The Jaguar XK coupe has been around since 1996, the design of the car has evolved over the years, with one major overhaul, but one can see the resemblance between the original car and the latest 2014 model. The current, more modern, design was first seen in 2007, so the XK is a bit dated in terms of design… or so I thought.

The reason I thought the design is dated is because I’ve never been up close and personal with a Jaguar XK, but after spending a week with the XKR, I’ve changed my mind. This car is an absolute head turner, and I really like the classy styling on this car.

The 2014 Jaguar XK comes in a few varieties. The base model is the XK coupe, which is powered by a naturally aspirated 5.0 liter V8 engine with direct injection, producing 385 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque; the XK does the 0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) sprint in 5.5 seconds. The next higher trim is the XKR, the one we reviewed for a week, it’s powered by a supercharged 5.0 liter engine, producing 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque with a 0 – 100 km/h (0 – 62 mph) sprint time of 4.8 seconds. The top of the line model is the XKR-S, which is also powered by a supercharged 5.0 liter V8 engine but it has been tuned to put out an extra 40 horsepower (550 total) and 502 pound-feet of torque, the XKR-S is able to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 4.4 seconds! All XK’s come with 6-speed automatic transmissions with paddle shifters on the steering wheel.

Last year I had the chance to drive the XKR-S for 2 laps around the track, unfortunately it was raining and I wasn’t familiar with the track or the car, so I didn’t really get to drive the car the way it was meant to be driven and didn’t spend much time looking at the car up close. However, that all changed during my week-long review of the 2014 Jaguar XKR, I got pretty comfortable with the car within a few hours and I really pushed it hard to see what it can do… of course obeying all traffic laws.

The 2014 XKR we test drove had a starting price of $109,125 and with options, fees, and PDI, it came out to $117,250 Canadian, before taxes. Options included “Black Pack” for $4,700, this option blacks out the chrome trim on the exterior and comes with black wheels, “Stainless Steel Pedals” for $200, and “Heated Front Windscreen” for $300.

Driving Dynamics

I was actually quite nervous about driving a 510 horsepower car on the streets, especially in the cold/wet month of November. I was totally expecting the XKR to be a handful with the amount of power driving the rear wheels, and this is a very big coupe. But after driving it for a few miles, I was totally comfortable and was shocked at how easy it was to put the power down to the road and how small the car felt; I had the same feeling when I was driving the XJ sedan, which drives a lot smaller than the size would suggest. All the electronics in the XKR make it really easy to manage the power, there’s no fuss and I felt pretty safe about pushing the car in the corners even when it was wet and cold. I’ve always wondered why people want to drive cars that produce more than 300-350 HP, now I know why, the power is so addicting, as long as you’re able to put it down to the road.

Driving the XKR normally during commutes, it feels like an XJ. You wouldn’t think there are over 500 ponies under the hood, the ride is sporty but comfortable, and the interior is very quiet and luxurious. But who wants to drive this car like that, press the “dynamic mode” button and put the gear knob in S, and let the beast come to life.

In the dynamic mode, the suspension firms up, the gears shift quicker, the throttle response becomes sharper, and the exhaust makes some of the most intoxicating noises I’ve experienced in a car. The supercharged V8 really rumbles in this mode, with the exhaust making popping noises every time you lift your foot off the gas pedal and the throttle automatically rev matching and blipping at every downshift. The exhaust popping noises and the throttle blipping alone will make you want to downshift every chance you get.

The car handles very well, it takes corners like a champ, especially in the Dynamic Mode. The ride is a bit bumpy in this mode but it’s well worth it and if the road is too bumpy, you can always put it in the normal mode and it glides over bumpy roads like an XJ sedan.

Interior

The interior on the 2014 Jaguar XKR is what you’d expect in a proper luxury GT car. The interior features high quality leather, soft touch materials on the door panels, dashboard, and center console, and piano black veneer trim on the dashboard and door panels. The only problem I see with the interior is that it looks dated, but the XK is probably getting a new design in the next year or two, so I’d expect to see a much nicer interior, hopefully it’s more like the F-Type’s interior (which we also reviewed and I’ll be writing about it in a week or so, check out the F-Type S Roadster review).

The interior is very comfortable and well laid out, this car would be perfect for a long cross-country tour for two. It is a 2+2, but the back seat is for extreme emergencies only, like when you go to a club with one girl and end up leaving with 3.

The driver and passenger seats are quite sporty and can be adjusted in an infinite number of ways, at least that’s how it seems. The seats come with 16-way adjustability, and can be adjusted to fit a skinny supermodel to a heavyweight boxer. Both front seats come with heating and cooling.

The XKR is loaded up the latest technologies that can be found in other Jaguar offerings, including navigation, automatic climate control, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, cross traffic sensors, rain sensing wipers, tire pressure monitor system, adaptive front lights, keyless entry, heated steering wheel, 3 memory settings for driver/passenger seats, Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, mp3 player/smart phone connectivity, auto dimming and power-folding mirrors.

Styling

Like I said earlier, I thought the XK’s design was a bit dated, based on pictures and video footage, but I was proven wrong by the amount of heads this car turned. The car is much better looking in person compared to photos and videos. I saw people almost getting whiplash when they’d flip their heads to get a better look at the car as I blasted past them. The XKR should come with a warning sign that says something like this “Caution: The XKR May Cause Whiplash to Onlookers”. After spending a week with the car, I now think this is a stunning looking car, with its long hood, curvy body, and low stance. This car will look good for a very long time, the design is very timeless.

Overall Impressions

I was pleasantly surprised by the 2014 Jaguar XKR coupe, I honestly didn’t expect it to be this much fun and turn as many heads as it did. I was expecting the car to be a luxury cruiser, which it is, but didn’t expect it to be as sporty and small feeling as it was.

If you’d like more information on the 2014 Jaguar XKR Coupe, check out Jaguar’s official website.