Texas Hill CountryThere was a time when the true test of a grand touring car was its ability to travel safely from point A to point B over twisting secondary roads in a minimum amount of time and a minimum amount of drama. Jaguar was kind enough to provide point A and point B and the twisting traffic-free roads in between, and the XKR proved that it ranks among the world's best cars for this sort of driving. Although a large and heavy car, the XKR coupe shrinks around you and treads almost nimbly across the undulating terrain of the Texas Hill Country. The car is rock-steady, even when entering long sweeping corners at 80+ mph and remains totally unflappable, even when the road surface is broken or uneven. The supercharged 4.2-liter V8 has a nice whine in the upper speed ranges, reminding you that all 390 bhp are a mere push of the throttle pedal away. The shift quality of the ZF six-speed automatic transmission is excellent; shifts between gears are noted only by a change in engine exhaust pitch.
There are a few disappointments. Jaguar has introduced on the XK range a feature known as Automatic Speed Limiter (ASL). When the driver has programmed in a maximum speed, ASL will maintain that limit, even when the driver presses further on the accelerator. The system cancels if the driver applies full throttle to kickdown with the automatic transmission. ASL seems silly and pointless and not at all in keeping with the performance character of the car. Likewise, the adaptive cruise control fitted on our test car was obtrusive and annoying. Fortunately, like ASL, it could be switched off to enjoy the pleasure of driving with minimal electronic intervention.
As might be expected, driving these same roads with an S-Type R sedan was a half step less impressive than covering them in the XKR Coupe. The S-Type has an excellent chassis, combining well the roles of isolation and ride comfort with high-performance handling and showing little of its age. Only after experiencing the superb stability of the XKR Coupe can the S-Type R be judged as anything less than stellar. It is no doubt one of the prices paid by the addition of two more doors and a slightly higher center of gravity.
Jaguar's rich history of building powerful sports cars and sports sedans is well served by the 2005 S-Type and XK8 models. They are not inexpensive (even with the S-Type price reduction), but in the context of the world in which they compete, and if you can afford one, they do seem worth the price. In reality, their mission is fairly simple and was succinctly defined by James Thomas, Jaguar's communications director: "We make beautiful fast cars-that's all we do."