Carrina / Auto Consept

Hot coupe gets all-new V8 motor and the best elements of the XF's interior

This is Jaguar's new performance flagship, the 503bhp XKR. It's powered by the company's all new 5.0-litre supercharge V8, and promises blistering performance.

The XKR gets a facelift inside and out, as well as an upgraded chassis set-up that features adaptive dampers as standard and an active differential.The heart of the new model is the V8 engine, which features high-pressure direct fuel injection and new supercharger mounted in the vee of the engine. Jaguar engineers claim the new engine will be both the most refined and most explosively responsive unit on sale.

Under the skin is new adaptive damping system that aims to keep the car flat and level, regardless of driving conditions. In additional, a new active differential can divert the engine's torque between the rear wheels.Jaguar says the XKR should hit 96km/h in 4.6sec(down from the outgoing car's 4.9 sec) and can sprint from 80-120km/h in just 1.9sec (down from 2.5sec)
The XKR has given a power hike of 22% and 11% increase in torque, but Jaguar says fuel economy remains the same at 8.1km/l and claims that co2 emissions are shaved back by 2g/km, to 292g/km. However, tailpipe pollution has reduced "by over 50%".

This V8 drives an uprated version of the current XK's ZF 6-speed automatic transmission, reworked to allow it to lock up in second gear and above, once the engine is turning at 1000rpm or more. This designed to eliminate the 'slushy' feel of conventional auto' boxes and improve throttle response.


The XKR gets a new, wider front bumper, with vertical chrome-lipped intakes. The rear light clusters have been reworked with LED inserts and the old aerial has been replaced by a 'shark fin' on the boot lid. Inside, the car gets the XF's circular gear selector, revised switchgear and a new instrument cluster.Deliveries of the new XKR start in March, with prices kicking off at �72,400 for the coupe.