xkr 2009 5.0 or a maserati granturismo

Well, you might expect those on a Jaguar forum to be somewhat biased but in this case, as I owned a Maserati Granturismo S this time last year, I can tell you first hand that it was probably the single most disappointing car I've owned. Not only did it go wrong a lot but it was very average dynamically (handling, ride, body control, stability....all immensely inferior to the XK) and despite mine being the 'quicker' 4.7 version, it wasn't that quick! The seats are also awful, the Nav / Bluetooth / telematics is unreliable and not very good when it did work (even against the Jaguar system which is far from the best itself) and it is extremely expensive to run - servicing and parts are on another planet compared to the Jaguar or anything else I've had.

In the end, my car was coming out of warranty and Maserati wanted nearly £3k to extend it for one year. I think that demonstrates the confidence they have in their own product as that's 3-4 times what you'd expect to pay so, in desperation to have a car that was competent, I swapped it for a new M3 which I then had for a few months before buying my first Jaguar. Some may see that as quite a downgrade but on the contrary, if you disregard image and brand perception, the BMW was in another league for ability and felt like a much better developed car. So, just imagine how good my XKR feels in comparison now....a different league!

I can understand why you're taken by the exhaust sound too as it impressed me in the same way...at first. However, I actually got fed up of it as, after a while, I thought it sounded a bit like a Corsa with a fat exhaust...a bit one dimensional in tone that didnt reflect that it's a V8 powered car! Johnny has hit the nail on the head in his description of it sounding a bit fake...my XKR has a factory performance exhaust option (fantastic and easily replicated with a Spires stage 1 exhaust which is almost identical) and whilst not as loud as the Maserati, I think it's a much nicer tone with a more 'genuine' V8 noise.

I did like the fact that I owned a 'Maserati' because brand wise, it's about as good as you can get and it certainly attracted attention (strangely no more than my XKR does though). But that promise ended up being a disappointment everytime I got in it and drove it....I guess the fact I had a 911 Turbo directly before it didn't help but my XKR equally shows up just how average a car the Maserati is.

Thank you for all your feedback! The points palmball made were in the back of my mind, but I was trying to ignore them! Although you expect to spend more on servicing a high end car I think I would start to resent the cost for the masi, as i would be buying one thats older and probably prone to more problems.
I have been looking at the exhaust for the jag and, as mentioned by Johnny, the milltek was one, the other I think was quick silver ? I probably need a bit more research on them.
The car I have found and looked at yesterday is a 2009 model 5.0 L in silver with black interior, which was one of my chosen specs - the other was black on black. They are asking £31,000.00 for it with 45000.00 on the clock. I know is higher mileage but as I will only use it at weekends it should ballance out. It is out of warranty by 2 weeks but I would be looking at buying the jag warranty - not sure of the cost and how long you can take this out for, so if anyone knows that would be good.
Would be good to get feedback on your exhaust being fitted to your car johnny, and the spec. Once again thanks for the informative replies

I resurrected this thread for my first post because it helps to confirm that my decision to buy an XKR is most likely the correct one. I've had a BMW 635d for the past 2 years and whilst a competent all round motor car I'm looking for something more exciting, more engaging. I too considered a Maserati Granturismo. I love the look of the Granturismo and the convenience of proper rear seats but rejected it on the grounds of high insurance and maintenance costs and I'm glad I did given Palmball's assessment. I also thought of an M3 and an Audi RS5 and tried both but finally concluded that an XKR with the right options was what I was looking for.

I've finally settled on a 2012MY XKR with dynamic pack, performance seats and performance exhaust. I hope to pick it up later this week and, despite being an older driver, I'm quite excited about it

I'm sure I'll be a regular visitor on here in future.


Tom