I’d like to get feedback form the listers on the Supercharged R version of the S type. What is nice and not so nice about them. I’m in an X 308 now and am staring to look for a new daily driver.
I just did this (purchased a 2005 S-type R to replace my dearly departed X308 XJR.) I’ve only had it a month, but put 5,000 miles on it (bought it out of state and used it for a cross-country driving vacation.)
- Comfort and interior - the S-type R has more luxury and convenience features than the XJR, but I felt the XJR interior is made with better, more premium looking materials. It might be due to the simpler, more classic design. The interior space seems about the same to me, though on paper the S-type has more room in almost every interior dimension than the standard wheelbase X308.
For me I liked the X308 seats better for long drives, because the S-type R seats are more heavily bolstered and sometimes “stuck” me in the wrong places. But I learned that the S-type seat has a cool feature to lengthen the lower cushion, which helped a lot, and it has a lumbar adjustment that can slide upwards and downwards, not just inflating and deflating. That was really cool and makes the comfort a wash.
I don’t like how so many functions such as the clock are tied to the video display. The display is a bit dated in terms of clarity and resolution by modern standards, but still looks OK. However the S-type has passive LCD displays for dash/trip meter functions, and I find these hard to read in sunlight. The electroluminescent display of the X308 is far more readable.
I find visibility to the rear quarters worse in the S-type R and still need to get used to its dimensions (I still leave too much space when pulling up to refuel, for example.) Mine does have the parking sensors which is nice.
- Ride and handling - there’s no contest. The S-type R’s handling is a big, big jump up from the XJR, and that’s with mine having Continental all-weather (DWS) tires instead of the Continental DW summer performance tires of my XJR. It doesn’t wallow as much and is more precise feeling. My XJR didn’t have CATS, while the S-type R does (standard to my knowledge.)
The ride is inferior though, even though the S-type R wheelbase is actually longer. Perhaps more aggressive suspension tuning is the reason. It doesn’t smother the small bumps like the XJR. The S-type seems less prone to tramlining though, less sensitive to grooves and ruts worn in the road.
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Acceleration and performance - no timed runs, but despite similar 0-60 timings, the S-type R feels a full step more explosive when it comes to full throttle blasts. It feels noticeably quicker. I can’t tell much difference in terms of braking.
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Economy - the S-type R gets about 10-20% better fuel mileage under all conditions than the XJR, tracked over 5,000s of driving. Jaguar says oil changes only have to be done every 10,000 miles instead of 7,500 like the XJR.
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Maintenance and reliability - too soon to tell of course, but all S-type R’s have the 4.2 V8 which does not have any of the weaknesses of the 4.0 (tensioners, Nikasil bores, thermostat housing.) I think the front suspension is more prone to wear and I think I need to change some bushings to alleviate a occasional clunk when braking (whereas my XJR with similar mileage had no such issues, though I could see some bushing visually starting to crack.)
As a note, the S-type R has 5 mph bumpers while the X308’s only have 2.5 mph bumpers from what I can tell. This is big for me - if the XJR had 5 mph bumpers, I probably would still have it today. 
- Styling and presence - despite being modeled after a older classic with loads of retro cues (the Mk. 2) everyone I’ve talked to think the S-type R is a much more modern looking car. But to me it lacks the presence and majesty of the X308/XJR.
I always had a bit of a feeling of being a part of an event driving the XJR (hard to explain that) while I felt I was driving a more ordinary car with the S-type R. In fact, I often had a feeling I was driving a Taurus - nothing to do with the driving qualities or luxury or performance. More to do, I suppose, with the rounded styling and normal size and proportions I suppose. I don’t want to overstate this though. I’m sure as I get more used to the S-type R I will lose that impression.
I picked a 2005 car because it had the mid-life facelift by Ian Callum and still had the 4 pot Brembo brakes. In 2006 the brakes were switched to 2 pot Jaguar calipers. Most cars for sale will be 2003 models though, and 2007 models are very difficult to find.
I have to say that overall the S-type R is a more capable car in almost every way, so my affection for the XJR comes down to emotion.
Thanks much. Nothing like hearing from a guy that made the switch. How’s the trunk storage vs a 308? Have you ever had any issues with the blower?
Cheers!
The trunk is much larger than the X308. A only a bit longer front to rear (if at all) but much, much deeper, not nearly as shallow. The S-type R doesn’t have folding rear seats like regular S-types might have (I think that’s due to a reinforcement to stiffen the chassis) but does have a “ski sack” pocket to allow the storage of thin, long items, adding to the utility.
I’ve never had any issues with the blowers on either car (17 years and 60K+ miles on the XJR, 1 month and 5K miles on the S-type and in fact I’ve never heard of these Eaton blowers being a problem on any car. The most that might need to be done is to change the oil at 100K if I recall correctly. They would be the last thing on the cars I would worry about, and if they did go bad they aren’t terribly expensive to replace with a used or rebuilt unit.
I’ve read that for the S-type R, the major bugaboo is a cooling hose often called the “valley” pipe underneath the supercharger. To replace it, it’s said the supercharger has to come out, which is time consuming. We’ll see if I have any troubles with it.
One of the things that I didn’t like about the S-type R interior is the wood veneer. I never liked the color and grain of the wood choices available, and much preferred the walnut of my old XJR. (never liked the bird’s eye maple on the X308 either.) I really wish I could have gotten the aluminum trim and two-tone sport seat color option for the leather, but those are really rare in the USA. If I were in the UK I understand those parts are readily available used.