The leader of the pack when it comes to Jaguars line-up is the XKR-S, which unfortunately is a dying breed, soon to be phased out. Jaguar placed one of its most powerful production engines yet in the XKR-S, a 5.0 Liter Supercharged V8 petrol engine which will get you from 0-100 kmph in 4.4 seconds flat.
When I first laid eyes on this baby, she was shimmering blue in the afternoon sun. Just one thought crossed my mind, Papa Smurf! Carbon Fiber finishing, matt black alloys and ooh those projector headlamps which looked like the eyes of an Egyptian cat. Everything about this car will simply make you drool like an overfriendly Labrador.
By the way if you are thinking who Papa Smurf is, well he is a fictional character from the comic strip, the Smurfs. Papa is the third oldest Smurf and the leader of all Smurfs and he is very energetic in spite of his age.
Now let’s get back to our Papa Smurf. Rolling her out of the showroom, I needed to be extra careful as this car is simply planted to the ground. With almost minimal ground clearance for enhanced aerodynamics there are so many roads you want to avoid in a city like Delhi. In traffic this is sheer eye candy, but one cannot help but hit the pedal to the metal, so ogling is short lived. The automatic 6-speed transmission is very responsive to your mood and will not unleash its wrath on the road until you don’t demand the same from it.
The rear wheels propel the vehicle to neck breaking speeds in the blink of an eye but a major worry for me was that even though traction control was switched on, the car had some major stability issues. The engine has a whooping 5000 cc capacity for petrol and dishes out 543.1hp of power peaking at 6000-6500rpm, while 680Nm of torque peaking at 2500-5500rpm will simply make you go ooh la la. The suspension is rather soft, so smaller potholes were virtually non-existent for me, the adaptive dynamic suspension system did perform well but not up to the mark when it came to stability at higher speeds.
The tyres are Pirelli P-Zero tubeless radials with 20 inch Vulcan alloys and will turn in a radius of 10.9 meters, pretty nifty for a car like this. Braking is facilitated by discs on all four wheels, which to me was very efficient. For people who can afford a car with this price tag, petrol costs and fuel efficiency would not be a worry. None the less to do justice to the common folk and make us feel better about our wee little cars, fuel efficiency in the city is 5.3kmpl which goes up to 11.6kmpl on highways. The XKRS can reach a top speed of 300 kmph, to support such a high consumption rate the makers of this Jaguar have slapped on a 70.6 litre tank.
The inside of the car has a typical exquisite luxury feel that any Jaguar would give off barring the Sparco styled race spec bucket seats. It has an automatic dual zone air conditioner, electronically adjustable front seats, the rear seats may look too cramped for adults but they in fact are not meant for seating, just a place to keep your shopping bags. The front row seats come with a heating function and lumbar support for a more comfy drive. The car has some smart features like push button start/ stop, keyless entry, cruise control, parking sensors, voice control and an in built touch screen navigation and audio system which is also linked to the multi function steering wheel. For safety there are airbags in the front and sides and impact beams on the sides and the front.
Jaguar is planning to phase out its R-S badge for their performance models like the XKR-S and the XFR-S and will replace it with the new SVR badge. The SVR badge signifies that these cars have been developed in their new Special Vehicle Operations plant. The SVR badge is expected to compete with other performance vehicles carrying the AMG, M and RS badges. Jaguars new F-type Project – 7 is said to boast 575 Hp of power from the same V8 5.0 litre petrol that currently powers the XKR-S. The XKR-S in many ways carries the legacy of a classic and has been a symbol of power, agility and sheer English royalty since its inception. The fact that Jaguar would phase it out simply means that many would want to get their hands on it now more than ever, for that 100 special edition units of the XKR-S were produced. This is one car with un-paralleled excitement associated with it and will stand testament to the former glory of Jaguar through the eons of time.
Jaguar XKR-S Specifications
Engine
Transmission
Max Power
Max Torque
Fuel Efficiency
5,000cc, supercharged V8
Petrol
6-speed automatic
543.1hp@6000-6500rpm
680 Nm@ 2500-5500rpm
5.3kmpl (AT)
Suspension: Front/Rear
Brake: Front/ Rear
Fuel Tank Capacity
Tyres: Front/ Rear
Price
Adaptive Dynamic Suspension
Disc/ Disc
70.6 litres
255-35ZR20/ 295/30ZR20
Rs 88,00,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi)
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