September 5, 2007
Page B6
p © r tla n J o © s e rv e r A u f o
R e v ie w
News and reviews on new motor vehicles
The New King o f the Jungle
bv
K a t h le en C arr
Jaguar is trying to get nine lives
out o f its XJ series o f large luxury
sedans, stretching it to w hat it co n ­
siders to be five different m odels,
led by the high-perform ance ver­
sion, the Jaguar XJR.
The XJR is a fascinating blend of
tim eless sophistication and m od­
ern technology. It gives the grace­
fully aging sedan spunk without
destroying its core attributes.
The sporty XJR continues to
stand out for its deft balance o f
com fort and high perform ance.
T he X J R 's 4 0 0 -h p , s u p e r ­
charged, 4.2-liter V8 and sport-
tuned suspension are the key dif­
ferences betw een it and the non-
supercharged XJ8.
Because o f its sporting inten­
tions, the Jaguar XJ R com es only in
the regular wheelbase. T he five
seconds it takes to get from stand­
still to 60m ph is impressive. At 60
mph the XJR is ju st stretching its
legs— 0-1 (X) mph takes around 12.5
seconds with a top-end o f 150 mph.
But what's really good is the terrific
6-speedZFautobox that m akes it all
feel so effortless. Because the con-
stant-m esh supercharger is less
fickle than a turbo, there is no sud­
den rush o f perform ance: the accel­
eration is constant and mightily
impressive.
Flick the delightfully stubby
chrom e-and-leather J-gate' selec­
tor lever across into manual mode
and push the S for Sport button —
we drove like this for ninety per
cent o f our road test and it was great
fun.
Inside the handsom e wood- and
leather-trim m ed cabin, power sport
seats with perforated leather in ­
serts are specially designed to hold
the driver and front passenger firmly
in place during aggressive corner­
ing m aneuvers. All seats, front and
rear, plus the steering wheel are
heated.
T he Jaguar X JR also has radar-
Specifications: 4.2-Liter 400-hp @ 40 8 Ib-ft torque V-8 Supercharged Intercooled Engine; 6-speed
based adaptive cruise control that
Automatic Transmission: 1 7-City 24-Highway MPG; $82,850. MSRP
m aintains both a set speed, and
But d o n 't think that such a light
distance from traffic ahead; navi­ like she knew w hat she was doing. avoids tacky exterior add-ons like
Sitting still, there is not much to scoops and spoilers that som etim es car m ight fall sh o rt on safety as­
gation; and a high-pow ered audio
system . The few options include distinguish the XJR from other plague high-perform ance versions pects. N ot at all — y o u r safety is
satellite radio and a rear-seat DVD models in the XJ line besides bigger o f other luxury sedans. The exten­ as th o ro u g h ly taken care o f as
entertainm ent system . These sys­ wheels and the body-color area sive use of alum inum in the X JR 's y o u r co m fo rt. F ro n t-seat p assen ­
tem s are very user-friendly; they surrounding the front m esh grille. construction, cuts w eight and helps gers have tw o airb ag s each and
all o ccu p an ts are p ro tec ted by
w ould even make my grandm a look S u ch ta s te fu l u n d e r s ta te m e n t structural rigidity.
2007 Jaguar XJR Supercharged
PERFECTION AUTOMOTIVE
Full Service Auto Repair
Warranty on all parts and labor
503-262-6779
5430 NE 42nd Ave.
M-F 9-6
Portland, OR 97218
www.perfection-automotive.com
D a v id l e
A S E C e r t if ie d T e c h n ic ia n
G r a d u a t e o f U n iv e r s a l T e c h n ic a l
in s t it u t e (P h o e n ix , AZ)
H i T e c h A u t o R e p a ir
1 C O I O N E S a n d y B l v d
P o r t l a n d , O R 9 7 2 2 0
S O 3 -2 5 6 -3 3 3 5
M o nday - S aturday :
S:OO a m - 6:O O P M
S ports __
Pro Soccer at PGE Park
Homecoming for local star player
The U.S. W om en’s Soccer N a­
tional Team will face M exico at PGE
Park on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. following
this m onth's 2007 FIFA W om en's
World C up in China.
The last appearance for the U.S.
in Portland was a 7-0 victory against
Ukraine in 2005 at the University of
Portland's M erloField that featured
the 100th career goal from Portland
legend Tiffeny M ilbrett.
The Portland game will be a home­
com ing o f sorts for U.S. defender
S tep a n ie L o p ez , the y o u n g e st
player on the roster. At the U niver­
sity o f Portland, she helped the
Pilots win the NCAA title in 2005.
She will return to the Pilots after the
gam e to finish out her senior year.
The U.S. is unbeaten since head
coach Greg Ryan took over the team
in March o f2005 with a 38-0-7 record,
the only blemish coming when the
U.S. fell in penalty kicks toGermany
in the 2006 Algarve Cup final.
Tickets starting at $20 are on sale
to the g en eral p u b lic th ro u g h
ussoccer.com , by phone at 503-
2 2 4 -4 4 0 0 and at P o rtlan d -area
T icketm aster centers.
T AND C AUTO SALES
’X
R acquet C enter R eopens
•
LICEN SED
•
•
BO ND ED
INSU RED
Tim Wilson
503-550-3841
A T T E N T IO N !!!
In my continual efforts to offer you reliable
used cars, I am now based out of Beaverton
Toyota. Now I can also assist you in the
purchase of your next new or used Toyota.
So call first - then come see me.
S p ecial F in a n c in g is A vailable!
"If I D on’t Have It In Stock, ! Will Get It For You! ”
sid e cu rtain airb ag s. A ctively the
XJ R has a full co m p lem en t o f the
latest elec tro n ic tractio n , sta b il­
ity and b raking aids. In sto p /start
traffic the pow erful b rakes can be
a touch 'stab b y ' but you quick ly
get used to them . N eed less to say
— and esp ecially at h igher speeds
— o n ce the b rak es bite re ta rd a ­
tio n is im m ed iate, scru b b in g o ff
sp eed co m p letely w ith o u t any
fuss. T ry a full em erg en cy stop
from 4 0m ph and the X JR pulls up
fo u r-sq u are in w hat seem s an im ­
possibly short distance. I do m ean
an im m ediate response!
O verall the XJR is as sophisti­
cated and sm oothly capable as you
could wish for and more. And while
it is blatantly a Jaguar, under its
subtle alum inum hood beats the
heart o f a lion. In the final analysis,
drivers buy cars like the XJR as
much for its four-door functional­
ity and ride and refinem ent as they
do for the m assively usable super­
charged perform ance. Add to that
a fine transm ission m ated to an
eager engine and a refreshed repu­
tation for quality and durability and
it's easy to see why the 2007 Jaguar
XJR Supercharged is very quickly-
5.0 seconds quick- the new “king o f
the jungle".
The St. Johns Racquet C enter at
7519 N. Burlington reopened for
the season, now featuring three
indoor tennis courts, the only two
public racquetball courts in Port­
land and a small fitness room.
The small fitness center has been
updated with free w eights, an in­
cline bench, a television and mats.
Use o f the fitness center is $2 per
day or $20 for a m onthly pass.
Tennis court fees are $24 for a 75-
minute period, and racquetball court
fees are $12 an hour, but monthly
passes are also available that re­
duce these rates considerably.
M onday through Friday, 10a.m.
to 9 p.m. and w eekends, 8 a.m. to 10
p.m., court reservations and more
information are available by cal I ing
5 0 3 - 8 2 3 -3 6 2 9
or
v is itin g
pdxl0s.com .
“Happy Birthday Gary Washington!”
from your Family & Friends
L egal N otices
Need to publish a court document
or notice? Need an affidavit of
p u b lica tio n
quickly
and
efficiently? Please fax or e-mail
your notice for a free price quote!
Fax; 503-288-0015
Olympic Qualifier Record
LeBron James goes up for a dunk Sunday against Argentina
during the FIBA Americas game in Las Vegas where, he scored
31 points, the most by an American player in an Olympic
qualifier, and the U.S. team capped its dominance by beating
Argentina 118-81 to win the championship.
Schools K ick O ff Football
Prep football will begin in full
this Friday, Sept. 7 with the G ener­
als taking on Beaverton at Grant
High School at 4:30 p.m.
Fans of high-school sports could
then make their way to nearby match
ups hosted by the Democrats, Rough
Riders and Quakers. Glencoe plays
at Jefferson 7 p.m., Corvallis playsat
Roosevelt 7:30 p.m. and Gresham
plays at Franklin 7 p.m.
O ther 7 p.m. gam es involving
Portland team s that day include
Benson at Oregon City, C leveland
at W oodburn, W es, Linn at W il­
son, Lincoln a, Tigard, M adison at
T he Dalles and M arshall at Liberty
High School in Hillsboro.
Tickets are available at the gates
for $6, $2 for students.
1 ..........
State Famr»
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
A
I M IM IAMCI
Home Office. Bloomington, Illinois 617,0
e-mail:
classifieds(g>po rtlandobserver.com
The Portland Observer
Michael E Harper
A g en t
W e m oved to our new location at:
9713 S.W . Capitol
Portland, OR
503-221-3050
Fax 503-227-8757
King of Clean
A Professional Janitorial Company
P.O. Box 219-112 • Portland. OR 97225-9112
(503) 839-6752
Tim R. Thomas
Owner/President
We accept
m ajor credit cards
'Ll-J-icions
SMOKEHOUSE
9 ¡ > C C Íi l[ iZ Í llp
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B eef • Pork • Lam b • Poultry • Seafood
“Our cleaning Is a reflection o f yo u”
fundi $5.95. 'Owner $9.95 anb up
Pork Rib, Brisket, Turkey, Chicken, Ox Tails & More
Beer and Wi ne Avai 1 able
Open 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM Monday thru Saturday
Leí Ví hitworth (?.P.A.
Live Blues
,int bookkeeping serViees
.'>421 \ f. 33rd V enin1
Portland. OK 9721 I
Plume 303-295-1939
F rid a y s
C a ll fo r details
Cell 971 344 6414
Fas 503-293-1065
7 p m to 10pm
ii trie lesii liilirorlhi pii.i inn
emnil: lesta lesa hilu orlilip
4057 N. Interstate Ave. 503-493-9414