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Cordell Koland
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Weekly Reviews
 2007 Jaguar XKR Coupe by Cordell Koland In a strange convergence, the week I was driving the impressive Jaguar XKR, I read a report from the Financial Times stating that the Ford Motor Company has lined up the usual suspects top-tier investment banks such as Goldman Sachs to advise on the sale of Jaguar and its British sibling, Land Rover. And in laymen's language the phrase, advise on the sale, means the finance guys are to find a deep pocket and extract as much loot as possible to justify their fees. And since we're in the land of high finance, this probable divestiture might symbolize the last gasp of the wholesale mergers and acquisitions that marked the auto industry a few years ago. Yet despite the acquirer's happy talk of new investment and efficiency of scale, almost all of these acquisitions have been a disaster. Mercedes just announced the sale of a majority interest in the Chrysler Group to Cerberus Capital, one of the current high-flying private equity groups. Earlier this year, Ford sold its stake in Aston Martin to a group of investors. The only real success I can think of from this heady era was BMW's purchase of Mini, but even BMW was unable to turn around Land Rover and unloaded it on Ford. Students of the corporate world will note that in some eras, businesses acquire everything in site and in the next, divest themselves of assets to unlock shareholder value or raise cash. As a business asset, Jaguar certainly has brand equity and charisma. But sales have fallen precipitously. After a dismal 2006, total Jaguar sales fell 26 percent for the calendar year through May. As an indication of the current state of affairs, a few years ago the ultra luxury XK series, which consists of a convertible and a coupe, was considered a high-end niche product within the Jaguar world. But since Jaguar's three lines of sedans have nearly dropped off the sales charts, the new XK line, which is off to a good start, now accounts for about 30 percent of Jaguar sales and is currently the company's best seller. Maybe I don't have the insight of a private equity investor, but if I were evaluating Jaguar, I'd see the new XKR Coupe as a huge, undervalued asset. To my mind, this vehicle has it all: stunning styling, a luxurious interior, great performance and perhaps of greatest importance, the most advanced chassis engineering in the industry. The XK coupe just may be the most beautiful vehicle on the road. Our test coupe was finished in what Jaguar calls Radiance Red think juicy metallic strawberry. It looked so good in its sensuous, sculpted skin that I just wanted to lick it. On the other hand, I am not in love with the metallic scoop behind the front wheel opening, which I think is a bit overwrought. To my eye, the XK looks best in silver, which tends to camouflage the side scoop. I also enjoy the interior, which is contemporary in design without falling into the trap of over-reliance on complicated electronics. Here, the controls are pretty easy to find and use. Our text XKR had the optional Aluminum Weave Package, a burnished layer of aluminum fabric as the accent element on the dash. The tech touch seems to make sense in a high-performance coupe. The addition of the letter R in the XK series designates a supercharged engine. And in terms of performance, the 420-horsepower supercharged V-8 delivered all I could handle. The acceleration is just breathtaking. Jaguar claims the XKR Coupe will reach 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds, and this time I believe that the corporate claim might be understated. But where I think Jaguar sets itself apart is its aluminum monocoque structure. Developed in the aircraft industry, monocoque is a French term that signifies a construction technique that derives strength and rigidity from its external skin. Typically, in the auto industry an internal frame is used and covered with a non-structural skin. Jaguar employs an advanced practice that uses a combination of an adhesive plus self-piercing rivets to create extremely strong bonds between the aluminum panels. The resulting bodies are significantly lighter and stronger, which is a real asset in the automotive world‹delivering a platform for superior ride and performance, not to mention gas mileage. Vehicle:
Jaguar XKR Coupe
Price as tested: $97,675 Engine: Type: 4.2-liter supercharged V-8 Horsepower: 420 @ 6,000 rpm Torque: 413 lbs.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm Fuel economy, automatic transmission City 17 mpg Highway 25 mpg Curb Weight: 3,814 lbs.  Cordell Koland is an automotive journalist based in California's central coast. He can be reached at cordellkoland@oakparkjournal.com |
