2001 Jaguar XKR from UK and Ireland - Comments

Front wheel buckled slightly, resulting in vibrations when driven.

Supercharger unit failed. Repaired by the dealer.

The XKR is a hugely powerful and immense fun on a good, wide road. The power is bordering on insane, as it just never lets up on the acceleration - I lose my nerve before it starts to struggle. Overtaking in high gears can be done comfortably, but if you change down to 2nd or 3rd, the car really shines. It also makes an awesome sound as the V8 angrily makes its way around the rev counter.

Where this shine is lost is the handling of the car. The powered steering feels very odd, and after four years, I have never really grown accustomed to it. You can't think this car through a corner, you have to feel your way, which is not helped by the enormous weight of the car. It weighs in at around two tonnes, so it's not the most agile beast around.

Inside, the story does not improve much. The cockpit does not feel made with the driver in mind. The stalks on the steering column are too far away from the wheel, and there is a huge bank of buttons on the centre console that are all identical, so you have to take your eyes off the road for half an hour to search for the button you want. The plastics are typical Ford and are quite cheap and nasty, as is the ugly dashboard. The seats are very comfortable and can be put in most positions, but there is no room in the rear seats at all, except for luggage.

The radar guided cruise control is fun to use, and there is so much automation the car could almost drive itself home. The stereo system (not standard) is also very good. The Silverstone Edition (silver) also looks fantastic by the way, especially the 20" BBS wheels.

In summary, it has a lot of faults, but you will never tire of the way it marches through the speedometer.

A Honda Accord to a Jag? How can you be griping about its handling? used to driving a $20,000 Honda and now driving a Jag that's pushing $70,000? that just doesn't compute.

The reviewers comments certainly seem to 'compute' correctly as far as I'm concerned. The Honda Accord is a light and well balanced car with a chassis that's far defter and more capable than the level of power available would require of it. The XKR on the other hand is essentially the XJS platform (bar a few tweaks) meaning that the power it's handling is much higher than originally intended for the chassis. Given that Jaguar intended the XK8/XKR to be a grand tourer and not a hot hatch, it surprises me not that the handling can be a little precarious.

Great review of the XKR.

I agree with the person above. I have had and driven lots of cars in my 40 yrs. Nothing handles like my JAGUAR! I guess it's true what they say.. You get what you pay for.

I have owned them all, including the 2001 XKR. This is an apples to oranges kind of car, on its way to being incomparable. By this, I mean that you cannot compare this car to Hondas or even porches, vettes, Mercedes or BMWs. Jag has always been a different animal, and that continues to distinguish the car from all other versions of luxury sports cars.

The whole thing comes down to subjectivity. If you like the GT boulevard cruiser with a safe, hefty feel substantiated by two ton weight, then put the top down and feel no pain.

Don't get discouraged when you can't spar and win with Porches. The 2001 ain't for that. It's comfort, power, luxury, style, class, build quality and ride.

If you need the "track speed" raw power with a cheesy interior, get a Charger SRT or pay a XKR new car price and get a Viper. Your ego will be safe.

I currently own an 07 Vette. The styling is as close to Ferrari in quality and style as it gets but the inside looks like a Mazda. I love the vette, but the economy won't let me keep it without a job.

I am loosing a few miles for gallon by trading back to an 01 XKR... and lots of ferocious power but, having has this car before, I can tell you, I feel like I am trading way UP.. even when Chevrolet does it completely right with the seats, positioning of the wheel and all that a REAL sports machine should be.

I don't know how many times I have had someone ask me if this car is an Aston Martin. The XKR turns heads like no other and despite the 2010 XKR styling being a design masterpiece, this is typical Jag classic styling that never ceases to look contemporary and timeless. You can't really say that about too many "sports" cars.

Now, let's feed our ego about the XKR again... in recent Jame Bond movies, 007 has been demoralized by driving Lincolns, BMW Z3, even Impalas and Jeeps. Although every car manufacturer pays dearly for that exposure and generously offers to supply their cars, the band trademark is the Aston Martin just as much as the Bond trademark gun is the Walther PPK. The Aston and the JAG have a lot in common. You might say the XKR is Aston DBS junior.

I guess we could all justify new times calling for James to drive that Charger in the same way that we could accept his new nose ring, tattoo and purple hair, too. NOT!

If you spot an 01 XKR with 20k miles or less, with all the maintenance records for 25k or less (I write this in 06/09).

Seize the moment!

My wife has an XKR coupe, fun car for the 2X a year I drive it, and it performs well for what it was meant to do. It does not handle as well as my Vette, nor a good feel for its limits, and the Vette is not the handler my Lotus is. Might be related to one of Newton's laws about mass, momentum and the forces it take to change its direction. The XKR = 3,850lbs, the Vette 3,100 and the Lotus is about 1,900.

Want style, class, and high speed fun, the Jag. Want the best bang and durability for the $$ with some confort and very good overall performance, the Vette. Want no frills everything designed to corner, the Lotus.

Wife loves her XKR and that is what counts, but drives the left over 15 year old Mustang 95% of the time... I guess it makes the Jag more special when you get in it. The style is nothing but class.