The fastest Jag ever built

published 20 February 2012

The XKR-S Convertible is the fastest and most powerful production car Jaguar has ever built, says What Car magazine. It's capable of hitting a top speed of 186mph and the engine delivers an extra 39bhp compared with the standard car, pushing the output from the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine to "a tyre-torturing 542bhp".

Performance is therefore "most definitely on the wild side", but if you take a "considered approach" to driving, "you'll discover a car that's full of silky feel and incredible precision For all its supercar ambitions, the XKR-S remains a civilised tourer."

The car is not at all "the track-oriented mentalist that the aggressive body addenda hints at", agrees Vicky Parrott in Autocar. "It's a much more rounded, and certainly still a road-biased thing" with an "impressive blend of full-on, hairy-chested, slightly bonkers performance without too much compromise to the touring ability".

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The main problem with the car is the price: £103,000, putting the XKR-S at £18,450 over the standard XKR convertible "and a number of other seriously good sports roadsters".

However, if you want "the fastest, baddest XK out there, then this is it and you will be mighty pleased with it, because it's brilliant".

Price: £103,000

Top speed: 186mph

0-62mph: 4.4 secs

Economy: 23mpg

Engine: 5,000cc, V8, supercharged

Power: 542bhp at 6,000-6,500rpm

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