Considering an XKR - what are they like through the winter?
Discussion
Hi all,
I've decided that as a replacement for my BMW m235i, and probably one of my last ICE cars, I wanted something a bit memorable that could put a smile on your face even if it's just a trip to the shops. While looking around at various V8 options I came across the (face lift) 5L XKR and am absolutely in love with the look of them!
Without further delay I booked myself in to go see one last night and was fortunate enough to go for a short test drive in it, dry roads about 6 degrees outside. Not having driven something with this much power before I was trying to drive it with some respect and had no intention of just planting my foot to the floor.
Came off a roundabout onto a section of dual carriageway, giving it what I thought was about half throttle in hindsight perhaps a touch more but nowhere near full... Was doing about 40mph accelerating steadily when the gearbox decided to shift down a gear, instantly causing the rear tyres to spin up and the back end to step out. Thankfully I think the traction control kicked in quite swiftly and after a wiggle in both directions all was well. To say it surprised me though would be an understatement, I honestly felt I had applied power quite carefully and can't believe it span up the tyres like that! I only checked one side which was a fairly new MPS4, no reason to believe they were not a matching set as car appears very well looked after.
Rest of the test drive I used the paddles to ensure I didn't get any more unexpected gear changes, no further issues and my god it sounded amazing when the exhaust opens up
I guess my question is was this a fairly typical experience given the weather is a bit colder, and how much of a handful is the XKR to drive in our lovely British winters especially when it's wet? I really liked the car but as it would be my only car I'm a bit concerned!
Car for reference: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022012517...
I've decided that as a replacement for my BMW m235i, and probably one of my last ICE cars, I wanted something a bit memorable that could put a smile on your face even if it's just a trip to the shops. While looking around at various V8 options I came across the (face lift) 5L XKR and am absolutely in love with the look of them!
Without further delay I booked myself in to go see one last night and was fortunate enough to go for a short test drive in it, dry roads about 6 degrees outside. Not having driven something with this much power before I was trying to drive it with some respect and had no intention of just planting my foot to the floor.
Came off a roundabout onto a section of dual carriageway, giving it what I thought was about half throttle in hindsight perhaps a touch more but nowhere near full... Was doing about 40mph accelerating steadily when the gearbox decided to shift down a gear, instantly causing the rear tyres to spin up and the back end to step out. Thankfully I think the traction control kicked in quite swiftly and after a wiggle in both directions all was well. To say it surprised me though would be an understatement, I honestly felt I had applied power quite carefully and can't believe it span up the tyres like that! I only checked one side which was a fairly new MPS4, no reason to believe they were not a matching set as car appears very well looked after.
Rest of the test drive I used the paddles to ensure I didn't get any more unexpected gear changes, no further issues and my god it sounded amazing when the exhaust opens up
I guess my question is was this a fairly typical experience given the weather is a bit colder, and how much of a handful is the XKR to drive in our lovely British winters especially when it's wet? I really liked the car but as it would be my only car I'm a bit concerned!
Car for reference: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022012517...
I can't answer your question exactly, but on Sunday I just got myself a 5.0l XK (Non-R). The NA XK has 100bhp+ less power/torque, and even that breaks traction very easily, coming out of junctions and when pressing on. And that's with what appears to be on a set of fairly new tyres too.
It does however seems very well balanced, communicative and easy to control. So whilst it's twitchy, it's a fun twitchy, not a scary one.
As is the same with every car, it'll take a while to learn it and get used to it's nature, as I am doing day by day, but what I would say is, JUST BUY ONE!
It really does put such a huge smile on my face and you absolutely won't regret it. I think their values are holding fairly firm now so like myself, get one, enjoy it, and when you want to out it shouldn't be too painful on the wallet, if at all!
Just to note, I've seen this one online for 'just' £4,400 more but it has 42k less miles with just 21k on the clock. A nice low mileage example and from a Jag main dealer for a little bit more would be a much safer place to put your money into imo. Personally I think the darker headliner gives the car a more sporty/coupe feeling when sat inside also.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403292185658?hash=item5...
Good luck!
It does however seems very well balanced, communicative and easy to control. So whilst it's twitchy, it's a fun twitchy, not a scary one.
As is the same with every car, it'll take a while to learn it and get used to it's nature, as I am doing day by day, but what I would say is, JUST BUY ONE!
It really does put such a huge smile on my face and you absolutely won't regret it. I think their values are holding fairly firm now so like myself, get one, enjoy it, and when you want to out it shouldn't be too painful on the wallet, if at all!
Just to note, I've seen this one online for 'just' £4,400 more but it has 42k less miles with just 21k on the clock. A nice low mileage example and from a Jag main dealer for a little bit more would be a much safer place to put your money into imo. Personally I think the darker headliner gives the car a more sporty/coupe feeling when sat inside also.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/403292185658?hash=item5...
Good luck!
Edited by Vocht on Thursday 27th January 12:00
All the supercharged V8 Jags will break traction easily when it's cold and you're on high performance summer tyres. They're fine when it's a bit warmer. They have a great deal of torque available and you don't need to be anywhere near WOT to break loose.
The closest I've come to a crash in a long time was in my XFR-S overtaking some sort of Volkswagen hatchback thing on a cold dry road at what I thought was light throttle. The Jaguar's active differential is very aggressive too - I actually prefer the more progressive mechanical types like the Hydratrak my Cerbera had. The Jaguar active diff senses slip on one wheel then instantly changes to "drift kn8b" welded-diff mode so you spin both rear wheels. Moreover, the traction and stability control in Jaguars is much, much more relaxed than in modern BMWs. In the BMW it's now fairly unobtrusive but if you have keen senses and a lot of experience without electronics, you can tell in e.g. an M2 that it's quietly tempering your enthusiasm for you a lot of the time. The modern BMWs feel like they're really capable cars with loads of grip allowing you to get the power down earlier when exiting a corner - but you can hear and feel the momentary scrub from the inside tyre and it's the electronics preventing you spinning up the wheel and swinging the tail out.
By comparison, the Jaguar system flashes a light on your dashboard to let you know, at your earliest convenience, that you may have overcooked it back there.
That said, Jaguar build very good dynamic cars. I prefer how most Jaguars feel with everything turned off over how e.g. BMWs feel with everything turned off. The BMW flatters the driver more with everything turned on, but if you concentrate on the task at hand, the Jaguar is a really well set up car with beautiful balance. You just have to treat the electronic aides as though they're not really there and get a feel for the car the old fashioned way.
The closest I've come to a crash in a long time was in my XFR-S overtaking some sort of Volkswagen hatchback thing on a cold dry road at what I thought was light throttle. The Jaguar's active differential is very aggressive too - I actually prefer the more progressive mechanical types like the Hydratrak my Cerbera had. The Jaguar active diff senses slip on one wheel then instantly changes to "drift kn8b" welded-diff mode so you spin both rear wheels. Moreover, the traction and stability control in Jaguars is much, much more relaxed than in modern BMWs. In the BMW it's now fairly unobtrusive but if you have keen senses and a lot of experience without electronics, you can tell in e.g. an M2 that it's quietly tempering your enthusiasm for you a lot of the time. The modern BMWs feel like they're really capable cars with loads of grip allowing you to get the power down earlier when exiting a corner - but you can hear and feel the momentary scrub from the inside tyre and it's the electronics preventing you spinning up the wheel and swinging the tail out.
By comparison, the Jaguar system flashes a light on your dashboard to let you know, at your earliest convenience, that you may have overcooked it back there.
That said, Jaguar build very good dynamic cars. I prefer how most Jaguars feel with everything turned off over how e.g. BMWs feel with everything turned off. The BMW flatters the driver more with everything turned on, but if you concentrate on the task at hand, the Jaguar is a really well set up car with beautiful balance. You just have to treat the electronic aides as though they're not really there and get a feel for the car the old fashioned way.
The PS4S is by no means a winter tyre. Winter time generally means the roads aren't just wet, they're also cold and slimy from road grit/salt, mud, remains of decomposing leaves etc. as well. In warmer weather, even on simply wet roads an XKR on PS4S is still a very capable thing. I have PS4S all round on mine and my car has the XKR-S ECU software and your experience doesn't surprise me at all. Last time I checked, the only winter tyre available in the 20" fitments was the Pirelli Sottozero. I had some for my old 4.2 XKR but didn't rate them, except on actual snow.
For all the time we have those sorts of conditions to deal with though I wouldn't let that put you off one of these. For the money there's really nothing else that gives that sort of performance, comfort and sense of occasion. By this time next month you'll be able to enjoy it far more fully. Between my current and previous cars, I've been in XKRs for over eight years now and really struggle to think of anything else within my financial reach that I'd rather have.
For all the time we have those sorts of conditions to deal with though I wouldn't let that put you off one of these. For the money there's really nothing else that gives that sort of performance, comfort and sense of occasion. By this time next month you'll be able to enjoy it far more fully. Between my current and previous cars, I've been in XKRs for over eight years now and really struggle to think of anything else within my financial reach that I'd rather have.
jamieduff1981 said:
That said, Jaguar build very good dynamic cars. I prefer how most Jaguars feel with everything turned off over how e.g. BMWs feel with everything turned off. The BMW flatters the driver more with everything turned on, but if you concentrate on the task at hand, the Jaguar is a really well set up car with beautiful balance. You just have to treat the electronic aides as though they're not really there and get a feel for the car the old fashioned way.
Completely agree, I think Jag add the electronics after they have balanced the car, whereas ze Germans do it the other way round...Simpo Two said:
If I wanted an XKR I'd buy one anyway, and whatever it was like in winter I'd simply adjust the right foot to keep it in the envelope.
One thing it won't like is snow; my XK stayed at home when there was snow.
Agreed. If you want one, get one. They're an amazing machine and a dying breed, I've never driven a car like it. They're a strange mix of class, sophistication and psychopath.One thing it won't like is snow; my XK stayed at home when there was snow.
Generally I would regard an XKR as a second car, they're not winter friendly. Come freezing temperatures you can barely open the doors, even when you, do they won't shut again.
On the road, they are no worse than a BMW in my experience. They're by no means great but can be used in light snow if required.
Edited by Russ Sims on Thursday 27th January 22:38
I’ve just picked up my 2009 XKR V8 5L, and I am definitely going to have to do a bit of re-learning how to drive a powerful rear wheel drive after 4 years of becoming very lazy with my F-Type and its “stick to the road like glue” AWD…
This is probably the worst time of year to transition over from AWD to rear wheel, with the poor Winter road conditions, but I’ll just be very light of foot for a while, especially on roundabouts and driving into and through tight bends…there’s just so much power there, it’s crazy!
This is probably the worst time of year to transition over from AWD to rear wheel, with the poor Winter road conditions, but I’ll just be very light of foot for a while, especially on roundabouts and driving into and through tight bends…there’s just so much power there, it’s crazy!
jmac105 said:
Hi all,
I've decided that as a replacement for my BMW m235i, and probably one of my last ICE cars, I wanted something a bit memorable that could put a smile on your face even if it's just a trip to the shops. While looking around at various V8 options I came across the (face lift) 5L XKR and am absolutely in love with the look of them!
Without further delay I booked myself in to go see one last night and was fortunate enough to go for a short test drive in it, dry roads about 6 degrees outside. Not having driven something with this much power before I was trying to drive it with some respect and had no intention of just planting my foot to the floor.
Came off a roundabout onto a section of dual carriageway, giving it what I thought was about half throttle in hindsight perhaps a touch more but nowhere near full... Was doing about 40mph accelerating steadily when the gearbox decided to shift down a gear, instantly causing the rear tyres to spin up and the back end to step out. Thankfully I think the traction control kicked in quite swiftly and after a wiggle in both directions all was well. To say it surprised me though would be an understatement, I honestly felt I had applied power quite carefully and can't believe it span up the tyres like that! I only checked one side which was a fairly new MPS4, no reason to believe they were not a matching set as car appears very well looked after.
Rest of the test drive I used the paddles to ensure I didn't get any more unexpected gear changes, no further issues and my god it sounded amazing when the exhaust opens up
I guess my question is was this a fairly typical experience given the weather is a bit colder, and how much of a handful is the XKR to drive in our lovely British winters especially when it's wet? I really liked the car but as it would be my only car I'm a bit concerned!
Car for reference: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022012517...
Just make sure you have Michelin PS4S all round for the best possible chance on non-winters, and adjust the calibration in the right foot. You'll be fine.I've decided that as a replacement for my BMW m235i, and probably one of my last ICE cars, I wanted something a bit memorable that could put a smile on your face even if it's just a trip to the shops. While looking around at various V8 options I came across the (face lift) 5L XKR and am absolutely in love with the look of them!
Without further delay I booked myself in to go see one last night and was fortunate enough to go for a short test drive in it, dry roads about 6 degrees outside. Not having driven something with this much power before I was trying to drive it with some respect and had no intention of just planting my foot to the floor.
Came off a roundabout onto a section of dual carriageway, giving it what I thought was about half throttle in hindsight perhaps a touch more but nowhere near full... Was doing about 40mph accelerating steadily when the gearbox decided to shift down a gear, instantly causing the rear tyres to spin up and the back end to step out. Thankfully I think the traction control kicked in quite swiftly and after a wiggle in both directions all was well. To say it surprised me though would be an understatement, I honestly felt I had applied power quite carefully and can't believe it span up the tyres like that! I only checked one side which was a fairly new MPS4, no reason to believe they were not a matching set as car appears very well looked after.
Rest of the test drive I used the paddles to ensure I didn't get any more unexpected gear changes, no further issues and my god it sounded amazing when the exhaust opens up
I guess my question is was this a fairly typical experience given the weather is a bit colder, and how much of a handful is the XKR to drive in our lovely British winters especially when it's wet? I really liked the car but as it would be my only car I'm a bit concerned!
Car for reference: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2022012517...
I have driven a few xkr and they are a bit lairy. The traction control cuts quite late and is abrupt. However, I would not say that they are particularly bad. At the end of the day, they are a GT car and are best on the motorway...not on a b road.
They may be also other factors: tyre temperature, tyre pressure, suspension/damper condition, road surface....
The problem you got now is that you have lost confidence in this car so don't buy it because it will always be in the back of your mind.
They may be also other factors: tyre temperature, tyre pressure, suspension/damper condition, road surface....
The problem you got now is that you have lost confidence in this car so don't buy it because it will always be in the back of your mind.
paddy1970 said:
The problem you got now is that you have lost confidence in this car so don't buy it because it will always be in the back of your mind.
Maybe it's just that particular car. I had an XF which changed gear unpredictably - sometimes it did, sometimes it didn't. Cars before and afterwards (mostly Jaguars) were fine.paddy1970 said:
I have driven a few xkr and they are a bit lairy. The traction control cuts quite late and is abrupt. However, I would not say that they are particularly bad. At the end of the day, they are a GT car and are best on the motorway...not on a b road.
I've always felt that the traction control system was setup by someone with a bit of a sense of humour. What's the point of buying a 500+BHP toy if you're not intending to play.Put it in winter mode and controls things like LadyB8's Merc and simply doesn't get out of shape even if you try and be daft. In normal mode it seems like it waits to decide "nope you've really over cooked it" before stepping in. Personally I wouldn't mind a setting half way between the two. The only time I've got mine badly out of shape was whilst using a pretty moderate throttle on a fairly gentle bend on a slightly damp bit of road, suddenly there was a lot less grip than expected.
Last year we decided to head back from North Wales staying as much as possible on smaller A roads and B roads and I found the XKR was outstanding at this, much more so than I expected. Motorways are dismissed easily, you're never going to find a situation which taxes even a fraction of what the car is capable of. At any sort of sane speed you'll handy be touching the throttle. A roads are more fun and provide a chance to use more of the cars potential. One smaller roads the suspension never became crashy, I found the steering engaging and accurate and the car's ability to overtake rapidly and safety whenever a chance presented was really appreciated.
I have had mine since the beginning of December. It is my daily driver, commuting 50 odd miles a day.
It is brilliant, I can thoroughly recommend one. You do need to learn it a bit though, especially with the factory spec Dunlops on the rear. I have taken to using the paddles for things like overtaking, to avoid the ‘box dropping down and unsettling things.
I am, as I said two months and a couple of thousand miles in, it is a new experience compared to everything else that I have owned. Definitely worth it though.
I have even managed 26 mpg!
It is brilliant, I can thoroughly recommend one. You do need to learn it a bit though, especially with the factory spec Dunlops on the rear. I have taken to using the paddles for things like overtaking, to avoid the ‘box dropping down and unsettling things.
I am, as I said two months and a couple of thousand miles in, it is a new experience compared to everything else that I have owned. Definitely worth it though.
I have even managed 26 mpg!
LanceRS said:
I have just got round to looking at the ad. That is absolutely stunning. I imagine that you have probably talked yourself into it by now. Let us know how you get on 
Lovely car Lance but alas its too high mileage and expensive for me . At that money especially if you dont need the hatchback and the extra two seats , I would have to be thinking F Type .Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff