As part of its considerable mid-2004 range revisions, Jaguar has slightly restyled the XKR Coupé and Convertible with revised front and rear bumpers, a different mesh grille, a larger but by no means obtrusive bootlid spoiler, and new finishers for the four tailpipes."By no means intrusive" actually sums up the presentation of the whole car, because the XKR Coupé takes a completely different approach, not just in appearance but also for general everyday motoring, from some of those super-exotics with their stand-out spoilers and body kit all over the place, furious but lumpy performance, and minimal visibility in close-company city traffic.Years on from the introduction of the original version, the Jaguar still oozes class. Yet one glance at the twin air vents on the bonnet suggests, quite rightly, that there's a formidable power unit underneath.The 4.2-litre supercharged engine peaks at - well, I can't say I know, really. Jaguar is the only company I'm aware of which prints four different versions of the maximum engine power, according to the calculations of UK, US and European automotive agencies, and maybe the Amalgamated Ring-Buggy Manufacturers of the Planet Saturn. Anyway, it's somewhere within hailing distance of 400bhp, and more than 390. Let's call it 395.So the XKR simply smokes off from a standing start, and the acceleration doesn't show any sign of tailing off as the rev counter needle whips round the dial. Under about 3000rpm the engine produces a smooth and silky sound which hardly seems as if it's produced by a piece of machinery with pistons pounding up and down, and lots of valvegear doing much the same.Then the background blower sound transfers itself into a foreground howl, and, if you're playing around with the manual side of the J-gate selector, it holds little conversations with you as the revs fall in a higher gear then rise again as the road speed increases, until the supercharger quietens down when the car reaches its relaxed and long-legged cruising speed.This is where the XKR has it against some of the fancier supercars which may slightly trim its acceleration times, do without its electronic top-speed limiter, and cost two or three times as much. You can easily imagine hitting the road at Calais and wafting down to Cannes or Nice in complete comfort, without being affected by a loud exhaust note or tiring mechanical drone.And, although there's a new Carbon Fibre limited edition, priced above both the standard car and the Premium specification, with a carbon fibre fascia and other "upgrades", anybody who appreciates the real essence of Jaguar won't need to go beyond the standard-cost interior with its top-class wood and leather trim.Some people - even some members of Her Majesty's Motoring Press - think that the "club lounge" effect is rather passé, but we need pay no attention whatever to the opinions of these vulgarians. Jaguar does this kind of thing better than anybody outside the stratospheric price bracket. While the normal XKR wood veneers are grey-stained bird's-eye maple, the classic burr walnut is (naturally) a no-cost option.One inescapably modern item on the fascia is a "virtual" analogue clock face. But there's no electronic handbrake as in the saloons, just an old-style pull-up-and-let-drop affair to the right of the driver's seat.The CATS adaptive damping system, which has its admirers and detractors, is standard, and so is the familiar J-gate gear selector. Since the distance between the two parallel slots on the gate - right for fully automatic, reverse, neutral, park and so on, and left for manual selection - was reduced a couple of years ago, the action has become tighter and less slap-around.But there's one feature of the J-gate which made me rather uneasy, although an owner would probably cope with it quite happily. It's the fact that there's no "detent" on the manual selection side. If you're a little heavy-handed making the movement from fourth to third, say, you can slip down accidentally to second, which may very definitely not be where you want to be.Brakes? Well, we're talking high-performance Jaguar here; so that's enough said. Extra-cost items on the test car included Montreal alloy wheels inside which the red calipers of the cross-drilled Brembo brakes could be glimpsed, and there was a further selection of items shown in the accessories and options catalogue, from the ultra-low Super Sport suspension and reverse park control, to adaptive cruise control able to keep the XKR at a safe distance from the car in front. In front - there's a laugh!Those huge wheels, though - how about space in the boot? Well, it's improved over what I think it used to be, with a space-saver spare. At least the XKR owner doesn't have to rely on a sealant kit and electric compressor. Engine 4196cc, 8 cylinders Power 395bhp Transmission 6-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 22.9mpg / 304g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.4 seconds Top speed 155mph Price £58,120 Details correct at publication date
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