I use my Xkr-s as a daily driver. Coming from a Porsche 996 turbo, it is a more versatile car. There is much more trunk space and it has all of the electronics. The transmission in the jag (zf) is very good. I use it almost entirely in sport mode/dynamic mode with the paddles- this works very well- quick up shifts (but not as fast as DCT), and great rev-matching downshifts.
I have spent a lot of time in a z51 c6 vette on a track-the Xkr doesn't handle nearly as well and is a little slower in a straight line. You have to decide if u want a gt car or a sports car. The Xkr or Xkr-s is a great choice if u want a gt car.

 

[QUOTE=Octurbo;513968]I use my Xkr-s as a daily driver. Coming from a Porsche 996 turbo, it is a more versatile car. There is much more trunk space and it has all of the electronics. The transmission in the jag (zf) is very good. I use it almost entirely in sport mode/dynamic mode with the paddles- this works very well- quick up shifts (but not as fast as DCT), and great rev-matching downshifts.
I have spent a lot of time in a z51 c6 vette on a track-the Xkr doesn't handle nearly as well and is a little slower in a straight line. You have to decide if u want a gt car or a sports car. The Xkr or Xkr-s is a great choice if u want a gt car

 

Not following how a regular non Z06/ZR1 vette is faster than XKRS in straight line! I know the Vette is lighter but...

 

I was referring to a base corvette being faster than a Xkr, but I think it would be very close. An Xkr-s is definately faster than the vette in a straight line.

 

I presently drive an '08 Corvette Z51 daily and my wife drives an '07 XKR convert. I personally enjoy the 'vette more for pure fun and excitement while we use the XKR for our going out socially. Don't get me wrong; the Jag does have the power and strengh when needed but I would rather drive the 'vette.
PS- We do our grocery shopping the 'vette! No room in the XKR. Also XKR drivers do not wave!!

 

I have found Jaguar owners to be the least friendliest in that regard of any specialty marque I have owned. Sad, but true. Never had a wave or head nod in 5+ years from a Jaguar owner.

 

I own a 1969 Corvette so I'm very familiar with "the wave". But among late model Corvette drivers, I'd say its less than 5% that wave back. Jeep CJ drivers seem to be pretty good about it.

 

Yes but, with a Corvette you need a dash mounted bubble head hand waver because everyone has one. The Jag waving, due to the much few numbers, is hardly a work out.
Go Jag!

 

Speaking of Corvettes.....

I was in the doctor's office, waiting, and picked up a car magazine....Road and Track, I think. Anyhooo....there was a 4-Corvette comparo: Base, Grand Sport, Z06, ZR1

Even the *base* model is solidy in the 12.5 second range in the 1/4 mile. I hafta sorta chuckle because nowadays that's just "ho-hum" or "pretty good" as high performance cars go.

Heh heh....I can remember "back in the day" being pretty tickled at my Olds 442 doing 14.60@99.99 mph. A car that would get into the 12s was likely to be barely street legal....or at very least not too pleasant for regular day-to-day street driving.

Fast cars have become *very* fast, haven't they?

Cheers
DD

 

Although my corvette days were many years ago, I went from a 1998 911 (the last "True" Porsche) to my XK8. The difference is pretty clear. The Porsche was the ultimate "Sports Car" in the truest sense. I ate up curves and flew like a demon. However, it broadcast every bump and pothole and was at best had a functional interior and barely functional sound system. It was a wonderful car for what it was and I hated to part with it.

My Jag on the other hand is a refined "Touring Car" that glides down the road in a firm but amazingly comfortable ride. Where my Porsche was bold, my Jag is refined. The sound system is exceptional and the finish both inside and out is beyond reproach. Can I take corners like my Porsche??? No way! But I thoroughly enjoy the firm yet insulated ride that my Jag delivers. Power? Not up to my Porsche standards, but more than enough to remind me that I have a powerful engine with a great handling ability beneath the skin.

I believe your Corvette will fall somewhere between the Porsche and Jag. Yes you give up some, but you'll get back plenty.

I know I'm pretty happy with my decision and believe you'll be happy with yours.

 

BTW... As with my Porsche, I use my Jag for everyday travel and have no qualms about it. It's a great daily driver and in many ways better than my Porsche for everyday use.

 

The thread topic caught my eye. The comparison is ridiculous as the market segment that each car would attract is totally different. If you are in a financial position to consider a new XK or Porsche, etc., why would you bother with a Corvette?

But in the bang-for-the-buck department, nothing comes close to the Corvette. I was able to get a new C4 for only slightly more than a well equipped Honda Accord back in 1995 and even today, a C6 would maybe be half to two-thirds the price of an XK.

Fit and finish in my C4 was not bad and reliability and maintenance was stellar over the 14 years of ownership.

For a brief time I had both the C4 and my 2005 XKR and loved driving them both. Nevertheless the Corvette was clearly the more "fun" vehicle while the XKR being more suitable for grand touring.

Doug

 

When you buy a Jaguar, you are buying more than just a badge or a brand name. You are buying a piece of the Jaguar story. Long story short, Jaguar really took the world by storm in the golden age of motor racing in the 1950s and made some of the worlds most high performance and beautiful looking cars, all with a very small team of mechanics and engineers. The XK120, C-type, D-type and E-type are all legendary cars that solidified Jaguar's reputation in competitive sport. Jaguar may have seen somewhat of a decline from the 70s through 2000s, although all of the romanticism and mystique of the brand remained. However, in the last 5 years or so, Jaguar has leapt back into the spotlight. If you truly want THE definitive car that kicked off Jaguar's modern era of success, you need not look any further than the XKR. It truly has a direct connection to all those cars I mentioned already, and you could be proud to own one.

I don't own a Jaguar XK myself yet, but I know that when I do the thrill of driving such a car will be heightened by my awareness of the inspiring story that is Jaguar. There's not many cars you can say that about!

 

That is true about the history thing but I suspect not so much on this side of the pond as on the other. What you find here more are folks who are familiar with the horror stories of Lucas electric systems and poor reliability of English vehicles. Consequently, the "mystique" associated with these cars is more often than not negative.

Also, keep in mind that there is a pretty well established mystique and history when it comes to Corvettes. When I briefly joined the "hobby" I was amazed at the minutiae that the true aficionados had when it came to things like numbers matching and how many cars in a given year had a particular color combination and how many of a certain engine type were produced, etc.

Doug

 

Certainly quality issues were a problem and have turned many potential customers away from the brand. And absent any truly remarkable sports cars (not to knock anybody with a 1970s thru 2000s Jag) for decades, a generation of younger car enthusiast (such as myself) would probably not even be aware of Jaguar's history, just as people my age hardly know anything about World War II.

Many things appeal to Jaguar's story to me, but one of the things that interests me is that William Lyons focused so heavily on having their sports/racing cars do well in competitive sport, and that this in turn allowed them to sell other cars like sedans (and I've owned two Jaguar sedans!), whose profits were (somewhat) then used to further develop their racing cars. At least from what I gather, the sedans during this golden age were in essence a byproduct of Jaguar's racing ambition.

I'm sure Corvette has its own backstory, as does the Mustang, et al, but it's not quite as inspiring when such products come out of a mega-car company that has already been well established. And in modern times, some of that "special" feel seems to be diluted by the fact that they are mass produced in large quantities. I certainly don't get the feeling that I'm driving something truly special when I get in my Mustang.

Somebody please correct me if I'm misinterpreting what I've read about Jaguar!

 

Check out these video's. The XKR is definitely faster than a base 'vette and the XKR-s is very close to the ZR1. Purely judging from the 2nd video, if it was for pink slips, the XKR-s driver would be taking home a ZR1. I personally love the looks and performance of the 'vette, it's an iconic car, but the XKR, IMHO, has "it all".

 

I currently have an '05 STR and it is a head turner. Not on the same level as a XKR, but it screams Jaguar. The '70's up to 2000 did give the brand the proverbial black eye with the electrical issues, etc, but the brand never lost it's "mystique" IMO. Simply put, Jaguar produces some of the most beautiful cars in the world! And the performance is not too shabby either. I was recently traveling from TX back to AZ and had the absolute pleasure of blowing the doors off a Mustang Cobra. I think it was around an "05 to an '08. We ran the cars maybe 3 or 4 times so it was no fluke. We were pretty much neck and neck up to 3 digit speeds, then, well, I waved "goodbye" LOL. I don't do that very often, but I ENJOYED that immensely. Back to the XKR, though both the 'vette and XKR are very, very fast, I think the Jag definitely has more "panache" and style. My vote is of course for the XKR!!!

 

I too have had quite a few Corvettes over the past 20 years, and three C6's (Currently also own Z06).

I'd argue the fact that a Corvette with an auto gearbox changes it into a completely different car. More a GT cruiser. Especially a base car without Z51 performance pack. This spec car can be comparable to the Jag XKR.

But as the OP already knows, the Corvette interior is horrible, even with so called premium leather upgrade. The seats still look and feel like they are trimmed in faux leather. It's a real shame.
The Jag however feels a solid premium car. I often feel many similarities between the two cars, so think the OP will be quite at home if he made the switch. I often think the Jag is the British version of the Corvette, it's our overlooked muscle car....how on earth it got tagged an old mans car I'll never know.
We just need a full stripped out version, no back seats, lightweight bonnet (hood in your money!), roof etc. Then we have our version of the ZR1. But I'm not sure that would suit the XK? Perhaps leave all that stuff to it's new baby brother the F-type and keep the mans stuff with the XK

 

+1 on that comment

 

Funny thing about the "old man's car" thing. It is the Corvette that has really become that over recent years. My wife jokes all the time when we are approaching a Corvette that it was probably some "old fart" driving it and 9 times out of 10 it is (again, particularly with the newer vintage). I have to admit that by the time I was getting ready to sell mine, I was well into old-fartdom and at times felt silly in the car.

Doug