I'm shorter at 5'10" but have a few inches of travel left when the seat is adjusted so that both wrists rest on the top of the steering wheel with both shoulders still against the seat back. That's a recommended seating position for high performance driving that I'm used to and comfortable with, and wondering if your normal position is more stretched out. If I were to drive with arms straight out with hands at 3 and 10 I'd have the seat back a lot further.

Bruce

 

I'm around 6' - 6'1 and find my 2010 XKR fine - I have had huge problems over the years with other cars though.

My previous car (Merc CLK500) was perfect in that it basically let you go right back to the rear seats but all other cars we've had outside of GM Holdens have been a problem..............mostly Japanese (Subaru Liberty and our current Lexus RX which is mostly for the missus). Even an Aston DBS I couldn't get comfortable in but the Jag has just enough extra travel to get me comfy.

Nothing is worse than having to contract the muscles above the shins to keep your feet from pressing the gas/brake and ending up with aching legs etc.... I couldn't get comfortable in a Maserati Granturismo either so out of the 3 I considered (Granturismo, DBS, XKR) the XKR was the most comfortable for me.

 

Yeah I don't know if I have strangely proportioned arms and legs or what, but I've had a version of this issue with every car I've ever owned except for one... my first, which was a 2000 Toyota Celica. Very weird. The seat seemed to go back far enough in the XK, but to do so required the seat back to be straighter up and down than I'd prefer. It wouldn't be bad enough to cause cramping... it felt pretty much the same as my current car. My truck is worse and I used to drive that all over the place. It was sort of a bummer since the first thing I tend to play with is the telescoping steering wheel... most cars dont seem to telescope the wheel far enough towards me. The XK felt much better than most cars in that regard. The seats themselves were very comfortable...

Since I sort of have this same issue with my current car, I'm going to play with my seating position when I get home. Maybe I can get used to a bit more upright seating position and solve this problem regardless of what car I'm driving.

I'm trying not to get set on this car, since I'm still so far out from actually buying, and I haven't driven anything yet. Still, this was the first car we've looked at that had that honest "holy ****" factor for me when I saw it. Not a good sign for the other prospects.

 

I just bought an 07 XK in Lunar Gray with 48K miles on it for $31.5K in perfect condition, not a scratch on it. I bought an extended warranty to 100K miles for $2400. This has been the perfect car for me so far. No issues at all. People freak out when they see this car, which is not why I bought it, but it's kind of fun. Buy one.

 

Thought I'd update my thread... I'm well ahead of schedule as far as getting where I want to be financially before I make any real purchasing decisions, which is always a good thing. I have a strong feeling its going to come down to the XK or E350 (or E550, which according to some internet sources can be had pretty well equipped in the low 60s. The new ones come with a twin turbo V8 which sounds... interesting).

Right now I'm leaning hard towards the XK. The E is a handsome car, the XK is a "wow" car. This whole thing is going to boil down to comfort and ride quality. I guess I don't expect the XK to provide the relaxed type of ride when cruising that the E will, but I need it to be in the same arena. If its a lot noisier or less comfortable, it'll probably be a tougher sell to my better looking half (this will be my car, yes, but I'm not going to spend lots of money on something she doesn't like).

The last big hurdle for me will be finding an XK to drive. The car we sat in was a '12, which is sure to be out of our price range and I'm not really interested in even asking to drive a car I have no intention of buying. I'm thinking what I may wind up doing is driving an E350 / 550 since those are much easier to find, then when I'm ready to buy, finding the "right" XK and going to wherever that winds up being with cash in hand. My only concern with that plan is that I think it'd be hard to walk away if I find the car noisy or uncomfortable. On the other hand, I sort of doubt that will be the case, and I can't really think of a better plan.

Does that sound like a terrible plan to anybody? Any experiences with long distance car buying in general?

 

If you can't find a used XK locally, you should at least test drive a new XK to see what it's like. I was taken by surprise how the XK drove compared to my VDP and my family’s old fleet of XJ6’s and XJS’s… The seats are comfortable and it’s pretty docile with regular driving, but hardly the floating luxury ride I had associated to the Jag’s I’ve been in. XK is a much different car than the MB E Class. The XK is much less practical, but way more emotional. No matter which MB you buy, there’s going to be another one or a better one parked near you.

As for worrying about driving a car you have no intention to buy; tell the dealer what you are looking for and you haven’t driven any XK’s yet. At least they’ll have a chance to find a car for you and potentially be your default service provider. I don’t think it’s a big deal for them.

 

I drove a current e350 convertible and an 09 SL550 prior to buying my XKR. I drove an 11 XKR locally, but they weren't really willing to deal. The XKRs haven't changed much in terms of driving dynamics or noise since their inception in 07. Obviously the engines changed in 10, and that was important enough to me that I didn't want to look any older than that.

In all likelihood, you'll have to buy one remotely just due to the numbers available. (I just assume everyone is picky like me!) I bought mine sight unseen out of Texas. For the most part it was a very agreeable transaction. Price was established, and I had the car checked out at the local Jag dealer down there prior to signing on it. I think the only thing I'd do differently the next time I bought a car remotely, is to take it to a body shop certified to work on aluminum cars. That way you can have paint depth, rivets, etc checked out to validate that the car fax is telling the truth. My one little surprise was that the dealer had done a quick clear spray on the rear bumper and by the time the car got to me it had started peeling. After recovering from my apoplectic fit, I took the car to a local body shop and had them go over it with a fine tooth comb. Everything checked out as original except that clear spray. I had them refinish it and the used car dealer even reimbursed me for the 850 bucks it took to fix. All in all, a satisfactory conclusion.

 

Thanks for the responses... yeah interesting you were looking at the E class too, Rahtok, since they really do seem to be such different types of cars. Just out of curiosity, how did you feel they compared as far as ride comfort, road noise etc. (if you dont mind)?

This is definitely a situation where my head is saying "take a good look at the E class", but side by side I can't help but find it somewhat uninspiring to look at, inside or out. If I had never seen the XK I'm sure I'd be enthusiastically pursuing it... I just want to be able to walk out in the garage 2 or 3 years from now and still be saying "yeah, thats awesome". If I can't find something that does that then I may just not buy anything.

Next time we go visit the in-laws, I'll head over to the Jaguar dealership and see what they have to say about test driving. I guess I just hate to put even a few miles on a car I'm not planning on buying, but I suppose as long as I'm up front then no big deal.

Thanks as always for the input!

 

I test drove an E350 sedan prior to discovering the Jaguar XF. I've also test driven an '11 XKR, but not an E350 convertible.

During the E350 test drive, as I was entering the highway, I punched it because I had a lot of clearance ahead of me. Turns out, it was in "economy" mode or something like that. So the response was less than underwhelming. "F--- that!." The sales guy pushed the button for it to be in normal mode, which gave it a little bit more power. But it's still a V6. The ride was smooth. The stretch of freeway near the dealer is crappy, but the Mercedes did about as well as could be expected to smooth out the ride.

Then a week or so later I test drove an XF, which of course has a V8 in the base model. I asked the sales guy if there was a button for "economy" mode, prior to starting out the test drive. He looked at me quizzically. Good sign I thought. So we get it out on the highway--same stretch of road, since the Jag and Mercedes dealers are near neighbors. I had clearance in the fast lane. The sales man said to go ahead and punch it. So I did. In a couple of seconds I was going 90. "Oh F--- YEAH!" I said. The car handled extremely well and was comfortable. Upon reflection, I didn't think that either the E350 or the XF were more steady than the other on the road.

So I bought an XF.

The other day, when my license plates were being installed at the dealer, I was bored and asked the sales guy if I could sit in the shiny XKR convertible in the showroom and make "vroom vroom" sounds. He said I could start it. So I started it up, in the showroom. There was an old lady sitting in the waiting area, about 20 feet behind. I revved the engine just a little teeny bit, and an excruciatingly beautiful sound came out the back pipes. I apologized to the old lady for waking her up--she said she didn't mind. Then the sales guy twisted my arm into test driving one he had out on the lot. It felt similar to my XF, but felt tighter in suspension, steering and, of course, power. I put it in dynamic mode and made the back wobble a slight amount about 10 seconds after having it on the road. I can tell that this is a potentially brutal automobile. 510 HP is *a lot*. Traction control really is important.

There's no comparison between an E350 and anything Jaguar has.

 

Well... let me start with the SL550. It was loaded with pretty much everything that year had to offer. Even had the sunroof in the retractable hardtop. Massaging seats. A couple of AMG cosmetic items. Overall, well taken care of too. But... it was a soulless car. I don't know how to better describe it. The only technical thing I could fault it for was its transmission. Just never seemed to know what gear it wanted to be in, and it never agreed with where I wanted it to be. Historically I've been a 'row your own' gears guy. Even to the point I chose my truck because I could get a manual transmission paired with a diesel. At any rate, when I drove the xkr -- the transmission seemed almost sentient -- it was better at being in the gear I wanted it to be in practically every time. Was a wonderful surprise. But then I also compared the XKR's power to that of the SL550 -- was a slaughter. And when it came down to price, they were almost identical. So, the points in the XKRs favor: More power, better transmission, beautifully sculpted, and significantly more rare. It was more like the MB brought a knife to a gun fight. The MB did have a neat 'neck heater scarf blower thingie' that was great on cold days. The interior was well finished, and the ergonomics of the dash and secondary controls were mostly well executed. I did, more than once however, accidentally engage the cruise control when I meant to turn on the right signal indicator. Why they insist on using that bizarre cruise control placement is beyond me. The E was even less appealing than the SL, it's only bonus was that it had a genuine back seat. But it was also BIG.

In all honesty, the only other car that gave the XKR serious competition in my mind was an AM Vantage convertible. The Jag won because it had more HP, looked better with the top down, had more interior headroom with the roof up, and was about 30k cheaper. Having said that, I'm saving for an AM Vantage hard top in a couple of years. It's one of those irrational life goal thingies I just have to do. But the Jag is here to stay -- I can't imagine ever selling it. Not only do I not regret it, but it's simply one of the most aesthetically pleasing, interesting, and beautiful cars on the road today. It has soul, character, and is wonderfully comfortable. It's quiet with the top up -- in fact it's easy to forget it's a convertible unless maybe you're in one of the i-90 tunnels leading to Seattle. Then there's a little more noise that you wouldn't get in a hard top or coupe. The MBs are probably quieter than the Jag. But the Jag is pretty darn quiet to start with. My wife comments on how silent it is in there every time we go out in it.

If I were you, when you're going to be near a Jag dealership, call a day or two ahead of time and tell them you're going to be in town and want to look at an XKR. Tell them you're looking at SL550s and mebbe a 650. You don't, necessarily, have to tell them you're looking used... but once you take a drive in an XKR, you're done for. I was attracted to them before seeing one in person. When I heard the engine fire for the first time, I knew that if I drove it I was done for. When I told my wife I'd sneaked in a test drive one afternoon she sighed and checked the bank account. She knew me well enough!

<grins> Well, you asked for input!

 

Thats awesome... thank you both for sharing your experiences. I really enjoy soaking up all the general knowledge I can during the buying process of an item like this (in addition to enjoying hearing people's car stories in general). Even though all of this is subjective, it does help me feel like I'm on the right track. Mostly I'm just curious, as when I read a review of the XK / XKR the reviewer will often say something like "its remarkably quiet", but without a frame of reference that kind of statement is hard to quantify since its hard to know what the reviewer's expectations are.

For the record I'm really only interested in the XK coupe, as I've never been into the convertible thing really, and 385hp is enough to get me into plenty of trouble, I'm sure.

On one hand, I want to make sure I am thinking with my head here and not my heart, because obviously this is a pretty big purchase. However, the way you described your car Rahtok ("one of the most aesthetically pleasing, interesting, and beautiful cars on the road today") is sort of how I felt when I saw it the first time. It just grabbed me in a way that no other car has, interior and exterior. "This is something I would really like to own" is how I felt. Sitting in the E350 10 minutes later... I know I'm sitting in a nice car but I'm thinking "man there is sort of a lot of plastic in here and this leather doesn't feel all that great". It seems crazy to even type that, but thats how I felt.

Anyway, it'll still be at least a couple months before I'm ready, but things are coming along and I am determined to have a plan lined up so when the right car opens up I'm ready to jump. Thanks again for taking the time to share guys...

 

I wanted a 997 or Maserati and did not really think of the XK. I went to a Porsche/Bentley dealer that had a Maserati on the lot and a guy pulled up next to me in an XK (I drove there in the VDP). We talked a bit about Jags and how much he loved his car. He owns like 6 Jag and when he started his car up I was like "wow, this ain't the Queen's Jag!" and that got me thinking.

I have been please the reliability and build quality of my VDP, so why not stick with another Jag?

 

Dang now I bummed... Got the Silver XK for the same price (7K less miles), and got taken on the warranty by another grand and a half.
I think the Lunar Grey is also the better color over my silver, but haven't regretted a minute of it yet! (well, there was the extra key fob I had to buy for $400...grrrrr)

Gotta say I love the car, and watching the reactions of others is priceless!
(Sorry OP, just saw Camas07XK post and had to comment.)

Peace
Vince

 

One of my coworkers is a big E class fan. We had to take a business trip to Europe a few years ago, and pretty much every Taxi in Eindhoven was an E class. So I resorted to calling his car "the taxi" because he had this habit of making fun of Crown Vics with the same moniker here. I didn't want to end up with a taxi spending that much money! /chuckle

 

Mercedes transmissions are often programmed by default to start in second gear rather than first. Even if you were not in sport mode, which starts it in first instead, punching the accelerator to the floor should have induced first gear. So as you point out, it's really the V6 and lack of power that you felt. Taking it out of "economy" mode probably had little effect, as all it does is start in first instead of second when driving normally and programs the upshifts to occur at a higher RPM. There is no real added power.

FWIW, XKRs/XFRs in normal "Drive" mode also start in second when driving normally. Floor it and you're pinned to the seatback, however! The Jags are just such lovely cars. I drove an AMG Mercedes SL and not only found it disappointing in performance and ride (on the harsh side), but it didn't even sound good. The XKRs especially, sound good stock, but even better with the factory performance active exhaust option.

 

Another thread update for me... went driving today. Drove a 2011 XK and a 2012 E550 (the one with the dual-turbo 4.6 V8).

Boy, I'll tell you. This was my first real experience driving "high end" cars... and man was it an eye opening experience. Very impressed with both cars. I really drove the E550 out of due dilligence, but I'm really glad I did. While I have to say that they were different in pretty much exactly the ways I would have guessed they would be, the experience of getting to drive them back to back (the dealerships were literally across the street from each other, even) was really valuable.

As everyone would expect, the E550 is definitely aimed more at cruising comfort and absorbing road imperfections. For a car that you wouldn't call "cushy" or "floaty", it really does a good job of it. That motor really rips, too, and while you get a hint of the exhaust note when you get on the gas its really pretty serene in the cabin as you thrust forward. The interior is as I remembered... its very good if you don't compare it back to back with the XK. There is a very different feeling in there with the big sunroof, more headroom, etc. Its also stuffed full of so much electronics and features that it was hard to cover them all during the course of a test drive. I guess my main issue with that is while a lot of what the car can do is pretty cool... I'm really not sure how much of it I actually care about. I really don't need a picture of a coffee cup to tell me if I'm tired. I'm a software engineer... and all I could think is I hope somebody didn't get berated over a deadline to get that particular feature in the car. Its impressive I guess, but after you see it once its kind of... whatever.

One pretty big negative, IMO, was the transmission. I really wasn't all that impressed, to be honest. Even in "sport" mode, there was a pretty solid delay while waiting for the transmission to downshift for a sudden burst of accelleration. When compared to the transmission in the XK, well... there really wasn't any comparison.

The XK on the other hand impressed me for a bunch of other reasons. Firstly, my main concern was ride quality... I don't think that will be a problem. While you definitely feel the road differently than in the E class, its a long way from being "rough". Firm, I guess but it was still very good, and quiet also. Not as quiet as the E class but still quieter than most cars. There was some kind of sound damping effect going on, my wife and I talking to each other sounded... dead (in a good way). I'm assuming that between the leather on the dash, the alacantra headliner instead of a glass sunroof, etc. there is some high frequency noise absorbtion going on. Its cool... like being in a speaker testing room (speaking of speakers stereos in both cars sounded pretty good to my ear).

To me, the XK still just has that "wow" factor. I don't think all the technical gadetry in the E can distract me from the fact that I just really really like the idea of owning an XK. My wife prefers the more luxurious ride of the E, but admitted that the ride and sound level of the XK was more than acceptable (yes!). I'll probably get made fun of, but for me either of these cars have plenty of power. I would imagine driving an XKR might honestly terrify me, as much as it pains me to admit that on the internet.

Anyway, wanted to update the thread... my wife and I are both excited about the day's events. What a cool decision to have to make. Nobody has to explain to me any more why people spend big dollars on cars. I definitely get it.

 

I really did feel the same way about the transmission in the MBs compared to the Jags. I drove both the E and the SL too. It's not like we're going to discourage you from this level of craziness!

It's a beautiful, sunny day here in Seattle, and my wife just pointed outside and said "You should take me out for coffee." Done and done! I don't need much of an excuse to go for a spin in the Jag.

 

The first XK series car I drove was an 07 XKR. The dealer handed my wife and I the keys and said, have fun.

We drove around a bit and found a nice quiet spot to test the acceleration. Mashing the gas pedal from stopped to 60 made my stomach feel the same way I felt the first time on a high roller coaster plunging down the first hill. The question in the moment is, was that awful or was that really fun.

The question after is, do I need, and will I use, that incremental power.

I think the XKR's are fabulous, but in the end I decided that, for me, the XK was plenty fast.

The other day in my XK, I was cruising along with the top down at 70mph (the legal limit) on a two lane interstate. I was in the left lane passing 4 trucks in a row probably doing 65. There was a car behind me and I was just passing the 2nd truck when a sun shower opened up.

With no room to slow down or pull over to the left, I floored the pedal, shot from 70 to 90 or so in no time, shot passed the first truck, pulled over onto the right shoulder and raised the roof.

My wife looked at me and said - I think it's fast enough.

 

I'm sure some of it is that it was an unfamiliar car and I'm not used to being in something that can accelerate that quickly, but still... I'm glad I'm not the only person to have that experience.

Now that I think about it, I did have a complaint about the XK. Is there a regular aux. jack for the stereo? If there is, I couldn't find it. If playing music off a USB thumb drive works well, its probably not a big deal for me in practice... but I do find it sort of annoying. Seems like such a small thing, I can't figure out why it would be left out. Maybe I'm missing something but it'd be awfully weird if they put it somewhere other than where the other connectivity ports are.

 

Of course the iPhone/iPod jack is in the glove box, but if you have another type of player you can purchase a RCA to mini cable at any radio shack type store. The red and white RCA jacks are next to the USB port.