The article was originally produced on March 19, 2012, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Jaguar XKR-S Cabriolet

A lot has happened to Jaguar since ownership went from Ford to India's Tata and without exaggeration, the change was exactly what was needed. Product-wise, Jaguar hasn't changed that insanely much in the last 40 years, with the exception of the fact that it now manufactures combi-jags with diesel engines. This is of course something that the market wanted and that increased the brand's sales breadth. But if you disregard that point, it is mostly still about large, luxurious and powerful sedan, coupe and cabriolet models. To keep up with the fierce competition in this segment, it is now time for Jaguar to spice up its already very potent convertible XKR, now with the additional letter S.

To start with some facts, the XKR Cabriolet has, which Cars Collection written about earlier, a supercharged V8 of 5 liters and 510 horsepower. In the S version, the same machine has received 40 more horses, which are delivered to the rear tires via a six-speed dual-clutch box. The torque is now 680 Newton meters, 0-100 goes in 4.4 seconds and the top speed is electronically limited to 300 km/h. These figures make the XKR-S Cabriolet Jaguar's strongest and fastest convertible ever! However, the flip side of these impressive specifications is an almost vulgar consumption of petrol. What has also changed in addition to the engine is a stiffer chassis, better seats and a more aerodynamic shape with a front spoiler and wing in carbon fiber. The steering and gearbox have also been refined for extra fast reactions.  

To really get the opportunity to feel this powerful performance cat, Jaguar had arranged a test drive in Spain and on the famous Ascaribana north of Marbella. The track is privately owned and built by a person with a great passion for racing. This has resulted in an incredibly well-built facility with fantastically fun hilly turns that tickle your stomach. Even the country road up to Marbella is among the best of its kind with beautiful views along the winding road. The Ascari track is named after the legendary racing driver, Alberto Ascari. World champion in 1952 and 1953.

The XKR-S is of course keyless, so the engine is started by pressing a button in the center console and the V8 engine immediately wakes up. At the same time, a puck-like slider appears right behind the start button. It's the gear selector. In D mode, the car runs as smoothly as possible and the dual-clutch gearbox handles the changes silky smooth, if you instead choose S mode (and press a button below the gear puck with a flag on it), the whole car wakes up and all the horsepower is cranked up to one hundred, ready to attack. With the right foot planted in the bottom position nothing happens at first, it is the result of 550 horses and 680 Nm on the rear tires. It is simply too much power to handle if the ESP system, i.e. the anti-skid system, is allowed to decide and the car is not to leave two thick licorice streaks behind. If, however, you switch off the ESP system and perform the same maneuver, you will produce tire smoke in a short time which would cause the Lützendimma to fade. The grind and roar of the four exhaust pipes is as insane as it is addictive. To control the large amounts of power, there is an intermediate position in the ESP system that allows some tire spin but saves you when it goes too wide without control, a nice helpline when the price tag is just over SEK 1,300,000.

When the first turn comes and the brake is pressed down as hard as the gas has just been treated, it is immediately noticeable that it is a cat with some excess weight. Despite the amount of lightweight material, the XKR-S weighs just over 1,800 kilograms. However, the brakes are dimensioned for this weight so there is never any problem stopping the car. An expensive, but desired option that is not available would be ceramic brakes, but Jaguar themselves do not consider it necessary. When the curve straightens out, your right foot is planted on the floor again and all of the XKR-S's horsepower absolutely pushes you out on the straight. Here the supercharger really shows what it does with the power flow which is constant from the bottom unlike a turbo. However, the Jaguar XKR-S thrives best on the winding roads off the track. With the roof down, you can experience the lovely exhaust bangs during downshifts even more between the rock walls on the way down to Marbella. The Jaguar XKR-S Cabriolet is a grossly addictive loud summer cat that won't let you down wherever you enter.

+ Insanely powerful convertible with a goosebump-inducing soundtrack.  

– Gasoline consumption at the upper end, a bit heavy for the racing circuit.