The 2012 Jaguar XKR-S, the 550-horsepower speedster with a top speed of 182 mph, was selected from a stellar finalists’ field that included Audi to Range Rover and Hyundai to Mercedes-Benz as Playboy Magazine’s 2012 Car of the Year.
The magazine’s choices were selected by Ken Gross, the veteran automotive journalist, author and former auto museum executive director.
The Jaguar XKR-S, with a starting price of $132,000 for the coupe and $138,000 for the convertible, is the most-powerful production car Jaguar has built. It has a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 and accelerates from 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds and 0-100 mph in 8.6 seconds.
Here’s Playboy’s 2012 other Car of the Year selections:
Fiat 500
Winner of Playboy’s “Coolest Throwback” award, the Fiat 500 feels game, athletic and lively, featuring a sparkling Italian design in a crisp-shifting five-speed manual coupe or automatic convertible format.
Lamborghini Aventador
The Lamborghini Aventador packs obscene V-12 engine horsepower, a 217 mph top speed and boasts a carbon-fiber body that is a perfect marriage of sleek and sophistication.
Range Rover Evoque
The all-new Range Rover Evoque’s sleek shape is a true Land Rover, with all the sophisticated electronic gadgetry, suspension agility and go-anywhere tractability you’d expect.
Lexus CT 200H
The Lexus CT 200H is a hybrid that handles. This streamlined four-door hatch, with its efficient ergonomics, lively handling and cool demeanor, charmed Playboy at the Paris Auto show and afterward on the streets of rural France.
BMW 1 Series M
The new BMW 1 Series M showcases an eye-catching, nicely balanced version of its bigger models. When you stomp on this little beauty’s accelerator, hold on to your driver’s license.
Bentley Continental GTC
Winner of Playboy’s “Best Convertible” accolades, the Bentley Continental GTC packs a 6.0-liter W12 engine, 567 horsepower and a zero to 60 acceleration speed of 4.5 seconds, making it every bit worth the high price tag.
Ford Mustang Boss 302
The Ford Mustang Boss 302, Playboy’s “Best Sports Coupe” winner, delivers a rumbling V-8, a six-speed stick and track-quality acceleration that can triple speed limits.
Audi A7
Part one in Playboy’s “Super Sedan” winners, the Audi A7 is an automotive aphrodisiac that boasts uncanny tactile feedback and undeniable presence on the road.
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG
With a comfortable and roomy interior that can go from zero to 60 in a blistering 4.4 seconds, 21 mpg and a mighty V-8, it’s easy to see why the Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG is the co-winner of Playboy’s “Super Sedan” award.
Hyundai Veloster
Winner of Playboy’s “Most Versatile” award, the high-style, fuel-sipping Hyundai Veloster is a sports coupe with a cleverly hidden rear door, raked roofline, muscular fender bulges and a direct-injected engine that is easy on the wallet.
James Raia
A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida. An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
