The 2010 Jaguar XKR Convertible: What's It Got?
Quite a bit, actually. The 2010 Jaguar XKR convertible got a redesign to bring its looks in line with the rest of the Jaguar lineup these days. The car is basically built like a Beyonce costume -- it keeps a tight leash on a lot of power with smooth curves and deliberate angles. Seriously, the view of the rear fender in the driver's side mirror looks like a fold in one of Thierry Mugler's space-age numbers for Sasha Fierce. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.
It's also got a lot of power under the hood (given her dance routines, we'll assume the same is true of Ms. Knowles). The XKR has 510 hp, far more than the 385 hp in the XK Portfolio. It's also got 461 lb-ft of torque and a six-speed transmission, which adds up to a 0-60 time of 4.6 seconds. Let me tell you, that is believable number. The top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, and in my week with the Jag, I never got the chance to test that limit.
Oregon in November: What's It Got?
It's got rain, that's what it got. The pictures I took for the image gallery had to be finished in a five-minute window of opportunity after a rainstorm and before a hailstorm. I had the Jaguar XKR convertible for a full week, and I didn't put the top down once. Not once. Jaguar says it'll go down and fold itself into the trunk in 18 seconds; I'll just have to take their word for it.
Oregon is also a tad chilly in November. While it's no Wisconsin, I was glad for the heated steering wheel and three-level seats. I like to think the heated steering wheel is a safety feature -- it really encourages the driver to keep her hands firmly wrapped around the wheel.
Besides being heated (and cooled, should you need it for top-down summer driving. Not that I'd know), the seats were covered in creamy perforated leather. Every piece of the seat, it seemed, was adjustable, including lumbar and bolsters. I love squeezing the bolsters in and taking on the twisties.
So How's It Drive?
Driving an XKR is like driving water. And I'm not just saying that because it was so dang wet while I had the convertible. If you've ever seen The Abyss, the movie about the underwater oil rig and the aliens they encounter, then you'll understand when I say that driving a Jag these days is like driving the water-manipulating alien that first comes aboard the rig. Smooth, powerful, controlled.
The Jaguar XKR is not a race car -- there are far too many heavy motors controlling the seat adjusters for that. And it's not so luxurious that you might as well be driving a zeppelin. Jag has struck a balance with the R edition of the XK that seems just about right for a car in the low six figures. It even passed the bass test: with hip hop blasting from the optional Bowers and Wilkins sound system, the exterior mirrors stayed perfectly still. Often when I perform this very scientific test, the glass shakes as if I were throwing pebbles into a pond. Not so with the XKR.
Specs for the 2010 Jaguar XKR Convertible As Tested
- 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine making 510 hp
- Six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters
- Adaptive dynamics and differential control
- Adaptive cruise control
- Lunar Gray paint with Ivory and Oyster interior and oak veener
- 19-inch Tamana wheels
Price as Tested: $102,000 (includes destination charge)
