USED Jaguar XK Coupe (96 - 06)

My car

Living in the land of cheap petrol, low-ish insurance and generally high-speed motoring, (Dubai), I recently bought a brand new XKR Coupe from the local dealership.

It's in Jag Racing Green. Nice wheels and embedded sports kit add finishing touches to what I have always thought was an extremely good-looking car.

Competition for the purchase was the Porsche (997) and Boxster S. The Porsches are both outstanding to drive and will probably get you where you want to go quicker than the XKR, but the overall look, presence and refinement of the XK was overwhelmingly decisive.

The XKR is tremendously powerful. Not just pulling away, but all the way up the range - you never feel it lacking. Its handling is good, although not in the Porsche league, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter too much.

The XKR is all about style and not setting record times to the office and back every day.

Despite what reviewers say, I find the interior quite spacious enough, and my two teenage children have often sat in the back for short journeys provided you don't mind being cramped in the front for a while. You can't do that in a Porsche.

Gripes? Well none at the moment but ground clearance has to be watched and the audio system is average for a car of this level. The egine sound is also rather nondescript - I'm sure the new model will address this.

I actually prefer the current model to the new one – particularly inside - and I got a good price in the bargain. A Jaguar XKR is a