Jaguar is back —— 2007 Jaguar XKR

The XKR is the performance variant of the XK, and it comes with a potent powerplant under the hood: a supercharged 4.2 liter V8 that produces 420 hp and 413 ft.lb of torque. Other than a pricey aluminum interior trim option ($2,100), my test car largely a base model XKR.

From the moment the Jaguar XKR rolled into our driveway, everyone who saw it was in unanimous agreement: this is one beautiful car. The design is artful from nearly every angle, with the long hood and bulging fender flares giving the XKR a purposeful, aggressive demeanor. There are dozens of beautiful cars on the road these days, but I’d argue that this one is near the top of the list.

The XKR has a base price of $86,700 ($88,600 as tested), and comes with Jaguar’s 4-year/50,000 mile powertrain warranty and an EPA estimate of 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway.
The last few years haven’t been kind to Jaguar, with declining sales and news that Ford (Jaguar’s parent company) is in talks with several buyers to sell off Jaguar to the highest bidder. It’s true that Jaguar hasn’t kept pace with the times, and has been slow to produce comparable vehicles to the best from Mercedes, BMW, Lexus and Cadillac. It appeared to all that dark clouds had begun to gather over one of the most quintessential British automakers.