The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

Life is a series of moments of pure exhilaration interrupted by long stretches of pure tedium. The past week was the former, not the later, as Jaguar Cars was kind enough to loan me the truly incredible XKR.

It was a fast week to be sure, moving by at serious speed, clothed in a shapely steel body that’s pure automotive sex.

To tell if the cat you’re looking at has hormones, take a look at the hood. If it’s louvered it’s an XKR. Another sign is the fine mesh grille that accents the front of the car.

As if the regular 290-horsepower XK8 isn’t sufficient for mere mortals, Jaguar adds to the lust factor by stuffing its supercharged and intercooled aluminum-alloy V-8. This 4-liter double-overhead-cam 32-valve V-8 dishes out an abundant 370 horsepower at 6,150 rpm and 387 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm courtesy of an Eaton supercharger nestled in the V of the engine. It’s fed through a five-speed automatic transmission with normal and sport modes. Hit the sport mode and keep it there. You’ll be propelled to 60 mph in a neck-snapping 5.2 seconds in the coupe, 5.3 seconds in the droptop. It’s not too far off the feeling you get when lifting off the runway in a jet airplane.

With power like that, the car makes grown women giggle like school girls who don’t know what to do with their hands. It makes grown men drive like they did in high school: too fast.

I could keep on describing the sheer exhilaration one feels when accelerating, but it would get edited out.

The transmission is cooperative, offering up shifts smoothly and efficiently. Jaguar’s J-gated shifter allows the car to be shifted manually. While not as natural feeling as some of the new auto manuals, it still allows some degree of control. Of course, when in sport mode, you can’t out-pace the car’s shifting abilities anyway.

The engine note is a symphony itself, making mechanic melodies that warm an enthusiast’s heart. That means keeping the stereo off, the better to hear this car growl.

Like any real Jaguar, the harder this car is pushed, the better it runs. The engine positively purrs after a hard run.

Steering is quick and precise, as you would expect. It delivers a nice balance of road feel and power assist. This car tracks well, going precisely where its pointed.

If it doesn’t, Jaguar equips the car with good-sized disc brakes at all corners, along with traction control that can switched off. It wasn’t needed.

Connection to the road is courtesy of truly massive Pirelli tires, 245/55s up front, 255/45s in the rear. They’re z-rated, for sustained speeds above 150 mph. Top speed is 155 mph.

Despite the tires, the ride is very typical of Jaguars in general, a fine balance between ride and handling. Many automakers try for this balance and few succeed. A fully independent suspension with anti-roll bars keep the tires planted. Slowing down for corners isn’t really necessary; the car retains a flat demeanor with little body lean.

Yet the r ide itself is excellent, absorbing bumps while furnishing a serene ride. The result is a car closer to a grand touring car than a sports car, but one that’s easy to live with.

That means you can skip the kidney belt. But don’t skip the fine clothes. After all, this car is the ultimate fashion accessory, so dress the part bubba.

Inside, there’s acres of leather, along with the expected wood-veneer dash. Look closely at the veneer. Jaguar uses a single sheet of it, something most automakers don’t do out of cost considerations.

The front seats are shallow, typical of most Jags, yet they proved comfortable despite that. The rear seat is uninhabitable. Think of it as a leather-covered cargo shelf. This makes this fine car an intimate place for two. If you want lots of space inside, look elsewhere.

The wide center console is stuffed with audio, cell phone and climate controls. Eventually, one gets used to all the buttons. The top center of the dash houses a clock and two mor e gauges. Order the newly optional navigation system and they get replaced by a screen.

The build quality of the car was what one expects in a car of this class: excellent.

The body structure itself was outstanding; it exhibited little or no flexing over bumps. The performance was superior to the last Mercedes Benz Cabriolet I tested.

Noise with the top up was almost as good as a closed coupe. The top was nicely finished in addition to being well-insulated.

The top itself is fully automatic, with warning chimes to signal the beginning and end of its operation. The trunk is listed at a modest 9.5 cubic feet, but it felt larger than that. A cargo net is a new addition this year.

Driving such a stylish fully equipped grand tourer that so obviously draws on a great automotive heritage for merely a week is like spending the night with the love of your life, knowing that you’ll never see her again.

The XKR has that much power.

The power to make even the most jaded of automotive writers get weak in the knees when faced with driving this lovely cat.

Time to ask the boss for a raise. >> 2000 Jaguar XKR

Vehicle type: Large two-door convertible
Engines: 4-liter supercharged DOHC V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 101.9 inches
Length: 187.4 inches
Curb weight: 4,021 pounds
Cargo volume: 9.5 cubic feet
Tires: 245/45ZR18 front, P255/ 45ZR18 rear
Base price: $81,800
EPA rating: 16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway
Test mileage: 15 mpg
Fuel type: Premium
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