Jaguar XKR 75 test drive

This is a special edition of Jaguar’s iconic XKR, the XKR 75 as embedded in the name – it reflects how many such cars Jaguar will produce over the next year or so – but it’s also one of the fastest production Jaguar in history; having said that, on paper the 75 doesn’t appear to be that much more thrusting than the regular XKR.

The key mechanical differences involve the engine, suspension and exhaust. Officially the 75 has another 20bhp more than the XKR on which it is based. Its actual outputs are expected to be close to 540 bhp, with a 0-100kph time of 4.4sec. The suspension is also lower and stiffer while the exhaust has been replaced with a sports item that is both louder and more free-flowing.

Which is why, despite the springs being 28/32 per cent stiffer front and rear, and the ride height being 15/10mm lower front/rear, the XKR 75 still feels instantly like a Jag during those crucial first few moments on the move. Although its exhaust delivers a rousing burst of revs when you fire it up, it settles quickly to a smooth, if fairly potent idle. It’s a mood that is reflected throughout the entire driving experience.

It disappointing to discover that there are precisely no changes to the cabin to distinguish it beyond a regular XKR inside. Then again, there’s not a whole lot wrong with the XK’s interior, particularly if you throw every available option at it as standard as Jaguar has in this instance.

As ever with Jaguars, the power assistance is quite strong, which means the amount of physical effort required to turn the wheel is unusually light. But once you get used to this and realise that there is feel there, that there is a subtle resistance present, the way in which you interact with the car becomes altogether more cerebral.

Eventually (quite quickly, in fact) you become aware that you can guide the nose towards and through corners with quite extraordinarily little movement on the wheel itself. You get to a point where it really does feel as if you are thinking the car through bends, rather than physically steering it – and when you reach that level, the relationship between car, road and driver becomes uniquely intuitive.

None of which would be possible were the rest of the suspension as beautifully well sorted as it is, of course. Just as in the regular XKR there is a “dynamic drive” button plus a sport function for the paddle shift gearbox, whereby you can alter the damper response, throttle mapping and even the gear change characteristics. Except on the 75, the parameters have been changed subtly to suit the car’s more aggressive personality, so it feels sharper when you switch the systems on and, conversely, more relaxed somehow when you turn them off.

It’s not quite a full transformation but the difference in response to all the major controls bar the steering is marked. Again, this level of flexibility – the ability to swap so easily between cruiser and bruiser – distinguishes the Jag above and beyond the majority of its competition.

So should you buy one? The XKR 75 makes its world debut at next weekend’s Festival of Speed at Goodwood, and Jaguar is hoping to find buyers in the process. You suspect it won’t have too much difficulty finding 75 people to sign on the dotted line – for this is an exceptionally strong car; one that’s as rapid as it is refined, looks good and is competitively priced beside key rivals, especially when you consider how well specified it is by comparison.