire-suppression system, unique gauges, and track-focused aero addenda. A roll cage may or may not be part of the package, depending on the markets in which the car is sold. (If the examples of various track-ready Porsche 911s are anything to go by, ours would be one of the markets to do without the cage.)



As with the standard XKR-S, this variant—which could be named after the Nürburgring, where production-grade XKR-S models have allegedly posted sub-eight-minute lap times—would be built by Jaguar’s in-house Engineered To Order (ETO) group. (If the XKR-S is an ambassador for the brand, consider ETO the consulate. Klaas promises that the ETO team, which quietly fulfills requests for bespoke cars for high-value customers, will play a more prominent role in Jaguar marketing in the future.)

We weren’t told whether the special-edition coupes would add to the annual 100-car XKR-S allotment, but Klaas did say that a harder-core version of the convertible is not being considered at this point. Watch for a vehicle to be floated out to gauge interest at either next month’s Geneva auto show, or, more likely, the Paris auto show in the fall.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/jaguar-considering-track-focused-special-edition-xkr-s-coupe/

Jaguar Dealers

2011 Jaguar XKR Convertible

I really love the way Jaguar products drive. I really hate the touch-screen infotainment system and pretty much any other electrical item on the car. The problem is with so much traffic clogging up the roads I'm forced to drive most days, I end up spending more time fiddling with the stereo than I do really driving. So I walk away less than thrilled.
The massively powerful 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 in the XKR is one that I would be happy to experience in any vehicle at any time. There's gobs of torque, a nearly perfect exhaust note, and it revs quickly. The six-speed automatic does a nice job of sorting out the power delivery for a grand touring car like the XK.

The weak link in this car is the chassis, which shows its age over bumps if more than half of the engine's power is being delivered. Jaguar is previewing the new XK at the Frankfurt Motor Show, so this is likely one of my last encounters with this generation XK. Hopefully the next XK will be much more reliable, have an easier-to-use infotainment system, and will retain all of this car's fun-to-drive characteristics. It just needs a bit more structural rigidity to handle the engine's power and it would be perfect for the class.

Phil Floraday, Senior Web Editor
Read more: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/1110_2011_jaguar_xkr_convertible/viewall.html#ixzz1c621gGjA

REVIEWS: First Drive: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S

There’s no shortage of performance in the Jaguar lineup. With the XFR sedan, the XKR two-door, and the XJ Super Sport sedan, the British automaker has a trio of 510-hp supercharged brutes that are plenty competent around a track. But what Jaguar doesn’t have is performance with cachet. The R subbrand carries little emotional weight compared with BMW M, Mercedes-Benz AMG, and Audi RS badges. 

Enter the XKR-S. It’s Jaguar’s fastest production car ever and churns out 550 hp for a price of $132,875. If that doesn’t grab your attention, take just one look at the sleek sports car slathered in scintillating French racing blue paint.

 

Tuned for the track

Extracting additional performance from the XKR to create the XKR-S was largely an exercise in calibration rather than swapping hardware. The familiar supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 now makes 550 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque, up 40 hp and 41 lb-ft from the XKR’s output. Engineers have stiffened the front suspension uprights, tweaked the rear suspension geometry, increased spring rates 28 percent up front and 32 percent in back, and dropped the ride height 0.4 inch. The XKR’s adaptive dampers and active rear differential have also been tuned to act more aggressively. The most significant hardware changes come in the form of an active exhaust, a reworked aero package that reduces lift by 26 percent, and Pirelli PZero tires wrapped around new 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in a sinister graphite color.

To enrich the interior, there’s supple stitched leather covering the seats, the dash, and a new steering wheel, and the cabin is trimmed with leather carbon-fiber-like accents and optional dark aluminum inserts. The XKR-S-exclusive sport seats are exceptionally comfortable and feature 16-way adjustability including inflatable side bolsters. 

The only obvious omission from the XKR-S’s pedigree is a weight-loss program. The front splitter, rear diffuser, and rear wing are made of carbon fiber, but that decision was driven by aesthetics, not function. Weight remains unchanged from the XKR, at 3968 pounds. For now, the XKR-S is only available as a coupe.

 

Powerful, punchy, and playful

We already knew that the XKR is a torque monster, so it’s no surprise that the XKR-S produces silly thrust before the pedal is depressed even halfway. The gas pedal’s satisfying responsiveness means a short sprint to triple-digit speeds is always waiting for your command. Jaguar claims 60 mph comes in 4.2 seconds and that a top speed of 186 mph makes the XKR-S the fastest production car in the brand’s history.

A six-speed automatic transmission is the only gearbox offered, but it is a very, very good one. With Jaguar’s rotary gear selector twisted all the way to the right to the sport setting, the transmission will crack off shifts with a hammer-like punch. Initiating Dynamic mode sharpens the throttle response, tightens up the dampers, and opens a set of valves in the exhaust. At full wood, the XKR-S emits a raw, guttural snarl of blats and grunts and the sharp bark at lift-off is chased by intermittent aftershocks of snaps and crackles as the engine revs fall. It’s hardly the seductive symphony of an Italian engine, but this Jag has a presence and aural individuality that makes the heart flutter.

What really gets our pulse pounding, though, is the devilish active differential, which uses an electric motor to progressively lock the rear wheels together. As we hustle through the turns of the Algarve race circuit in Portugal, the diff makes its existence known by dialing in the perfect amount of lockup to keep the car neutral and balanced. Thanks to the rigidity of the chassis, the natural tuning of the throttle pedal, and the supportive seats, you can perfectly read and anticipate the differential’s actions, inviting explorations into controlled oversteer without threatening a smoky spin.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1106_2012_jaguar_xkr_s_drive/index.html

AUTO SHOWS: First Look: 2011 Jaguar XKR-S

Three years after Jaguar launched a performance-tuned XKR-S model at the Geneva Motor Show, the automaker revealed it will be bringing an all-new, more powerful XKR-S to this year's Geneva extravaganza. Deja vu? Perhaps, but the latest XKR-S promises to be a much more intimidating cat than the last.

If nothing else, the new XKR-S certainly looks the part. Designers have added a number of bespoke touches from head to toe, including an aggressive front fascia with a large lower air intake, sweeping air scoops on the front corners, and small, slender air ducts just beneath the hood's lower edge. XKR-S models eschew the XK's vertical fender vent in favor of a horizontal port. Flared side sills are much smoother than those used on both the XKR Speed Pack and the previous XKR-S. A flared rear valence, similar to that used on the Speed Pack, provides room for four exhaust tips, while a wild wing spoiler rests atop the decklid.

Unlike the previous XKR-S, however, the new model receives some additional go along with all this show. The supercharged, direct-injection 5.0-liter V-8 is boosted to roughly 542 horsepower and 501 pound-feet of torque, a gain of 32 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque. Jaguar says the power allows the new XKR-S to sprint from 0-60 in a blistering 4.2 seconds, run from 0-100 mph in 8.6 seconds, and hit a top speed of 186 mph. That's plenty quick, but the automaker says the XKR-S is the "fastest Jaguar ever" -- perhaps, unless you consider the XJ220...

Jaguar is keeping a number of the other XKR-S details under wraps until the car's official unveiling next week, but does note the car will receive unique suspension modifications at both ends, and a recalibrated stability system, which potentially allows drivers to push the envelope a little further.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/geneva/2011/1102_2011_jaguar_xkr_s/index.html