Jaguar gains entry to exclusive club with XKR-S

Jaguar’s new super coupe gains it entry to a very exclusive club.

MAKING its debut at the Geneva Motor Show which opens to the public this week, the XKR-S is the most extreme expression yet of Jaguar’s passion for building beautiful, fast cars.
For the first time with a series production car, Jaguar gains entry to the exclusive ‘300kph club’ thanks to the effortless performance of the supercharged 5.0-litre AJ-V8 engine. A revised fuelling map means the direct-injection powerplant now produces 550PS and 680Nm of torque. Extensive recalibration has ensured that power delivery and performance are seamless, contributing to a 0-60mph time of 4.2 seconds.
The Performance active exhaust encourages and rewards the enthusiastic driver with dramatic, motorsport-inspired aural feedback.
The XKR-S is not merely the quickest Jaguar ever but also the most agile, responsive and driver-focused. The pinnacle of the XK range builds on feedback gathered from the supercharged XKR and has been developed to extend the performance parameters of the car.
This new harder-edged character allows the enthusiastic driver to explore the outer limits of the car’s dynamics without losing the refinement and usability for which Jaguar is famous.
The structural integrity of the lightweight aluminium platform allowed the suspension to be reworked with bespoke components for increased stiffness without a commensurate loss in either refinement or Jaguar’s legendary ride comfort. A reworked aluminium front suspension knuckle and revised rear geometry are allied to stiffer springs and dampers, lightweight forged alloy wheels and recalibrated steering effort to minimise any response delays and produce a more connected and agile driving experience.
The performance of the XKR-S is reflected in both its interior and exterior styling, which feature exclusive new paint colours that reflect Jaguar’s racing heritage. As with competition Jaguars of the past, the exterior of the XKR-S adheres to the principle of form following function. In addition to the styling changes and in order for it to achieve 300kph, the XKR-S was the subject of extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics development work. The resulting changes reduced front and rear lift by more than a quarter and optimised lateral aerodynamic stability.
The performance intent of the XKR-S is clear from the moment the driver enters the cabin thanks to new cosseting performance seats with prominent shoulder wings for close support during hard cornering. The seats feature 16-way adjustment, memory and heating functions while a new three-spoke steering wheel provides the perfect interface between car and driver.
Ian Callum, the design director of Jaguar Cars said: “The styling of this car isn’t about image, it’s about true performance. Like other iconic Jaguars before it, the styling has been driven by geometry and aerodynamics for genuine design purity. The physics required to achieve 300kph have led the aesthetic; if you don’t like the way it looks, you probably won’t like the way it drives either.”