The New Jaguar XKR Convertible - Review

Beautiful, powerful and exhilarating. The new sports car from Jaguar is an impressive feat, and oozes style and prowess. With a 5.0-litre supercharged V8, to use the phrase nippy would be a colossal understatement, buyers beware - to XKR goes from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds, and has 503bhp, so drivers will need to keep a close eye on the speed dial.

This flashy supercar comes with a six-speed electronic auto transmission, Jaguar Sequential Shift, and JaguarDrive gear selector - all as standard. Almost inaudible, the supersonic automobile goes on to an electronically limited 155mph, and has a very impressive 625Nm torque; the Jaguar XKR offers a driving experience parallel to none.

Not only attractive and elegant in the exterior, inside the XKR the luxury continues. The cabins near perfect finishing exudes excellence, and the seats are luxuriously comfortable for long, relaxing summertime cruises. Although the back seat does not offer an abundance of space, (in so far that it is better suited to house a briefcase than a person) the boot of the sleek convertible offers enough room to fit two sets of golf clubs.

Economically, the XKR by no means boasts fuel efficiency. On the combined cycle, fuel returns 23mpg, which then bleakly falls to 15mpg when coasting through a metropolis. Yes, this is fairly un-enticing, but then the XKR is a supercar; and scoffing fuel is just part of what they do.

The XKR is not a cheap car by any means, and will set a buyer back £78,400. A hefty sum considering the Porsche 911 3.6 Cabrio is almost £10,000 less. Factor in the running costs, and the XKR seems an extremely guilty pleasure. That said, considering the fact that a Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss weighs in at £591,000, the XKR seems a little nearer to reasonable. The XKR's carbon emissions are 202/km, which means it is eligible for band M, costing £405 per year.

Although expensive, buyers will instantly know where their money went. The engine quite literally sings for the driver's enjoyment in all conditions. The extensive and arduous craftsmanship below the stunning exterior means that roof up or down, rain or snow, the engine will continue to purr away for the motorist's sensory pleasure. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Transmission shifts are smooth and swift. Acceleration is superb, so much so that the immediacy of response is likely to astonish. Finally, the suspension has been fine tuned to immaculacy, and is not only forgiving, but means the car is a pure indulgence to drive.

Safety features of the Jaguar include Pedestrian Contact Sensing, which automatically deploys the bonnet upon contact to minimise injury. Along with this, the XKR boasts rollover protection system, adaptive restraint technology, and emergency break assist. It has dynamic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution and active differential control. And, for additional peace of mind, alarms and sensors feature to an all encompassing degree.