By Twain Mein

Pros:

• Stunning styling
• Incredible power
• Beautiful interior
• Exclusivity

Cons:

• Useless back seats
• Minor complaints including hard to read GPS and poor radio reception
• No sunroof
• $90,000 is too much for mere mortals

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The Jaguar XKR is a grand tourer produced by British car maker Jaguar since 1996. The car was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5th 1996 and is available as a coupé and convertible. Currently in its second generation (Mark II) , the XK8 was the first 8 cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar, when the Jaguar AJ-V8 engine was introduced.

Shouldered and powerful as always, but sleeker now with aluminum bodyshell drawn taut across the chassis, the second generation Jaguar XKR coupe is purposefully trimmed and tuned for heart-pounding performance.

Under the hood is Jaguar´s latest 4.2-liter, 32-valve, 4-cam aluminum AJ-V8 engine, with cam phasing to stoke response at all speeds. In the XKR, an Eaton supercharger is used to increase horsepower to 420 and propel the Coupe from 0-60 in 4.9 seconds. Controlling all this power is a 6-speed ZF automatic transmission with Jaguar Sequential Shift steering wheel mounted paddle shifting. Very cool.

2008 Jaguar X-Type

Jaguar will pull the entry-level X-Type from the U.S. market next March when the sporty new XF sedan goes on sale. The automaker had been expected to keep the X-Type in the U.S. market until 2010.

Jaguar’s most affordable model has always struggled in the U.S., and after peaking with sales of around 5000 cars in its launch year in 2003, sales have tailed off to below half that level, despite a wagon being added to the range.

U.S.-spec production will cease in December when Jaguar’s factory switches over to a new facelifted 2009 model X-Type. That model will never make it to the U.S.; cars sold in the U.S. through March will be built to today’s specifications prior to the model changeover.

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Source:
AutoWeek
By JULIAN RENDELL

Editor: For those of you who are curious, check out the new XF at http://www.jaguarxf.com/default.asp