Spy Report Our U.K. operative has just snapped our first look at the mid-cycle facelift for the Jag XK—in both XK8 and XKR trim. Visual changes consist of new front bumpers with new outer air-inlets below the headlights. Judging from the surface development that appears to differ on the prototypes, the XK8 and XKR variants will get unique styling touches. New tail-lights are also in the works, with a greater percentage of red-lens and clear signs that LEDs will be be employed. The rear bumpers on both prototypes also show signs of a redesign.

When the XK first bowed, it was saddled with a clunky power-retractable antenna; a quick-fix for 2008 saw the antenna integrated into the rear spoiler. These new prototypes show that Jag is finally bringing the XK up-to-date both visually and technologically, with the addition of a proper shark-fin antenna applied to the deck lid.

No serious engine upgrades are expected, but Jaguar will be applying the XF's Jaguar Drive transmission interface to the XK, thus modernizing and streamlining the Jaguar lineup. We expect that the interior changes necessary for this will inspire some visual and material upgrades to the XK's interior.

We expect to see the facelifted XKs to bow officially later this year, although a Geneva debut in the Spring could also be a possibility.

Jaguars are often criticized for looking too much like the current crop of near-identical Aston Martins, but that's not a comparison borne out in person. In pictures, the XKR's shape overwhelms the body's more subtle lines. It's a shape close in proportion and form to cars like the DB9, but up close and on the street, the Jaguar strikes a pose all its own — long and lithe where the DB9 is heavy and purposeful.

It's not a comparison that's borne out inside either. Where the Astons have crystal start/stop buttons and a modern and luxurious swath of bamboo on the dash, the Jag is an awkward combination of nicely stitched leather and cheap plastic parts. I know the Vantage is $20,000 more expensive, but the Jag's interior is about $50,000 cheaper than its $98,000 as-tested-here price tag suggests.

The spokes on the steering wheel — parts you touch — are made from the lowest quality painted plastic. The airbag cover — a part you look at every day — is about five cents more expensive. The door handles are chromed plastic versions of the ones that were used on the '90s Ford Fiesta. The aluminum weave trim inserts are a matter of taste, or the complete lack thereof. Why not just continue the piano black of the center console across the rest of the interior?

You see where I'm going here, but I've saved the worst for last. The touch-screen interface controls most of the vehicle's ancillary functions, but it is surrounded by an inches-thick, sweaty black plastic binnacle, the quality of which would look out of place in a Chevy Cobalt.

Having lived with this car for a week, I just can't figure out where the $98,000 was spent. Sure it looks good and, yes, initial impressions were promising, but without the ability to drive like a sports car or cosset like a luxury car, the Jag's mouth is writing checks its chassis can't cash.

Perhaps the best argument against the XKR is delivered by the sheer competence of vehicles that retail for close to half its price. A Corvette, for example, is also a V8-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car. But it starts at less than $50,000; is lighter and faster; comes with a manual gearbox; and drives like a sports car. For that price, we'll forgive its cheap interior. The Porsche Cayman costs a little more, but drives better, comes with a premium badge and has an interior that shares no parts with a late '90s Fiesta. For almost $100,000, the XKR should objectively offer something these two cars don't. Make all the arguments you want for the exclusivity its badge brings. It just doesn't deliver the goods.

So the Jaguar XKR is a beautiful car, and a fast one, but it promises too much and delivers far too little. Enthusiastic drivers don't just want a car that feels special; they want one that is special. The word I'm looking for is "underwhelming." Decidedly, woefully, disappointingly underwhelming.

This concludes our review of the Jaguar XKR. Parts One and Two can be found under the Jalopnik Reviews tag in the masthead.

Photography: Grant Ray

Let's flash back quickly to yesterday. Driving the XKR around town, I felt incredibly special. Hold the start button down and you're rewarded with a deep growl as the engine kicks into life. All the cues of a fast, rewarding car are present. When it's not being pushed, the suspension feels firm and controlled; the engine feels powerful and responsive; the gearbox feels smooth and quick to change gear. The problem is, it feels like the XKR has been designed to deliver impressions, rather than actually deliver.

Up here, on the tight, wet roads through the Catskills, what's needed for fast driving is precision, not power; confidence and control, not bounce and squirm. Last year, in similar conditions, an Audi R8 was sheer pleasure, setting an unbelievably fast pace past sheer cliffs, through hairpin curves and down muddy tracks without once feeling overwhelmed. The XKR couldn't be more different.

The suspension that felt so in control yesterday feels out of its element up here, bouncing over bumps and squirming around corners. Carrying speed through mountain bends is a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best experience — you can never be quite sure what's going to happen. Even in the fastest of corners there's enough play in the steering that constant adjustment is needed to maintain a constant radius. A slow in, fast out approach would seem to make more sense, but that unpredictable two seconds of wheel spin that felt good in town yesterday feels scary when you're two inches from snow-covered Armco.

The engine still feels incredibly powerful, but the automatic gearbox makes it unpredictable. Leave it in drive and unexpected kickdowns deliver unwanted pulses of power. Flip the J gate over to sport and start shifting gear with the paddles and things get a little better. The XKR never lets you forget that you're manually overriding an automatic gearbox. It'll still shift up at the redline and even though a downshift delivers a nice sounding throttle blip, it results in no meaningful engine braking, leaving you to use the big, soft brake pedal to reach retardation. This stuff does not a supercar make.

Driving down into valleys, the roads open up into long sweepers that run alongside rivers and lakes. Allowing the opportunity for high speeds, the Jag still feels good when it can stretch its legs. But high speeds and gentle curves aren't the XKR's forte either. The weight shifts considerably rearwards under hard acceleration, removing weight and subsequently feel and accuracy from the steering.

The small, narrow windows that delivered an impression of safety and clubhouse luxury yesterday serve only to slow me down today. The A-pillar and mirror block a significant part of the forward view around left-handers. Around uphill right ones, the rearview mirror rears its ugly plastic head, obscuring enough of the view to have you hunching into the steering wheel to see the road ahead.

White with winter, frozen waterfalls falling off cliff faces and streams running fast with melted snow, the Catskill Mountains make a beautiful drive. Slow down, look around you and take time to appreciate the world that sits out past the sloping hood and the XKR begins to make a lot more sense, its outward promise of speed temporarily forgotten.

Part One of the Jaguar XKR review appeared yesterday, Part Three will appear tomorrow.

Photography: Grant Ray

Previously:
2008 Jaguar XKR, Part One

The cabin feels warm and inviting. Befitting the Jag's nation of origin, it rained solidly during my first few days with the car. Peering out of the tiny glass house over the bulging hood at the cold, wet world outside, you feel safe, warm and empowered. A world of cold, wet roads and towering SUVs becomes inferior as you make swift progress through it. The ugly roads and rain-swept buildings gain an aura of glamour when viewed past the chunky, Alcantara-clad A-pillar.

At city speeds, the engine is smooth and instantaneously powerful. Put your foot down and the traction control allows a second or two of spin before hooking up and driving the car forward with real intent. The automatic gearbox is perfect in this urban environment, complementing, rather than detracting from, the impression of luxury and speed. Once the revs start to climb, a valve opens in the exhaust, making it louder. Keep your foot planted and the supercharger whine grows in aural precedence. Combined with the V8 growl, this conveys a sense of vast power and speed. The car dips rearwards slightly with a planted right foot, further accentuating the acceleration.

Fitted with optional 20" wheels, you'd expect the ride to be harsh and fidgety, especially on the rutted, pot-holed, third world streets of New York. Up to a point, however, it's surprisingly posh. Through the steering wheel you can feel the road's texture, but it doesn't find its way through the seat or into the rest of the cabin. Your hands say sports car while the rest of the experience says luxury. This impression lasts right up to the most severe of impacts with the biggest potholes—this is where the Jag's stiff aluminum chassis, big wheels and firm suspension finally give up the luxury game. Driving out of town through a torrential storm, I couldn't see the road — or the lane markings for that matter — and crashed into huge holes with surprising regularity. At one point, I thought I had surely torn off the front suspension. I hadn't, but I did gain a few more gray hairs.

So the XKR aces first impressions. It makes people think you're rich and classy. If you're not careful, it makes you think you are too. It feels fast, it feels luxurious, it feels like a Jaguar. For most people, that's enough to seal the deal. For us, it's not. A Jaguar should be a real sports car, and we have yet to drive it fast.

Part Two of the Jaguar XKR review will appear tomorrow.

Photography: Grant Ray

[The Jalopnik Question of the Day loves its mother. Do you have a Question of the Day? Email suggestions to tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "QOTD"]

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What's Your Mostest/Leastest Favorite Bumper Sticker?; Nissan Pino Has Young Japanese Women In Its Fluffy Pink Crosshairs; The Jalopnik Question of the Day

If Autocar's reporting pans out, torque meisters will have a diesel Jaguar with which to engage in stump-pulling exercises. The UK mag reports a diesel-powered XK in likely by the car's next facelift, due in 2009. The "XKD" had reportedly been in the offing since the latest XK hit the drawing board, but no existing engine would suffice and the market for luxodiesels wasn't clear. But a new, 3.0-liter turbodiesel producing around 250 hp will be done in 18 months. The XKD will compete with BMW's new 635d, which will go on sale this fall. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Spy Photos: New Jaguar XF To Get 500 Horsepower, Trailer Hitch [internal]

The boys over at Motor Authority worked a sexy deal with the German Dutch blog Auto G-spot to get some pics of the brand-saving, massively camoed Jaguar XF. And here's a curious detail that lit up our normally dour face. Excellent trailer hitch, Jag! Some of the engineers from Ford's Grace & Pace division rented a cottage and shop in Austria to do some development work on the new models. In addition to the very good looking XF, Jaguar's finest were also sorting out the upcoming 500-ish horsepower XKR GT3 that comes correct with a 5.0-liter supercharged V8. The really fantastic news? There's a good chance that hyper-mill may wind up in the XF. Meaning that the M5 is going to have even more to look over its shoulder for than just a dirty old stonked-out Caddy. – Jonny Lieberman

[Auto Gespot via Motor Authority]

Related:
Spy Photos: Jaguar XKR with JaguarDrive [Internal]

This week's task involved chasing a big black cat in a big black cat, in one of those painfully tenuous story hooks where I took the Jaguar XKR on a futile hunt for the Beast of Bodmin Moor.

There are about three grainy photos, a long distance video of what looks like a housecat and very little else to prove the existence of what is thought to be a family of Pumas living out in the most depressing territory known to man. Even the Royal Air Force failed to find them with night-vision equipment and a cynic might be tempted to believe that one bedraggled cat died many years ago and is being kept alive as a myth to pull in the gullible few.

I was starting to feel the same way about the manufacturer. Even by Ford's standards Jaguar is a black sheep and has lost more than $1 billion a year almost every year since joining the Blue Oval's portfolio. And while Aston Martin is being hawked off to pay the bills, Jaguar as it stands anyway, isn't even worth sticking on eBay.

Who among you, under the age of 40 even thinks about buying a Jag these days? We all have our sights set on a Beemer, a Merc, an Audi, even a Lexus, Yes we all have an E-Type in our dream garage, or an XK120, forgetting that they're hateful little shits that will rip you limb from limb faster than a white tiger at a magic show, but before the new XK, did you really think about a new one? If you did I bet you wear beige pants and eat at the wealthy equivalent of Country Kitchen Buffet.

Jaguar's customers are sitting in a retirement home while a bag goes to the toilet for them. That's where Jaguar's sales have gone, they're waiting for God or have met him already.

Jaguar woken up to the problem far too late and the X-Type was a hamfisted attack on the Yoof market that almost killed the brand altogether.

The XKR, though, is a fantastic bit of kit. It's quick, courtesy of the Supercharged engine, it looks almost good enough to justify those self-congratulatory 'Beautiful' adverts. Next to this beast, the BMW M6 and big power Mercedes look like candidates for Extreme Makeover, the ones that even the plastic surgeons wince at the sight of.

It will go faster than the AMV8, with far more comfort, and put it on a track and it will turn drifting into your new national sport. It's that damned good, and you don't have to be "this age or higher" to take the ride. This is a car that a young, thrusting executive would be proud to own.

The same goes for the upcoming X-CF saloon car, finally a saloon car with the big cat on the bonnet that doesn't come with the unmovable smell of urine and butterscotch candy. It's a cool car and if it drives half as well as it looks then it will be a superstar.

Putting brand in the black might be a bit too much to ask for these two cars, but as a driving force Jaguar is back. – Nick Hall

WCF Test Drive: Jaguar XKR [World Car Fans]

Related:
Car Hack's Notebook: Tomorrow's Classic, Today; Dan Neil on the XKR [internal]

The most recent iteration of Jaguar's legendary XK line has been divisive at the very least. Some call it beautiful. Some cry "Ovoid Taurus" and others "carp." In his review of Jag's uprated GT car, Dan Neil admits to not being sure about the XK at first, but begins to warm to its design, commenting, "Maybe the effect is less aerodynamic than Jungian: This is the shape of a coveted thing slipping through your fingers." And while we argree that the 3/4 view of the car is quite nice, from head on, it still looks like a hip-hop-obsessed lamprey chugged a 40 of pure quinine. – Davey G. Johnson

One sleek cat: Jaguar XKR puts the 'grand' in grand touring [Detroit News]

Related:
Clarkson Pits XKR vs. AMV8 [Internal]

Now that the Hamster is repaired and the Top Gear boys are back to making television, we can dispense with the flipping jet car business and get back to giggling over egregious examples of hoonage — which is pretty much what Clarkson spends his time in the Jaguar XKR doing. He then sics it on its hotter half-sister, the Aston V8 Vantage, in a sans-Richard Dawson episode of Family Feud, usefully pointing out that the new EU booster seat mandate has now largely made 2+2 coupes too cramped in the back for the only people small enough to fit there — children. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
Holy Jet Car, Hamster — Here's The Exclusive Crash Footage! [Internal]

Jaguar and motorsports have — of late — combined like cats and 220v power lines. Having smothered Jackie Stewart's former F1 team under a deluge of Ford bux earlier in the century, the company's coming back with a new FIA GT3 racer it hopes will reclaim the Jaguar racing heritage. A joint venture with Apex Motorsport, the new XKR GT3 will compete in the FIA GT3 European Championship — a relatively new sports car series, whose entries include the Aston Martin DB9, Corvette Z06, Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo and Maserati GranSport. It's not a factory team, though Jag is greenlighting Apex's efforts and providing it with XKR models powered by the company's supercharged, 4.2-liter V8. Apex upclocks that powerplant to 475 hp, and inserts a Hewland six-speed sequential gearbox and tri-plate carbon racing clutch in place of the six-speed ZF automatic. Shakedown testing will come next month at Monza, where we'll get final specs. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Aston to Offer Race-Ready Vantage V8 [internal]

We were talking to a rallying pal of ours last night about Top Gear's attempt to cross the country in under 32 hours, 57 minutes. He laughed and said that they were woefully unprepared. Their Michael Harvey agreed in his post-blast wrap-up, commenting, "[We] went in to this horribly unprepared and kinda put all our faith in the Jag getting us here, which it absolutely would have done had we been less shambolic."

The transcontinental record-breakers of the past have often armed their vehicles with all manner of electronic gadgetry and extra fuel capacity. These guys went into it with a case of Red Bull, some apples and a radar detector. The hilarious thing is that the Brits were trying to hide the radar detector from the police, when, as far as we can tell, they didn't pass through one state where using one was illegal.

That said, congrats boys (and girl), on making it safe and sound with only one set of handcuffs slapped on. It's just too bad you weren't able to at least beat Gurney and Yates' time of 35:54. Still, it's no mean feat to get a car across the country in 36 hours and 34 minutes (Yates once told us that even though $40,000 modern cars may make it around a track faster than a Daytona GTB/4, there are still very few vehicles that can match it for this sort of aberrant behavior). Even if you did stop the clock for "photography" breaks. This transcontinental stuff gets in your blood, doesn't it?

TransAm Non-Stop: Final Leg [Top Gear]

Related:
Top Gear Attempts to Break the Wrong Transcontinental Record [Internal]

Notwithstanding Jaguar's corporate fate, which became cloudy this week amid reports of Ford advisors recommending a sell (with Land Rover) — and others recommending a hold — Jaguar announced MSRPs and options for the 2007 XKR Coupe and Convertible will come in under the $100,000 mark. On location of this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance (Davey, represent!) the company revealed the coupe will start at $86,500, and the 2007 XKR Convertible at $92,500. Still, add a few options, and your accountant will be singing soprano in seconds flat; check out the list after the jump.

Press Release:

All-new 2007 Jaguar XKR At-A-Glance Highlights

* New supercharged Jaguar XK sports car - the XKR, available as a Coupe or Convertible
* All the attractions and attributes of the XK, but amplified in the 'R' to complement the extra power and performance

* Not available in Canada

* 4.2-liter, supercharged V8 engine developing 420bhp and 413 lb.-ft. (560Nm) of torque
* 0-60mph acceleration in 4.9 seconds and 155mph (electronically limited) top speed
* All-aluminum construction means a lighter, stiffer vehicle, which improves handling and agility
* Uprated springs and dampers, and recalibrated Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) system for enhanced ride and handling
* Class-leading six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles for ultra-quick gear shifts in milliseconds
* Active Exhaust System to ensure cruising speed refinement, but purposeful V8 roar under hard acceleration
* Subtle XKR exterior styling enhancements include a sportier grille and front bumper design, vented hood, unique aluminum-effect side power vents and new wheel designs
* Enhanced interior includes unique aluminum 'weave' design on the fascia (polished burl walnut is optional at no extra cost) and XKR sports seats
* Intuitive controls and driver-focused technologies are available - including Keyless Entry, Keyless Start, advanced Touchscreen and Active Front Lighting

2007 MSRP PRICING AND STANDARD FEATURES

XK COUPE: $86,500 (includes destination and delivery charges)

XK CONVERTIBLE: $92,500 (includes destination and delivery charges)

KEY STANDARD FEATURES

* Supercharged 4.2-liter, 420bhp AJ-V8 engine
* 19-inch Jupiter-style alloys wheels
* Dynamic Stability Control with Trac DSC traction control system
* Four-channel ABS, Electronic Brakes Force Distribution, and Hydraulic Brake Assist
* Performance brakes with black brake calipers with 'R' logo
* Fully active exhaust
* Adaptive Front Lighting
* 'R' sports seats with added lateral support
* 'R' badging on headrests, tachometer, steering wheel and gear selector

2007 XK Packages and Options

Luxury Package (available on XK): $3,300

* 19-inch Carelia-style wheels
* Soft-grain interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel, doors and center console
* 16-way power-adjustable seats
* Heated wood/leather-trimmed steering wheel
* Wood/leather-trimmed gearshift knob

Luxury Package (available on XKR): $2,100

* Soft-grain leather interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel
* 16-way power seats with adjustable bolsters

ALUMINUM L uxury Package (special order option on XK): $8,125

* 20-inch Senta-style wheels
* Dimpled aluminum trim
* Soft-grain leather interior
* Leather-trimmed instrument panel
* 16-way power adjustable seats

Premium Sound Package (available across the range): $1,875

* Eight-speaker, 525-watt Alpine Premium Sound System with Dolby II
ProLogic surround sound
* SIRIUS Satellite Radio* (subscription not included)

Advanced Technology Package (available on XK): $2,500

* Adaptive Cruise Control
* Adaptive Front Lighting

Individual options

Radar-based Adaptive Cruise Control (XKR): $2,200
19-inch Carelia-style wheels (XK): $1,200
20-inch Senta-style wheels (across the range): $5,000
20-inch Cremona-style wheels (XKR): $5,000
Poplar veneer finish: No Cost Option
Burl Walnut veneer finish: No Cost Option
Special order non-standard paint, interior trim, convertible top: $1,000

Related:
More on the Jaguar XKR [Internal]

You've already seen the convertible, via embargo-era leakage. Today, Jag officially released the deets on its new, hi-po XKR coupe. The supercharged feline gets 120 horsepower more than its naturally breathing sibling — 420 hp — out of the same 4.2-liter V8. Jag says it'll go from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds (5.0 for the drop top). It also has uprated springs and dampers and the same Jaguar Sequential Shift six-speed clicker as the base model. Expect it to go for between 80,000 and 90,000 quid.

Related:
Jaguar Reveals New XKR Convertible [internal]

Looks like the wraps have come off a bit early on the eagerly anticipated 2007 Jaguar XKR. It's interesting we're seeing convertible pics well before coupe pics well before the British Auto Show. Well, these official, but possibly not officially released, photos found on the interwebs today show the XKR with the 416hp 4.2-liter V8 with its top down and ready for action. We have more pictures after the jump.

Jaguar XKR - foto ufficiali [Autoblog.it via Auto Motor und Sport]

Related:
Spy Photos: 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible [internal]

What? Did you think the chaps at Jag-you-are would wait until Paris to show off their new, hi-po XK? Nope, the XKR will be unveiled next month at London's British International Motor Show, according to the company. What we know so far, from gossip mongers and various second-story men, is that the XKR may be offered in convertible form, and that the blown 4.2-liter 400+hp V8 will be put to proper use over the XK's lightweight alu-MINI-um monocoque.

Related:
New Jaguar XKR Bagged & Tagged; Spy Photos: 2008 Jaguar XKR Convertible [internal]

A prototype of the latest in Jag's most sporting of XKs was caught in cold weather testing ahead of its Paris-show unveiling this fall — along with its coup-ay sibling. It's the XKR, in convertible trim, which sources have said will be powered by a supercharged, 400hp version of the Jag 4.2-liter V8. Will the ungainly BMW M6 and Mercedes SL 55 AMG finally have some decent competition from Ford's top cat, or will its reputation as a roadway dilettante be furthered. Stay tuned. Rarow.

Spy Shots: 08 Jaguar XKR [The Car Connection]

Related:
New Jaguar XKR Bagged & Tagged [internal]