My 2008 convertible has around 70k miles on it (We put ~40K on it ourselves in just under 3 years). I've really enjoyed it and still get compliments all the time on it but I'm getting the itch for a new toy and I'd really love to step up the power a bit.

I could be happy with a newer XKR if it feels different enough and feels like a clear upgrade. I'm sure moving up 200+HP would be noticeable but I want the interior to feel fresh. I need to do some research as to what years what major changes occured. I like the sportier seats and the double stitched leather. I'd really like to find one with A/C seats and I'd really like to stay away from the burled wood and stuff that I have now.

I also like the Maserati quattroporte and the Aston Martin line-up but I just dont think they have the bang for the buck that our lovely Jags have. Comments and/or suggestions? I'm thinking $50-60K is my top end budget.

 

Gooday. I came from a '12 XF which had a lovely interior and went "back" to an '11 XKR which had the walnut trim. I have to say I don't like the walnut at all. The cheap and very effective fix for that was to remove the trim and wrap it in gloss black (almost indistinguishable from the piano black trim) and black carbon fibre. It looks great and I get a lot of compliments so it isn't just me. So I wouldn't let the wood trim turn you off.


But a few things that I would have liked that I didn't get and which I cant really do anything about - contrast stitching - mine has the charcoal seats with matching stitching. A contrast would have been my preference by far, I think it takes it to a new level. Second, the black fascia for the centre stack and the seat switches looks much fresher, IMO. I think you are more likely to get that in the '12 and up model years.


I have the A/C seats, and actually they are pretty awful, IMO. It feels like a cheap hooker is blowing on the back of your legs. I think I used them once in my XF then gave up on it. Might be nicer in a convertible if the seats were hot, I suppose.


As for the Quattroporte, I'm not wild on the looks of them past the front end and I hear that they are a bit cheap inside. The Aston's tech is behind the jags - it is based on old Volvo tech, though I understand in the new ones it should be improving. I think with the Astons you are getting a car which isn't as good as the XKR, but they certainly look the part.


You should drive the newer XKR and see what you think. Having come from a 4.2 XF then a 5.0 XF, I'd have to say that the XKR was so powerful that when I first got it I was quite intimidated, you cant just put your foot down in them like the 4.2. I think if you had a go in one it'd be hard to say no...

 

In terms of bang for your buck, there is simply no comparison between a 2010+ (5.0L) XKR and anything in the Maserati or Aston lineups for two specific reasons and a number of non-specific ones. First, the power of either the XKR or XKRS is greater and more accessible than the others. Secondly, the price; there are very nice, low mileage 5.0L XKR models available for prices starting in the low $30,000 range. (I bought my 2010 XKR about a year and a half ago for mid-thirties with a new engine installed). The V-8 Vantage which would be the only Aston within range would be considerably more money (if not twice as much) and while providing the interior upgrades you want to experience, more exclusivity, and a great exhaust symphony, is not performance wise the XKR or XKRS' equal. As for the Maserati line, great sound, beautiful interiors, not nearly the performance, lots and lots of service problems and expenses and much higher pricing on the Gran Turismo and Quattroporte. The Ghibli, while retaining the Qporte's appearance to some extent loses the V-8.

Most of the upgrades you mentioned are available on later XKR/XKRS models including heated and cooled seats, nicer leather or the sport seats, rearview camera (2012+), and Piano black and carbon fiber looking metal accents on the interior. For the tens of thousands of dollars you save, you could customize your XKR with 600hp tune and pulley, great body kits. etc... Both the Aston Martins and the Maseratis are terrific cars, but don't necessarily represent better "bang for your buck!"

 

1st I think you need to put together a list of your priorities. I have a 2012 convert. that took 6 months to find because I was looking for a color other then what most of the XKR were sold as. The 510 HP is awesome and if I could have found an XKR-S with my priorities I would have gone for the 550HP. I would have liked contrasting stitching but it wasn't a show stopper .Also in 2012 the performance seats did not have the cooling feature but I believe the 2013 had heated and cooled performance seats. Then there is the exhaust. And I can go on but you need to determine what you want and what you will settle for. As for the Maz or the AM I you should do your homework on the Maz maintenance and where to service the AM. I like the AM style but for the price you would need to get maybe a 2006-07 for the dollars you are talking. If you have been looking at the XKR prices you are in the 2012-13 range . Good luck with your hunting.

 

I much prefer the additional power, classy interior. I have the dark-brown-grey dash panels instead of the burled walnut dash, but I've never seen another XK/R with the ones I have. They are a tight grain actually more black walnut instead of the pale burled ugliness. I have no idea what they are called, but the interior looks MUCH newer and fresher than the BW. Not as finger-printy as the Piano Black either. The cooled seats I do love, of course mine IS a convertible.
Short version; Any XKR or S 2010 or newer will make you very happy.

 

Qporte is much different car than a Vantage or XKR. The handling is nothing to write home about and most of the car is not even leather (for all the Maserati's). If you are considering used, I'd look at DB9 over Vantage to get that V12. When that engine starts up, there's few cars like it. They are also holding their value quite well & available with manual if that's of interest.

If want something sportier than what you have, consider a Lotus Evora; either current version or the new 400. Handling is leagues ahead, the engine is the most reliable and the car is the most exclusive out of the bunch. Has more useful back seat space than the XK.

 

as a long time and current Ferrari and Porsche owner, I am always looking for cars that I would enjoy owning and driving. I have always looked for the car first and then determined the value prop second.


the xk and the xkr are very difficult to best in any of the euro/exotic car range. I have owned 3 Maserati's (merak ss, quattroporte III and the great bora) and considered the gt before buying my xk convertible. let me say that after my stop at the jag dealer, I found no reason to go see the maser...I was quickly sold on the jag.


the xkr is all the performance a person could ask for in a front engine gt...and the looks...the looks!!


if you want a change of scenery it is understandable but you may not get more of anything other than just a different look and feel...oh yes, and more sunk cost in both acquisition and on-going maintenance. still, a high class problem indeed. have fun looking around but my suggestion to you would be finding a nearly new low, low mile xkr coupe or convert!!

 

I can't really add anything to the above comments, other than to suggest you go out and do test drives of all that you are considering. I think in the end the XKR or XKR-S will come out on top.

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to take my time and try to get some test drives in. I totally meant gran turismo rather than quattro... I was posting while drinking.

I'm leaning towards a 2012+XKR. I have seen a few lotus evora which looks great and has the 2+2 but I just dont know anything about them. My wife and I love the comfort + performance of the jag and I have a hard time imagining the comfort level would be matched in the lotus but it sure looks great and they seem pretty reasonably priced.

 

I should have added that the maser gt does have a true rear seating provision if that is important to you. it has a bit of an exotic look and feel but I honestly think the xkr is a better looking car and the performance will trump the gt. try them all. they are certainly all different...all cool in their own way. have fun.

 

I can tell you the Evora is a way more compliant ride over bumps than my XK was, gets better gas mileage, seats are incredibly comfortable, and has handling no car less than 458 can match. You'd be surprised how comfy the Lotus compared to the XK. Getting in and out of Lotus is the only "challenge". The sound of the Evora is just awesome too.

 

I'll chime in on the XKR-S option, although you might need to stretch beyond your budget a bit.

Power-wise, it speaks for itself really. 550HP is overkill for most any situation you can come across on the road, but boy is it fun It will feel like an entirely different car than your 4.2L XK. Combined with the active exhaust, it sounds better than any other car I've heard, save for maybe a Ferrari V12.

I have the 2012, so no cooled seats, just heated. However, I've never really missed not having them. Other than that, the XKR-S would meet all of your interior criteria. Interior veneer is a mix of piano black and aluminum-like material. It also has the sport seats and two tone leather w/ contrast stitching. One thing on the sport seats, and this might just be me, but for long trips, I actually find the seats in my older XK8 to be more comfortable. I get lower back pain after about an hour in the car (and I'm not that old!). I'm with you on the burl walnut. Love it on my XJSC and earlier cars, but I think it dates the newer jags , now that so many other options are available.

Exterior styling is not for everyone. At first I didn't like the spoiler, but now it's one of my favorite parts of the aesthetics. The carbon fiber front splitter and rear diffuser add some interest to the exterior as well. Overall my favorite iteration of the X150.

Just something to consider

 

XKR-S styling is great IMO and should be "the one to own" for modern Jaguars if you look 10-20 years from now.

 

Are the XKR-S seats Recaro? They look very similar design to the Evora seats, but with more padding.

 

They're not branded Recaro anywhere that I know of, and jaguar doesn't ever refer to them as Recaros in the brochure or other literature. So to my knowledge they aren't.

You might remember that there was a Recaro seat package available in several years of the X 100 generation. They were branded and advertised as Recaros, so I think Jaguar would've done the same with the new X150 if that was the case.

They do look very similar though.

One feature I really like about the sport seats is the adjustable side bolsters. If you are doing spirited driving they hold you in nicely, but are not too restrictive during normal conditions.

 

I test drove a midnight blue 2013 lotus evora 2+2 (not S). It was a real looker but I don't think it hits the spot for me. The interior and exterior look was quite nice. The quality level was nice but not as refined as the newer jags ive seen. Button layouts and all were not intuitive but that not a big deal. Hard as hell to get in but once seated it was very comft. Seats were great and the bolsters felt like a nice hug. Back seats are ridiculous, no headroom at all. Seriously nobody under 10 could fit back there. Seats had manual adjustments, a/c was on or off with minimal adjustments. Still cool *** car. The ride was quite bumpy and VERY different from the jag. I seemed to feel every rev and gear shift which wasnt altogether unpleasant but just very different. I felt like the cockpit was too small but the dealers giant sticker across the windshield may have made that worse. It cornered awesome, had some awesome sounding downshifts but I missed the jag growl at start up. Its still just too raw for me. I want a little more creature comforts and it really testified to the jaguar xk's sweetspot status. I think im going to focus more on an xkr but im still open.

 

Owning both a XKRS at 550 hp and a XKR at 510 hp with a stage 3 Spires exhaust I honestly cant tell the different between the 2 now... the XKR is somewhat more fun to drive as the SPires exhaust is THAT MUCH louder with over-run popping and snapping much more audible compared to the XKR-S. The perfect car would be a XKR-S with a stage 3 spires exhaust. I am thinking about it but considering I bought the XKR-S new I'd kind of like to leave it low numbers and stock.

Loth

 

People talk about the Burled Walnut dash, and I agree that it would date an otherwise fabulous car. However, my dash is not the burled, nor the piano black, and also not the tinfoil. It seems to be more like a straight-grain black walnut, and I think it looks wonderful. However, I've never seen another like it anywhere, and it was one reason I bought this car.


PLEASE forgive the horrible filthiness of the interior! I left the top down inside the garage and then the wife swept the garage floor. Ugh!



Does anyone else out there have this type of dash insert, and what is it called? I no longer have the window sticker, and the build sheet doesn't state anything decipherable other than maybe "CASTLE BROMWICH", but I don't know why the assembly plant would be put on the build sheet as a line item.
Any help?

 

You can probably get a very detailed print out from any Jag dealer. Often works to email jag corp, either.

 

[QUOTE=apost8n8;1335308]My 2008 convertible has around 70k miles on it (We put ~40K on it ourselves in just under 3 years). I've really enjoyed it and still get compliments all the time on it but I'm getting the itch for a new toy and I'd really love to step up the power a bit.

Before you decide to upgrade and spend decent money if the power is the main issue please try upgrading your standard cats to 100cell and getting a custom dyno tune .
Like yourself I was itching for more power a few months ago and actually took a manual and f1 auto 360 ferrari out for a test drive . Although a fun vehicle it totally lacked the creature comforts that I experience in the jaguar I thought i would try the power upgrade that i mentioned before I got serious and started to look at the xkr and aston vantage .
As i now have the vehicle back from the performance shop I am no longer disappointed with the standard vehicles lack of power infact i am extremely happy with the way it performs and still in shock as to how different it feels there is no need to work the higher revs anymore as power is finally available down low ... a complete transformation