2007 Jaguar XKR Convertible - Previews

The most expensive Jaguar convertible ever offers flash and dash.

There is no shortage of write-ups about Jaguar’s new XK, in all its variations, on CARandDRIVER.com. That’s probably because Jag’s latest—and in terms of performance, its greatest—GT is pretty sensational, whether or not it has a roof, a supercharger, or both. We would have no problem driving all the variations over and over and over without complaint. And so here we are again, the subject this time is the supercharged $92,500 XKR convertible, arguably the glitteriest kitty in the litter—at least from an image standpoint. It also happens to shine from a performance standpoint, proving that losing its top does not mean losing its edge.

Jaguar Sex Appeal, Now with Attitude

Although some might argue that the saucy coupe version of Jaguar design director Ian Callum’s perfectly proportioned design is actually better-looking than the convertible, which is like saying Cindy Crawford is hotter than Eva Longoria—neither is a hag. But there’s no denying the inherent curb appeal of a ragtop, which, frankly, is what many buyers want when shelling out $92,500 for what is essentially an automotive aperitif. And, boy, does this thing have curb appeal, securing the prized spot of every Southern California valet—some six of them total—to whom we tossed the key fob during our time with the Jag. And evidently this design was no small feat. Callum has said it is far harder to get the proportions right on convertibles than coupes; thus, he directed his team to start with the convertible and, once it looked good, only then start work on the coupe. We won’t argue with that approach, as it seems the team got both cars right. Whichever XKR you choose, its strong chin, mesh grillwork, hood nostrils, metal side vents, and standard 19-inch wheels add some attitude to the sexy but rather benign styling of the base

Slick, Modern Interior

Inside, the XKR gets patterned aluminum trim in place of the base XK’s book-faced wood (traditionalists can still opt for the wood in the XKR if they please). Driver and front passenger have a pleasing amount of room, and we praised the front seats—the only ones habitable by humans—for their comfort over a six-hour road trip, although we wished for more lateral support on the curvy sections. That wouldn’t have been a problem had our deep blue tester come with the $2100 premium leather upgrade, which features 16-way adjustable seats (up from the 10-way buckets on the base XKR) with adjustable side bolsters. Also included in said package, of course, is upgraded leather, which is more finely grained, perforated, less glossy, and much, much softer than the base stitched leather that covers the seats, door panels, and dashboards of all lesser XK models. It’s money well spent, as we’ve seen this package on a different XKR and thought it added about $10,000 in perceived value. Besides, isn’t fine leather the hallmark of a British luxury car?

We also enjoyed the relative user-friendliness of the center-mounted touch-screen audio/HVAC/nav system, which incorporates nearly as much capability as similar systems on, say, any given German luxury car, but without any sort of hockey-puck scrolling device on the center console. (Yes, that qualifies as praise for Jaguar electronics. We’re as surprised as you are.)

A glaring deficit—literally—involves the screen’s inability to compete with direct sunlight or even light coming off the cream leather on the passenger seatback when it happened to be in the sun—in other words, most of the time. Dialing up the contrast helped, but that made for blinding nighttime illumination. Another unpleasant surprise was extension of the cream-colored leather onto the top of the dash on our tester—a big no-no for any car on account of its blinding daytime windshield glare that makes polarized glasses a requirement. Alas, there’s a simple solution to the latter issue: Get a dark interior.

Excellent Engine Matched by an Excellent Transmission

Although trim bits and big wheels are nice, the biggest reason to blow an extra $11,000 to upgrade to the R resides under its long hood, in the form of a supercharged and intercooled 4.2-liter V-8. With 420 horsepower at 6250 rpm and 413 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, the XKR’s blown motor outguns that of base XKs to the tune of 120 horses and 103 lb-ft. We didn’t track-test this particular vehicle, but a prior 3870-pound XKR coupe sprinted to 60 in a scant 4.5 seconds; with an additional 100 or so pounds of droptop-related mechanicals, we expect the convertible to take a tick or two longer to hit the same mark (Jaguar cautiously quotes 5.0 seconds). The convertible has a subjective advantage, however, in the way it delivers its distinct NASCAR-grade exhaust note directly to your ears. Add to that the muted whine of the supercharger, and you experience sheer aural bliss.

Also aiding and abetting the driver in all vehicular shenanigans is the ZF-sourced six-speed automatic, which has a brilliant manual mode, executing up- and downshifts almost by the time one’s fingers release the steering-wheel–mounted shift paddles. Even better, in the sport automatic mode, the box serves up anticipatory rev-matching downshifts as the driver brakes or coasts, ensuring that the engine remains in the meaty part of the power band when the time comes to get on it again.

Lightness + Power - Harshness = A Thoroughbred GT Experience

Just as important as the powertrain with respect to impressive performance is the XKR’s aluminum monocoque body structure. In the case of the XKR convertible, aluminum helps keep weight to about 4000 pounds; it’s not exactly light, but it is downright wispy next to the 4400-pound BMW M6 Convertible Braking, for one thing, is stupendous. And in spite of having no fixed roof, the Jaguar convertible is amazingly stiff. Our tester had already endured 7000 harsh miles by fellow journalists, yet body flex was completely absent, and we heard no rattles from any source.

The XKR’s combination of stiffness and lightness makes the car feel sprightlier in the twisties than its rather grand dimensions might suggest. The steering quality is light yet readable and precise with lots of feedback, and all inputs are met with immediate response from the chassis. Although we’ve noted before that the XKR, which has stiffer springs than the base XK, doesn’t corner quite as flat as, say, the Porche 911 or the BMW M6, its chief rivals, you really have to be pushing pretty hard before that becomes an issue. We don’t suspect many people will do that, as these are convertibles, after all, and we expect the sporty types will opt for a coupe. Either way, any such body roll hardly exacts a toll on the fun factor, as the wide tires (245mm front, 275mm rear) offer plenty of grip. Between the chassis tuning and omnipresent torque, the XKR is quite a hoot on a good road. Just dial in the steering on entry and then use the gas pedal to rotate as needed. And in spite of the sportier setup, the XK exhibits a surprisingly genteel ride all the while, something else we particularly appreciated on the aforementioned road trip.

And so it appears that in its heaviest and most decadent form, Jaguar’s sportiest car since the XJ220 supercar is solidly built, engaging, fast, and, of course, beautiful. There. We said it.

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