There are some cars that are quite pretty, but which somehow manage to miss the mark when it comes to raising your heart rate and making your jaw hit the floor. These are the pricey cars that despite all their design features and technical innovations are still generally regarded as the boring choice, the ugly duckling that is “okay” but not much more. The, however, there are the cars that are the complete opposite. The cars that are beautiful, sleek, smooth and clearly a triumph of both engineering and design. These are the cars that a car brand rolls out whenever they need to impress, and which manage to take your breath away on more than one occasion.

For me, the Jaguar XKR is one of those cars. First, let us start with the design, as this is the dramatic creation that tantalises our sense and manages to turn heads all over the place. The XKR features a dramatic and typically “Jaguar” sweeping bonnet, with more curves and sinuous shapes than sharp angles. This is about as far from the currently popular American Muscle cars that seem to be in every second film, and perhaps this is why the rebellious but classic XKR is such a popular car. The Coupe ins particular breaks these trends, as that sloping bonnet continues to a dramatic roofline, which drops of sharply at the rear.

Add to the clearly impressive body shape are all the other little design features that push this from just looking “nice” into the realms of looking amazing. I am talking about the wide and now notorious Jaguar grill, with the small Jaguar head logo neatly positioned in the centre. I am talking about the colour options, the best of which are the amazingly bright and sporty salsa red (this one works so well on the convertible version that it is hard to believe!), and the deep dark black. Jaguar have always produced excellent paint colours, which last well into when the Jags are turning up in the used Jaguar showrooms, with minimal fading.

Moving on from the looks (which are, by the way, just as smashing and luxurious on the inside as they are on the outside), we come to the engine and the performance. The engine, as expected has a soft but deep growl that meets the expectations we have of the elegant Jaguar brand. You can also go 0-60 in an impressive 4.6 seconds, more than enough for what is essentially and executive model car with a bit of a sporting vibe. This, of course, means that your economical performance and fuel consumption isn’t quite as good as some other cars on the market, but that the speed and enjoyment you get makes the exchange completely worthwhile!

All in all, as you can probably tell, I am a fan of the XKR. It takes the XK vibe and turns it into an altogether dark beast, a speedy sporty creation that is “wow” on every level possible. I love it!

Author Bio: Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. He currently writes for the automotive industry. Here he discusses Used Jaguar cars.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: Used Jaguar,Jaguar,Used Jaguar XKR,CArs,Automotive