A real man's convertible: The 2010 Jaguar XKR

October 20, 3:33 PMMen's Style ExaminerStile E. Coyote

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The Jaguar XKR: A Super-charged super car that you can drive in a tuxedo
with a straight face. ( Photo: Jaguar)

Let’s face it. In the post-metrosexual era, a guy is hard pressed to find a convertible to drive that doesn’t say one of the following: “I’m gay!” or the more common, “I’m having mid-life crisis!” or the more subtle, “My wife bought this car, but you know what? It’s really a blast to drive so I’m driving it.” The latter is really just code for “I’m gay” or “I’m having a crisis,” but cloaked in denial.

Thus it’s rare to find a convertible that’s the equivalent of a bespoke suit and drips power, both real and perceived. The 2010 Jaguar  XKR fits that mold quite nicely. It is, after all, a supercar designed by Brits, a country whose biggest action hero, James Bond, is a guy who saves the world while wearing a tuxedo and handmade dress shoes with wood soles. Yeah, the Jaguar is the car the boss drives, while his VP’s drive Porsche Boxsters or Corvettes.

You don’t so much as drive the XKR, you put it on. Like a well-loved, tailored jacket, everything you need is intuitively placed. The seat controls? Obviously placed and obvious to use. The Navigation screen, sound system, weather center, car control interface is, get this, written in plain English. When it comes to control systems, Apple couldn’t do it better.

But this could describe any of the new Jaguars. What distinguishes the XKR from its siblings are its leather seats that are soft, but firm—a necessity for a car that can jump to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and corner like a rollercoaster. A high-line across the doors and long rakish windshield seat the driver deep inside the car—deep enough that he can shoot the shite with a buddy at 90 mph without raising his voice.

Daniel Craig, aka James Bond, dressed in character
at last year's Oscars. (Photo: AP).

MEN'S STYLE RULE #140: The older the man the bigger the convertible. 50-years-old and driving a Miata equals sad.

Throw the car at the valet at the club, and the kid won’t give it the immediate love he'd give a Ferrari, but when he taps the gas, he’ll know that he ain’t driving any old Jag. And that’s what makes the XKR so cool.

For the price, $107,000, the guy who buys an XKR knows that spending anything more is a waste of money. He knows value: His everyday gray flannel suits fit perfectly because they’re hand-tailored in London, and it’s lasted for 10 years. Same goes for his shoes. It’s called timeless, classic style. And like this guy, the XKR makes a serious case for bringing this concept to the 510-horsepower, luxury sports car market. It’s the perfect car for the guy in charge yet doesn’t need flash to know it. Your friend Stile E, gets it, so should you.

Jaguar’s done this once before, with the XKE from the 60s which became the signature car of 60s Brit cool. God bless ‘em for doing it again.