So on Thursday I drove a very nicely running 05 STR and have pretty much settled on looking for an 05-07 though I think I'd prefer the 05 MY.
The car was a rocket and I really liked the way it drove. With 50K miles on it it still felt and sounded solid.

Then on Friday I went to a Jag sponsered introduction at a local track of the 2011 cars, XJ, XFR and XKR.

All of the cars were supercharged. The XJR isn't available yet but the XJ models we drove had "only" 470hp while the XFR I drove on the track was 510 ... gulp!

Man have these cars been upgraded, across the board. We got to drive the XJ for 40 minutes on local roads and that is one hell of a car. It's really too good a car for most people who will buy it. They'll probably never begin to tap it's possibilities and it's not even an R model.

They all have electronically controlled limited slip differentials now plus the paddle shifters are set up very nicely to work in auto, semi-auto and full manual mode. I've driven other paddle shifting cars and this one is really nice in semi-automatic mode because when you stop paddle shifting for a while it reverts to automatic mode and vica versa. In the real world that's a very nice feature.

The amount of electronics is staggering. The XJ has some kind of an electroluminescent set of gauges that simulate mechanical ones.

Oh and air conditioned seats. That's a first for me. Very nice.

Not much track time of course but they had pro racing drivers that took us for a 2 hot laps when we were finished with our 2 laps just to humble us ...

Roberto Guerrero was one on the instructors so it was a first class event.
MY instructor decided to pretty much drift the car all the way around the track at 100+ mph and the cars can take it just fine. They stay completely flat in the turns but do not ride hard on bumpy roads.

So maybe in 3 or 4 years when I'm done with my STR I can look at one of these?

For now, it's back to the STR hunt. I know I won't be dissapointed just being practical and limiting myself to only 390HP.

Bob S.

 

And what would have been the prices? LOL

 

Wow, nice write up.. While my dealer was sending my S out for another paint mess up (Long Long Story..) I was given a 2010 XF Premium for the week. While the extreme performance of the current supercharged cars is wildly impressive, what blew me away is the new naturally aspirated 5.0. That puts out 385hp! The drive was tremendous and YES the new paddle shifter system is wonderful.. I've heard that some people gripe about the "dial" that replaces the console shifter.. Well, in my opinion, the J-Gate has always been horrid, so why have the clutter.. BTW..The same 5.0 is now standard across the board. I know at one point the base XF still had the 4.2 and you had to move up to the Premium to get the 5.0. Oh, and have they ever got the exhaust thing just right... Cruise and she is silent... Boot it and you get a V8 growl that turns to a howl that will give you goose bumps... I joked when I brought it back.. "Think there's any way I can pick this one up for 20 grand????" That is the only down side... They got the XF so right that they just aren't depreciating like they used to...

 

There have been er, teething, troubles with the gear dial (is that its name?). Like, stuck down
So don't rush to buy just yet.

 

Oh I figured there would be "first run" troubles.... Still really cool drive.. I've heard that the 5.0 isn't really new but just a modified AJ V8... Sort of like the evolution of the Chevy small block...

They are so expensive still, no worry about that... Sort of like the Continental Flying Spur..... Or DB9 for that matter...

 

Quite an evolution but yeah. GDI (gas direct injection) as I recall. The injectors have to be costly.

 

I only sampled very nicely optioned cars. None were naturally aspirated but 385 is nothing to sneeze at. My impression is that all the cars have gone upscale in terms of features and interior appointments. The list of finishing options is quite impressive. It reminds me of what Maserati has been offering for quite a few years now. The downside is that they're a lot closer to Maserati pricing as well! The engines aren't nearly as pretty as the Maserati's though. The old 4.0 XJR used have very pretty power plants. What happened? But the supercharged XJ will eat it's lunch in a drag race. I'm not sure about the handling. The Quattroporte is much better looking IMHO.

The engineering has really taken a "leap" too!

Bob S.

 

If you half to ask ....

Everything I drove was north of $80K including the XFR.
The XJ was noticeably nicer inside than the XF as you'd expect.
No ice-yer-butt seating options in the XFR I drove.


Bob S.

 

My E55 was nicely optioned. More things that will go wrong later on. My STR has enough stuff in it. Wouldn't want anything more that will cost and arm and a leg to repair after the warranty is out.

 

The steep depreciation that comes standard with these cars will eventually take its toll. Maybe not as fast as with the S-Type once the "discontinued" tag was slapped on it, but if you're patient, off-lease deals will begin to show up. Perhaps a well-cared-for 2010 non-R XF will become affordable by 2014. My personal definition of "affordable" is around $25K which can then be bargained down by several thousand dollars more, especially at calendar year-end when the showrooms are empty due to all of the excessive holiday spending by the general public. I've always found that timeframe to be the best time of the year to steal a deal....

I still prefer to stick with our 2005 S-Type for the foreseeable future as long as it holds up with relatively low maintenance costs and remains a reliable, trustworthy highway cruiser for my wife's periodic solo jaunts to Tampa and back. It's pushing 48,000 miles now with no known issues. The next major expense should be new tires, probably by the end of the year or early next year, depending upon how much quicker these cheap dealer-installed Hankooks head for their wear bars now that they're down to just over 4/32 all the way around....

 

Hmm, the XF Premium I had was equipped with cooled seats? I wonder if the Premium has more "stuff" than the R?

 

Well I was only in the car for 4 laps and I was kinda busy at the time so maybe I just couldn't find it in time?

Bob S.

 

I've seen the new "R"'s. Yea, they look cool and all "aero" and more powerful. I think the head and taillight assemblies look cheap and Americanized; not European. IMHO, you can recognize todays Ford Mustang's styling as a variant of yester-years Mustangs. When I walk up to my 03 STR I'm immediately familiarized of her styling as reminicent of her predecessors. In addition to her potent bite, it was Jaguars' traditional classic styling that attracted me to her...She's no doubt a "Jag"!
Yea, I know "Times they are a changing", shmaging....

 

I would think... I don't know about the new XJ, but the seat controls on the touch screen were pretty counter intuitive...Then again I did have a week to figure it out....

 

The exterior styling is a personal choice and I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone based on that. They are nice looking cars and I didn't find anything cheap looking about them at all. Quite the opposite. But yes, they don't follow the past like the S-Type did. I imagine they made a calculation that they were loosing market share and needed a new look.
Time will tell. A number of people have commented to me that they don't look like Jaguars. I guess we're all just old farts then ...

Bob S.

 

I'm 49 today...Guess I'm an old fart? The STR's H&R Sport Springs came in. Putting em in next Tueday...My B-Day gift to me and her (STR). Musing on Stiegmier's "Snake Bite"...As a means to whaff-off the "Old Fart"?

 

Happy birthday, young man......from an older fart

 

Happy birthday from me as well. And yep, I'm a bit older, too....

 

Yas older but bolder. Thanks for the b-day wishes. Hittin a bike trail then da beach.

 

Am a tad yonger, but really like the curves better of my classic xkr compared to the newer style, Happy birthday from a young fart