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DRIVEN: Jaguar Roars With Added Power
Supercharged XKR boosted to 510 horsepower for supercar performance with British luxury aura.
Bob Golfen  |  Posted October 26, 2010   Phoenix, AZ
The performance-enhanced Jaguar XKR gets 510 horsepower for 2010, as well as a mild facelift. (Photo: Jaguar)
The beautiful, high-performance Jaguar XKR convertible has a split personality, each side of the coin playing a powerful and provocative role in what makes this car so great.

First off, there’s the lush luxury cruiser, a glorious head turner that coddles its occupants while providing all the al fresco pleasure of a premium ride. An evening cruise through city streets or a fast jaunt along a tree-lined country road, top down of course, can bring the romance back into any relationship.

In the XKR, the throbbing beat of the supercharged V8 adds cadence to the experience, while the classically styled premium interior provides an inspiring sense of well-being.

Then there’s flip side of the coin, the part of the XKR that driving enthusiasts find even more inspiring. The big news is that for 2010, XKR gets 510 horsepower, joining the ranks of the supercars.

XKR cuts a sleek profile as it powers up steep grades with a mountain of torque. (Photo: Jaguar)
The added engine power boosts the latest version of Jaguar’s sports/GT car up from its previous 420 hp and turns this traditional convertible into a viable competitor against more-exotic sports cars from Italy and Germany, as well as Corvette and Dodge Viper.

The romping performance almost seems out of place in this lovely convertible, or drop-head coupe, as the British would say. In its standard garb, the XK (without the R) convertible retains more of its luxury cruiser credentials, even with its non-supercharged V8 bumped up to 385, but the power and drivability enhancements makes the XKR a different kind of feline altogether.

On a sunny Sunday drive into Arizona’s high country, where pine forest takes the place of desert cactuses, we were treated to a most graphic demonstration of XKR’s dual existence. With my wife in the passenger seat, we drove scenic Arizona Route 87 from Phoenix to the town of Payson, a climb of about 4,000 feet during the course of a 90-mile trip.

This was a superb proving ground for the Jag, with long stretches of high-speed roadway, sweeping curves and steep hills, along with a couple of sections of fast, winding turns. And while sampling the smoking performance, we sat in regal comfort under the sparkling blue sky.

Jaguar replaced its once-standard "J-gate" shifter with a unique rotary dial and push-button controls. (Photo: Jaguar)
The latest XKR is a sleek, all-aluminum projectile that received a mild makeover for the 2010 model year, as well as the horsepower boost. For acceleration junkies, the 0-60 time is now 4.6 seconds, according to Jaguar.

All I know is that the torque feels limitless as the Jag shoulders its way into illegal speeds with shameless ease and a rasping exhaust note. To enhance the aural experience, Jaguar engineered an “active exhaust system” that uses valves that open at higher speeds for a more robust sound, plus an acoustic filter at the rear of the engine, tuned to “tenor C,” which feeds intake sound to the cabin under hard acceleration. Now that’s an audio system.

Ride and handling are excellent, as expected, with a suspension that is firm but never harsh, steering that is sharply responsive and brakes that are smooth and very strong. While the XKR can feel like a boulevard cruiser in slow urban driving, it quickly transforms into a hard-edged track star whenever you get on it.

Both the XK and XKR models have the Adaptive Dynamics active damping system, which automatically adjusts the shock-absorber rates as it monitors the ride 100 times per second, according to Jaguar.
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