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Britain's High Class Heavyweights
Jaguar. Aston Martin. Names synonymous with refinement. Both automobile companies have rich histories and their names etched in the minds of car fanatics everywhere. The new Aston Martin is here, and its the new competition for Jaguars finest. Does the newer, more powerful, DB9 Coupe out-class the XKR R-Performance? Let us find out!
Aston Martin's new DB9 coupe is the spiritual successor to the DB7. Aston took a step forward when designing the new Coupe and the result is the glorious DB9, which Aston guarantees is better in every way imaginable. We tend to believe them. But Jaguar has a claim atop the British sports coupe world with the XKR R-Performance, which Jag fans claim was better than the DB7 and we dont disagree. So how will the XKR hold up to its newest rival? Although they both share certain characteristics there are a lot of notable differences.
The Jaguar is longer (+50mm), narrower (-46mm), and shorter; just (-1mm). It also weighs an extra 25 kilograms. Not so different, you say? This tends to be where the similarities end. The Aston has its glorious V12, while the Jaguar sports a V8. Thats thirty-three percent more engine the DB9 is carrying (if you choose to think of it that way). But the Aston block is listed at 5935 cc of displacement to the Jaguars 4196cc. The Jaguar puts out 408 ft/lb of torque, while the Aston outranks it again with a figure of 420 ft/lb. As for horsepower numbers, Aston: 449, Jaguar: 400. Yes, the Aston is sure looking good right about now.
Aesthetically, beauty is supposedly in the eye of the beholder. That being said the new DB9 Coupe is one gorgeous car. The Jaguar is no slouch in the looks department either. Both coupes share some smooth, alluring lines. Both machines look stunningly, elegant and would not seem out of place being driven to the office each morning. If you prefer the Aston, you probably have a larger office. The new DB9 coupe has a list price of 164,470cr compared to the XKRs lowly 118,450cr. Is the Aston worth the extra 64k credits? Were going to let performance be the evaluator, and in the world of high-class sports coupes, thats exactly how it should be.
First off, we took the machines to the test course. On the big oval we look at speed. Well, speed and acceleration. To make things as fair as possible we fitted both automobiles with the newest tire from Polyphony. The Nuclear 3 (or N3, for short).
The Jaguar XKR R-Performance did 0-400 meters in 13.179 seconds. Not too bad. The new Aston Martin DB9, 13.047 seconds. Close, very close. The Jaguars 0-1000 meters was timed at 23.602 seconds with the Aston needing 23.277 seconds. Finally the Jaguars top speed was clocked at 286.46 kilometers an hour. The Astons top speed was significantly higher. 306.34 kilometers an hour to be more precise. Where the Jaguar was faster was the 0-100km/h which it accomplished in 5 seconds. Aston managed the 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. 0-200km/h was reversed. Jaguar in 16.5 seconds and the Aston in 16 seconds. So, 0-100km/h test aside the Aston is the faster of the two.. Our oval test showed us something that somewhat bewildered us. As fast as the Jaguar is through the first four gears, when it comes time to drop it into sixth gear it has nothing left. As we shifted into sixth the Jaguar failed to accelerate any further, costing it any shot at a higher speed. Fortunately, for Jaguar, the instances where its sixth gear would be needed are few and far between, and if you think of it as a five speed, then you can sleep better at night. As for the Aston, it too has a sixth gear. The difference here is that we never got close to being able to shift into it. So the Astons sixth gear is almost unobtainable, while the Jaguars is at its peak performance. Why fit these cars with six gears when they cant use them!?
Back to the testing, and the real test came when we took the cars to our race track, Midfield Raceway. Long straights, sweepers, S-turns, and an uphill section are all here to put the cars through their paces and help us decide a winner.
The Aston is, as you already know, more powerful. It took on this track with reckless abandon, leaving me with moments of great anxiety. The elongated S produced quite a bit of body roll from the DB9, causing us to play it safe and let off the gas, so the body would settle down, whereas the Jaguar seemed to enjoy being thrown at this particular section of track. With minimal body roll the XKR accelerated quite quickly through the S and onto the following straight. The Jaguar churns through the gears quickly. Very quickly! (except sixth gear)
The Jaguar also seemed to stop more quickly despite its extra 25 kilograms. Trail braking in the Jaguar also seemed more forgiving as well, compared to the Aston which, if not careful, will see the driver lose the back end if you overdo it. The steering feels similar in both cars. Never once battling the wheel in either car, we still felt very connected to the road beneath us. I also feel the DB9 understeers more in the sweepers than the Jaguar, but the difference here is small enough to be ignored. After numerous, exhilarating laps in both machines we came away with some interesting final numbers.
The newer, more powerful, lighter Aston Martin DB9 Coupe set a fastest lap of 122.644, which is most impressive. How did the older Jaguar XKR R-Performance compare? It lapped Midfield in 123.148. Thats right! A difference of less than half a second! We were, to say the least, quite surprised by the outcome.
In the end, the Aston Martin DB9 is the faster car, but not by the kind of margin we had expected beforehand. So is the DB9 a better car than the XKR R-Performance? We think so. It is beautiful to behold, with an ear pleasing engine note, and the performance to back it up. However, there is the matter of cost. In the case where money is a serious factor you definitely wont go wrong with the Jaguar. That much is certain. Then again, the XKR R-Performance is no DB9. In the battle of sophisticated, prestigious coupes, the DB9 is our choice.
Jaguar. Aston Martin. Names synonymous with refinement. Both automobile companies have rich histories and their names etched in the minds of car fanatics everywhere. The new Aston Martin is here, and its the new competition for Jaguars finest. Does the newer, more powerful, DB9 Coupe out-class the XKR R-Performance? Let us find out!
Aston Martin's new DB9 coupe is the spiritual successor to the DB7. Aston took a step forward when designing the new Coupe and the result is the glorious DB9, which Aston guarantees is better in every way imaginable. We tend to believe them. But Jaguar has a claim atop the British sports coupe world with the XKR R-Performance, which Jag fans claim was better than the DB7 and we dont disagree. So how will the XKR hold up to its newest rival? Although they both share certain characteristics there are a lot of notable differences.
The Jaguar is longer (+50mm), narrower (-46mm), and shorter; just (-1mm). It also weighs an extra 25 kilograms. Not so different, you say? This tends to be where the similarities end. The Aston has its glorious V12, while the Jaguar sports a V8. Thats thirty-three percent more engine the DB9 is carrying (if you choose to think of it that way). But the Aston block is listed at 5935 cc of displacement to the Jaguars 4196cc. The Jaguar puts out 408 ft/lb of torque, while the Aston outranks it again with a figure of 420 ft/lb. As for horsepower numbers, Aston: 449, Jaguar: 400. Yes, the Aston is sure looking good right about now.
Aesthetically, beauty is supposedly in the eye of the beholder. That being said the new DB9 Coupe is one gorgeous car. The Jaguar is no slouch in the looks department either. Both coupes share some smooth, alluring lines. Both machines look stunningly, elegant and would not seem out of place being driven to the office each morning. If you prefer the Aston, you probably have a larger office. The new DB9 coupe has a list price of 164,470cr compared to the XKRs lowly 118,450cr. Is the Aston worth the extra 64k credits? Were going to let performance be the evaluator, and in the world of high-class sports coupes, thats exactly how it should be.
First off, we took the machines to the test course. On the big oval we look at speed. Well, speed and acceleration. To make things as fair as possible we fitted both automobiles with the newest tire from Polyphony. The Nuclear 3 (or N3, for short).
The Jaguar XKR R-Performance did 0-400 meters in 13.179 seconds. Not too bad. The new Aston Martin DB9, 13.047 seconds. Close, very close. The Jaguars 0-1000 meters was timed at 23.602 seconds with the Aston needing 23.277 seconds. Finally the Jaguars top speed was clocked at 286.46 kilometers an hour. The Astons top speed was significantly higher. 306.34 kilometers an hour to be more precise. Where the Jaguar was faster was the 0-100km/h which it accomplished in 5 seconds. Aston managed the 0-100km/h in 5.1 seconds. 0-200km/h was reversed. Jaguar in 16.5 seconds and the Aston in 16 seconds. So, 0-100km/h test aside the Aston is the faster of the two.. Our oval test showed us something that somewhat bewildered us. As fast as the Jaguar is through the first four gears, when it comes time to drop it into sixth gear it has nothing left. As we shifted into sixth the Jaguar failed to accelerate any further, costing it any shot at a higher speed. Fortunately, for Jaguar, the instances where its sixth gear would be needed are few and far between, and if you think of it as a five speed, then you can sleep better at night. As for the Aston, it too has a sixth gear. The difference here is that we never got close to being able to shift into it. So the Astons sixth gear is almost unobtainable, while the Jaguars is at its peak performance. Why fit these cars with six gears when they cant use them!?
Back to the testing, and the real test came when we took the cars to our race track, Midfield Raceway. Long straights, sweepers, S-turns, and an uphill section are all here to put the cars through their paces and help us decide a winner.
The Aston is, as you already know, more powerful. It took on this track with reckless abandon, leaving me with moments of great anxiety. The elongated S produced quite a bit of body roll from the DB9, causing us to play it safe and let off the gas, so the body would settle down, whereas the Jaguar seemed to enjoy being thrown at this particular section of track. With minimal body roll the XKR accelerated quite quickly through the S and onto the following straight. The Jaguar churns through the gears quickly. Very quickly! (except sixth gear)
The Jaguar also seemed to stop more quickly despite its extra 25 kilograms. Trail braking in the Jaguar also seemed more forgiving as well, compared to the Aston which, if not careful, will see the driver lose the back end if you overdo it. The steering feels similar in both cars. Never once battling the wheel in either car, we still felt very connected to the road beneath us. I also feel the DB9 understeers more in the sweepers than the Jaguar, but the difference here is small enough to be ignored. After numerous, exhilarating laps in both machines we came away with some interesting final numbers.
The newer, more powerful, lighter Aston Martin DB9 Coupe set a fastest lap of 122.644, which is most impressive. How did the older Jaguar XKR R-Performance compare? It lapped Midfield in 123.148. Thats right! A difference of less than half a second! We were, to say the least, quite surprised by the outcome.
In the end, the Aston Martin DB9 is the faster car, but not by the kind of margin we had expected beforehand. So is the DB9 a better car than the XKR R-Performance? We think so. It is beautiful to behold, with an ear pleasing engine note, and the performance to back it up. However, there is the matter of cost. In the case where money is a serious factor you definitely wont go wrong with the Jaguar. That much is certain. Then again, the XKR R-Performance is no DB9. In the battle of sophisticated, prestigious coupes, the DB9 is our choice.
