Hello, I currently have a BMW 650 convertible and am in the market for a new vehicle and have narrowed it down to the 2010/2011 XKR. I slightly considered the M6 but I like a more radical change than that!

I am hoping you guys can give me some input, the sales guy that I test drove with did not know much about what I am looking for.

1. On the M6 you can "user-select" what mode of performance you are in. The lowest throttles down the HP to 400hp. Does the XKR have some type of normal driving mode that is tame, then "hot" mode that allows for more spirited driving?

2. How robust is the Traction Control?

Since this will be a vehicle that my Wife will drive also I don't want a car that will end up being a concern. The 650 is 360hp, going to 500hp will be a big jump!!!

 

First there is a "drive" selection and a "sport" selection on the gear knob which affects the gear ratios. Both options can be driven as either automatic or manual via flappy-paddle gear shifters.

There is a separate "dynamic mode" which delivers more responsive acceleration and changes the exhaust dynamics.

There is also a winter mode that seriously tames the drive. I see no reason it can't be driven in winter mode all the time if you have a very timid driver but that's probably not necessary. This car has a more linear throttle than some cars do and will tend to want to jump off the line right away, but a light touch on the gas is nothing anyone can't get used to.

The traction control works very well, and there are three settings for this: normal DSC, track DSC, and off. The XKR has additional traction control features over the XK base model in the form of active differential power adjustments to individual wheels.

I liked the M6 when I was shopping, but when I look at prices I think you will get more car for your money with an XKR.

 

Thanks MD, that is exactly what I was looking for. The M6 is not even in the running, mainly because it is a shared platform with the car I have now and I like variety. Not to mention BMW did not come out with an "automatic" until 2013 and I like to buy cars 2 to 3 years old so that I can capitalize on the first owners depreciation hit. I loved the bold body style for the 6 series and that was the reason for my purchase, not the overwhelming love of BMW.

The 2010 and prior M6 (there are no 2011 or 2012 produced) had the SMG tranny, while it can run in "auto" mode it is auto-manual tranny, so in low speed traffic it can be very annoying. The new version with it's DCT and refreshed body design is sweet, but I don't want to wait until 2015.

It sounds like the XKR is similar to the BMW in that the DCS and Traction work very well. The BMW one keeps you out of trouble, I don't want the Wife kicking the throttle and ending up sideways!

 

You can let your wife start driving it in snow mode...until she got familiar with the car.

 

Well, even with the DSC on if I kick it I can break the rear loose...the 5L XKR has a lot of torque! She'll have to learn the how to properly "kick" these horses...

My wife drove my XKR once when I first got it and scared the living $hit out of herself...she's a little scared to drive it to this day because of that.

I have scared myself...

 

Thanks Guys! Snow Mode will be the way to start off, that is for sure.

I was down in Miami for a couple of days and had some downtime this afternoon. There are a couple of 2010 XKR's for sale at a dealer by my client so I went by to take a drive. Believe it or not they let me take a 500hp car on a test drive by myself for as long as I wanted. I will not admit to anything, especially to breaking traffic laws.

All I can say is WOW!!! That is one seriously fast car. I test drove the previous generation XKR a couple of years back and was VASTLY underwhelmed, it just did not impress me (not to cause flaming with those year owners....just my opinion). But the new version is IMPRESSIVE. The only setting I messed with was putting it into S mode on the shifter, it sure does hop it up.

As Rschultho mentioned, the rear end will kick out if I punched it on a turn. And yes, under hard throttle...which was the condition I was in throughout the test drive...this car concerns me. Mainly because I like speed and full throttle is the way I like to operate! The traction control seemed to keep it from going a full 360 degrees. I didn't push it to the limit to really test if I could overwhelm the DSC, while I was ripping it up pretty good I didn't want to bring it back on a flatbed.

So another quick question, I know I could probably find this by searching and reading, but since the forum has XK and XKR all in one I am being lazy. The car I drove had the upgraded sound, ventilated/cooled seats, and keyless entry. Are these standard on all XKR's? Seems on the car listings I have seen it looks to be?

 

I actually let my mother drive my new '12 XKR vert around town and she thought it was the smoothest and easiest car she had ever driven. She is a spry 70 year old!

This car has a really unique split personality. It's happy with easy going cruising all day in Drive mode and is as smooth and easy to drive as any Mercedes I've ever owned (smoother maybe). And for those times when you want to let loose, that's when a drop to Sport Mode and a good toe-press generates an awesome and controlled linear acceleration that sounds incredible and gets you to legal limits fast. Pace with grace...The definition of the XKR!

 

Yes, those are standard 2010+ XKR features. It's a wonderful car. Front engine rear wheel drive cars with enormous torque at lower rpm all spin the rears pretty easily. Just don't stab the "loud" pedal like you're driving a less torquey car and you'll be okay. I have a Supra twin turbo with the same peak hp and torque as the XKR that spins the tires easily as well, but the difference is the XKR does it at almost any rpm due to its broader powerband.

 

Hey Tampa, don't get me wrong, and after you have now driven it I'm sure you understand better, it is a very refined machine. Mine is my daily driver, and is tame if I treat as such. The car has adaptive software that actually "learns" how you drive the car over time. The power is always there, but it is also a very smooth and comfortably driving car. It's a magnificent machine.

It is like wearing a fine tuxedo with a desert eagle tucked comfortably away under your jacket. (No, a PPK is not powerful enough)

 

All the input is much appreciated!

My 6 is not quite ready to be retired, but the XKR is my frontrunner to replace it when it does happen.

 

If you are having trouble controlling your right foot during curves, you should learn how to drive.

(Sorry, just getting back at you for your dig on the 4.2L! )

 

Personally, I think the greatest improvement to the 5.0L XKRs with respect to it being a drivers car is the addition of a LSD (is that only on some options packages?), and the dynamic sport manual mode on the car that will not allow the transmission to kickdown or upshift without your input (i.e., you can bounce it off the rev limiter or give it full throttle in a relatively low gear without it kicking down). The 4.2 does not have this feature and can be pretty darn annoying as if you bring it up to near redline in manual mode, it will upshift, and perhaps you were relying on engine braking transitioning into a decreasing-radius curve but now you're in the wrong gear...

 

Touche! Your 4.2L version is a beautiful car, and yes I would have to re-learn driving with...how was it called earlier...a torque monster like the 5.0L.

It wasn't just the engine, I wasn't happy with the tranny or the suspension. Jaguar really stepped up with the new ZF transmission, LSD, and suspension. Then they threw on more HP, bless them there engineers.

 

Not to sidetrack the discussion, but I was surprised when driving the new 5.0L XJ that it did not have the same sort of throttle-blipping tuning for the manual mode in the transmission.