2012 Jaguar XKR-S
Jaguar has been promising for some time that it would bring us the XKR-S, a more powerful version of the XKR, and it has finally arrived. The new Jag comes with a hopped-up version of the XKR’s supercharged 5.0-liter engine as well as many more aggressive aesthetics.
The 5.0 is tuned to produce 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. This is enough to propel the Jag to 60 in 4.2 seconds as well as get it to a top speed of 186 mph. Jaguar was able to get this extra power from the supercharged engine by remapping fuel delivery and adding some additional tuning.
This is now officially the most powerful and quickest series production Jaguar to enter production. It should also be noted that this is the first car of the Jaguar series to reach the 300-kph (186 mph) club.
Unfortunately the XKR-S is also a bona-fide member of the Two Ton Club, weighing in at 4,079 lbs. To stop all this weight the Jag comes equipped with a high performance braking system component set that includes monoblock aluminum calipers for its front and rear disc brakes. You can opt for a set of carbon disc brakes but that will cost you a couple thousand dollars on top of the already heavy $132,000 price tag.
Jaguar says that when building this car the design was “aerodynamically driven.” This can be observed by the many exterior designs implemented in this car. It was given unique front and rear fascias, integrated carbon fiber venturi, hood vents, quad exhaust pipes, and a rear fixed wing. The aerodynamic exterior of this car was clearly also designed to impress.
The EPA advises that you’ll get 15 miles per gallon in the city and 22 on the freeway with the XKR-S which isn’t bad considering it is a +4,000 lb car pushing 550 hp.
As for the interior, the infotainment system and navigation system have not been treated to any upgrades this time around which seems to date the entire package. Compared to that of recent Audi’s and BMW’s the XKR-S interior just isn’t up to par but we can leave that for you to decide.
The takeaway from this is that Jaguar simply hasn’t done quite enough with the XKR-S to keep up with the accelerating competition. At this price you also have the option of purchasing a 911 turbo, which blows this car away in almost every aspect. Even in MotorTrend’s recent “Best Drivers Car Drag Race” the XKR-S came in 8th place of 9 only beating out the $26,000 BRZ despite being the 3rd most expensive car in the race. This is still a brilliant car and would definitely impress anyone when you put the pedal down, but with the increase in competition, this Jag just doesn’t seem to stand out like it used to.
