xkr

Jaguar shows off at traveling Alive Driving Experience

When many people think Jaguar, they think of slippery British sports cars lead by long, flowing hoods. They think of the E-Type: one of the most beautiful cars ever built. However, maybe more people probably think of the awkward S-Type and the questionable reliability of just about every Jaguar model built before the turn of the century. Clearly, Jaguar has some work to do to improve its reputation.

Recently, I was given an opportunity to experience the automaker's latest reputation repair tool: an 18-city Jaguar Alive Driving Experience program that allows the public to try out the automaker's … Read more

Car Prizefight: Porsche 911 Carrera S vs. Jaguar XKR-S

When they asked me to compare these two cars, I almost choked on my morning Castrol: the Porsche 911 is just about unassailable as a driver's car, while Jaguar has insulted us for ages with X-Types, S-Types, and a bunch of XJs whose resale value drops faster than the Dow in '08.

But as I went over my notes from driving each recently, I found an interesting story and a couple of cars you might actually cross-shop. Maybe.

Let's get them head-to-head and see if the 911's latest edition can unnerve Britain's best example of an … Read more

Jaguar previews 550-horsepower XKR-S

Love the Jaguar XK-series chassis, but think the 503-horsepower XKR is too docile for your tastes? Well, Jaguar may have the vehicle for you when it unveils the new 550-horsepower Jaguar XKR-S at the 2011 International Motor Show in Geneva.

The last time we saw a Jag wearing the XKR-S badge was at the 2008 Geneva show, where a limited edition of the super-coupe was unveiled. The XKR-S announced today will feature a supercharged V-8 engine producing 550-horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. That sort of output gets you a top speed of 186 mph and a 0-60 time of … Read more

Jaguar debuts limited edition XKR175

Jaguar is reflecting on its past as it looks toward the future. To celebrate its 75th birthday, the company is introducing a faster limited edition 2011 XKR175 at the Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend.

This birthday present of sorts highlights the brand's renewed focus on high-performance engineering and sportier vehicles that reflect its racing heritage from the '50s and '60s, says Jaguar spokesman Stuart Schorr. The limited edition XKR175 features a few aesthetic changes to the car's interior and exterior, and its modified engine management system on the 510hp V8 raises its top speed to 174 mph and drops … Read more

Review: 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible

Christmas came early last week as we got the 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible into the CNET Car Tech garage. The supercharged soft-top version of the XK is currently the most expensive car in Jag's lineup, and our tester came with a price tag north of $100,000. For that kind of money, we were expecting a lot, and the beautiful Big Cat didn't disappoint. The XKR comes with blistering performance thanks to a blown 4.2-liter V-8, as well as some advanced tech features, including as-standard nav and adaptive radar cruise control. Check out our full review of the 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible.… Read more

Living Laguna Seca

It's difficult to describe the smell of boiling brake fluid and barbecued brake discs. Or the sound of a BMW M6 being flogged to within an inch of its life, squealing for mercy as it hangs on to traction by the skin of its Z-rated rubber. We just got back from a day of track testing at California's Laguna Seca raceway, courtesy of the Western Automotive Journalist association, and can report it was by far the most enjoyable day's work we've done for a long time.

Among the cars up for grabs were many of the … Read more