2013 Jaguar XK-Series XKR

The suspension tuning from the XKR-S is now available as an option for all models. Twenty-inch wheels are now standard.

Those who know about Jaguar’s history will immediately pick up on the classic oval grille design of the 2013 Jaguar XK-Series that was used in the XJS and XKE as well. The oval grille is different from that of any other current Jaguar model, and the all-aluminum body gives the car a modern edge. The broader front bumper of the 2013 Jaguar XK-Series distinguishes it from its predecessors.

The XK-Series is available with 19-inch or 20-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust channels, bi-xenon high-intensity discharge headlights, and power-folding side mirrors with automatic dimming. The convertible models have a power-folding soft top.

The 2013 Jaguar XK-Series has a very well-designed and comfortable interior. It has a lot of nifty little features, such as the rotary gear selector that rises from the center console when the car starts up. However, some of the switches and controls seem a little out of place. The XK-Series’ multi-purpose touchscreen interface for operating climate control, audio, phone, and navigation systems is far more functional and responsive from the previous years, but it is still not as good as the touchscreen interfaces in other luxury cars from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The cabin of the XK-Series is definitely not the biggest in its class. The front seats offer lots of legroom and space for adults, but the backseats leave a lot to be desired. They lack any real space, especially legroom. The only way to improve legroom is to push the front seats forward, in which case the front passengers lose out on space too. Moreover, the back seats have a rather odd contour which seems to suggest that even Jaguar knew that the seats would not be that useful with so little space at the back. Even for small children, the rear seats can feel cramped.

The cabin of the 2013 Jaguar XK-Series also feels a little claustrophobic because of the slit-like slim windows and the streamlined design of the car itself. On a positive note, the convertible boasts of a thick soft top that keeps cabin noise down almost as effectively as the coupe does. The soft top takes just 18 seconds to come down. Moreover, the XK-Series coupe gets 11 cubic feet of cargo space at the back, which is much larger than the trunk space offered by the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class or Porsche 911. It is, however, a tad smaller than the trunk of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 6-Series. The convertible has a cargo space of eight cubic feet with the soft top down, which is relatively not that great, but a respectable amount of space nevertheless.

The 2013 Jaguar XK-Series has anti-lock brakes, front side airbags, and traction and stability control as standard. The convertible gets pop-up rollover bars as a standard feature, but neither the coupe nor the convertible get side curtain airbags even as an option. The XKR and XKR-S offer the best braking power, stopping in just 111 feet from 60 mph.

The 2013 Jaguar XK-Series gets a 5.0-liter, V-8 base engine that delivers 385 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed, automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive are standard, and the average fuel economy expected is around16/24 mpg city/highway. The XKR model gets a supercharged version of the V-8 engine that delivers 510 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque. This model hits 60 mph from standstill in just 4.5 seconds, and the convertible goes even faster. The new XKR-S model has an even more powerful version of the XKR’s engine that delivers 550 horsepower and 502 lb-ft of torque. With this engine, the XKR-S reaches the 60 mph mark in 4.3 seconds, and feels a lot quicker too. Both the XKR and XKR-S have almost similar fuel economies of 15/22 mpg city/highway.

Even with the base engine, the 2013 Jaguar XK-Series is a fast and capable cruiser. The engine is incredibly potent with fast response and a huge power band. The supercharged engine adds even more power to the equation, boasting of acceleration timings that could equal the fastest sports cars right now. The XKR-S engine, of course, takes the XK-Series up to seemingly impossible levels of power. The traction control can struggle sometimes to keep a check on all this power, so drivers should not take the XKR-S lightly. The added potential of each engine makes the suspension even firmer, but even the all-powerful XKR-S feels very comfortable to drive as compared to the Porsche 911 and Audi R8, which is in keeping with the XK-Series’ grand tourer heritage. Of course, this balance between comfort and firm stability means that the XK-Series may not be as responsive as the 911, and it lacks the nimbleness of the new BMW 6-Series.

• BMW 6-series
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Porsche 911