Joe, you would enjoy my car. It’s a 2007 XKR. I bought it in 2012 with 29,000 miles on it. It has the original engine and original transmission. I now have 407,000 miles still going

Great video, what is nuts is that Jaguar don't even make any cars currently. Only SUVs

I really understand what you mean. I've never driven one of these x150 XKs but I have an older x100 XKR (2004, 4.2 and 400bhp). I also have an F-Type (2017 3.0S AWD 380bhp) and it inspires me to drive very differently. The XKR is like you describe, laid back, long-legged and easy. Often you think you are just cruising along and you realise you are going pretty quickly. However, in the F-Type it always feels like I am driving like a bit of a hooligan. It is, as my dear old Dad would have said, all thrust and throttle. The 13 years between the two models means that the F-Type, despite the slight bhp defecit, feels MUCH faster. It corners on rails and is like an eager puppy always yapping at me to throw the stick. However, on today's bumpy UK roads, the XKR is a much more laid-back and enjoyable cross-country ride, quick but not so obviously quick. But, one is a sports car and the other is a GT. They aren't meant to be the same.

I own a 4.2 litre XKR and it's a fantastic car. Very fast and handles surprisingly well for such a long car. After blasting along some B roads you can go into Drive mode and just waft in style. My little 6 year old girl fits in the back seat so it's practical (until she grows a bit!). It attracts a nice amount of attention as it's a great looking car. Very underpriced. Amazing amount of car for the money. The acceleration you're feeling is because it is so linear. There's no obvious power bands so it's just a continuous push rather than a sudden shove. It'll do that up to at least 130mph (probably beyond but I ran out of road and courage).

That still looks like a modern car, but most importantly it still looks like a Jaguar. It's really sad to see what they've now become.

Brilliant video Joel, such a great car! These reviews are fantastic… cannot wait for the next! 😄

I had one of these. It was an amazing touring companion, I took it down to Spain and that’s where the duality of character made it so amazing… utterly comfortable when cruising, yet if you want to have a play in the mountains… It’s a little bit ‘staid’ and that’s what I think you are alluding to, and describe really well. But in a way it’s a bonus how it flies under the radar (a bit). Economics are pretty simple: everything is £500. Service, tyres, insurance, tax. I also always seems to have a fuel leak (I saw as low as 4mpg when really pushing, although it could do 27 jn a gentle cruise). The problem is that fixing any one thing I think might ruin it: make it more edgy? It would be hard and uncompromising to cruise, and a pain in traffic. More comfortable? It would be bland to drive. I think thats the point of it - it is a compromise. If you want to get somewhere and have fun, well you will arrive fresh and without pressure sores.

Perfect timing! Just sat down for dinner 😂

Love the vid man, and I love my 2011 XKR. One of the most underrated cars and such clean power I'll never get rid of it lmao, as for the sound she needs a 3 inch straight pipe all the way back and you'll get that sound you want although it may scare your neighbors 😏

Had one of these with the speed pack for about 8 years! I think it also gets uprated front brakes as part of the pack as well. I think what you need to realise with one of these is that the power enjoyment comes from the low down torque, which means you actually get to use and enjoy it on the roads more than you realise. The in gear acceleration is phenomenal, which means overtakes on a decent road are really easy. In say a BMW M3 V8, you need to get to 5000+ rpm to start 'enjoying' the engine by which time you're way beyond any speed limit. The exhaust valves open at think about 3000 rpm, so when you floor it the noise does come through, if you are too gentle you still make pretty rapid progress but don't get the full growl. However you don't want the exhaust being noisy at cruising speeds it does get tiresome. Sport mode on the gearbox does a little more than just hold the gear, it also takes into account cornering and so won't change mid corner if you're pushing on. Dynamic mode as well stiffens the adaptive dampers, and further sharpens the throttle and the exhaust does get louder with more pops and bangs on the overrun once warmed up, but nothing too unseemly for a Jaaaag... The XK-R with speed pack was I think closer to £90k list new, and you are correct the buttons and central console facia were a bit cheap as were the boot linings, but that engine... it's one of the most usable characterful V8's going on road. Sure you won't get anywhere near the 174mph (it's that speed because going further required the next level of tyre spec and more testing) but I don't think you need to to enjoy it... Be careful with the 4.2's, esp. the non-supercharged, the 4.2 has a lot more supercharger whine and the non-R has no adaptive suspension and is very soft and wallow-y in comparison.

Awesome video dude! I've recently just got the 4.2 XKR, I bloody love it!! Also in the best colour they ever did for the car in my opinion Emerald Fire Green 🤤.

I have had the earlier 4.0 x100 XKR and 4.2 X150 XKR, great GT cruisers and good value for money, I would love a 5.0 XKR-S.

Really enjoying the new car review videos - keep up the good content. If you want to review a few more cars then I have a few that might be of interest.a few AMG’s, a Jag F Type V8 and some BM’s and a non AMG v8 G Wagen. I’m based in the South West on the Devon/Somerset boarder. I’m not a trader and merely an enthusiast so let me know if you fancy a catch up.

This is a great review Joel. I still cannot decide whether to buy an XKR or an F-Type!

Hi Joel, great review. That’s why I went for the 5.0 naturally aspirated version with 385hp. All you need in a GT. power and grace combined. It’s a great car!

Joel that isn’t a real facelift car. It got the same interior and the old 4.2. New engine, and lightly revised front bumper and tail lights. The full facelift cars are late 2011 on wards which have a new front bumper, new front wings, new headlights. Revised rear bumper, and they fixed the nasty quality buttons on the interior you hate!

Great review. Very honest and made my mind up about chasing a 4.2 that is a great alternative.

These are GT cars and will never handle like a Boxster or other sports car. There competitors are, as you mentioned, Conte GTs, DB9, Maser GTs. All flawed as sports cars but excel as GTs. But try running any of its competitors and you'll soon see why the XKR is such a bargain.

Now Now. Have we forgotten the D and E types Joel.

My 2008 XKR Portfolio Coupe (420 hp) has been an amazingly reliable GT with a perfect blend of performance, reliability, and comfort. After a dozen years with it, I am still in awe of just how good of a car it is. It seems that Joel's only real disappointment is that the car is too quiet and luxurious. If you want a more aggressive sound, you can remove fuse #19, located behind the rear seat on the driver's side. This all leave the exhaust gates open. Unfortunately, in this video, he wasn't able to take the car on a proper highway. This is where the car really shines. When overtaking, you go from 80kms to 130kms in the blink of an eye.

Thxs for the review .. and all the other content .. maybe try and E93 M3.. ?bias as I have one .. personally find it does all I want to do.. can find a nice one for £20K..

In Clarkson's original review of this generation of XK (standard version) he mentioned that the car suffers from a form of lift at very high speed caused by the rear lip, so the "counter lift" aero may be to address that issue.

Superb review. Spot on. Tried one of these - all about the comfort and looks gorgeous but not exciting enough. Can you do a 997 Carrera S next?

Sounds and looks awesome credit to the owner 👍

If you want to hear the exhaust and giggle, get the convertible. Driving it along canyon roads here in Southern California with the exhaust note bouncing off the canyon walls is exhilarating. The other thing I like about the XK/XKR (I have owned the 4.2 and the 5.0) is serviceability. A Ferrari, Aston or Bentley is going to cost a small fortune to service while the Ford V8 is very easy to find affordable parts for at the local parts store. You have the docile side of it to go shopping in comfort and the wild side where you can unleash 500+HP with the paddle shifters in sports mode. Hands down the best Jag I have owned and I won't be parting with it given the mediocre stuff JLR is turning out these days.

That's a sexy car! Look at those lines!

In my experience, the dash buttons are perfectly serviceable and keep working

Nice car, credit to the owner. The audio is done through a bovee/air dual unit. Same as all JLR products and Volvo/Aston Martin of the time (from their time under ford) these still have issues with the engine for water pumps and chain tensioners which was the same with the older 4.0 supercharged engine. They fixed it with the 4.2 then went wrong again with the 5.0 😂 I had to pick between one of these and a DB9. The jag is better in nearly all tests but when you want an Aston you have to have one.

Lovely car , I no it’s personal but it’s a shame it’s got black alloys

Looks the same as mine, any info on the spacers used or the engine tune? I have added AndroidAuto to the dated infotainment which has made a big difference

I had similar misgivings about my BMW M5s I had spanning 20 years. Too much car for UK roads and they became too insulated with each new variant. Throw in expensive insurance and servicing costs for performance you can use in 3 second bursts, and I stopped seeing the point. I think cars like these work best as 3.0D mile munchers where they excel the most. With our crappy roads you need comfy seats and soft suspension which is why my daily is now an L322.

You can talk about Aston or masarati the Aston is still fetching good money and service cost to match the masarati is a money pit the jag for the money can’t be beat preowned along with service cost as long as you get one with good mileage and service history you generally can’t go wrong

Sorry Joel, don't agree 100% with your comments. I have a December 2011, 2012 model its brill in every way. I think your reservations are a bit harsh. They tick so many boxes. Sorry.

Starting to think that this brutally honest series are the best and most useful reviews on KZfaq.

Very strange review I’m not so pig headed to think everyone feels the same but how you’ve described the XKR 5 litre is so wide of the mark I bought one last month replacing a 4.2 XK which I loved but was too slow and will be replacing my 996 Carrera too with 3.7 Hartech engine The XkR with good tyres is lairier than my 5 litre Tvr the back end is well slippy and the acceleration is brutal with plenty of noise and mines standard . Was that one definitely supercharged ? I’ve had M3’s , skylines supra TT etc over the years so I’m used to quick cars I’m just really surprised at your assessment of the car It can do the cruising very well but foot down it’s a beast

This is only the mid model, the first facelift, not a later model. The front is entirely different. It'll also not make 600+hp with just ecu mapping, it needs upper and lower supercharger pulleys changing at least.

The jag is very refined.

Definitely getting JayEmm vibes from this review. Great content, keep it up!

You'll be emailing me back about driving my F Type R then? ;)

The 174 mph is still limited. If it was removed altogether it would be well into the 190 s

Got one myself "The best Bang for the Buck"out there the only thing that lets this car down is the robbing bast**ds road Tax £750 per year.

I was expecting it to be a handful to drive

My neighbour had an F Type. Such a disaster with electrics he got his money back. XKR looks better to me.

I have a naturally aspirated XK 5.0 and the supercharger isn't needed. Magnificent underrated car. Sad to see the beginning of the end of jaguar going down the ill thought through fad that is EVs.

No remap will give you 100hp more with a supercharger. Turbo yes, supercharger no. Lovely car though, new owner has probably been told a few porky pies from the previous owner though.

Um...E Type is thr most beautiful Jaguar ever. Wtf.

...manual, obvz

Jaguar don’t make any cars now. They have discontinued all petrol vehicles. They have effectively committed suicide. They are expecting their customers are stupid enough to pay through the nose for their new pointless EV. Want to have a borrow of my F Pace SVR? Last of the line for Jaguar. Let me know

Jaguar use the finest leathers and woods from across the globe. Then install them with glue and sticky fasteners.

My choice will be XK8 4.2 S. 2005. Not XK.

When a 5.0 SUPERCHARGED Jag starts to bore you you know its time to buy a motorbike!