Jaguar decided to introduce a facelift for its XK8 GT range, and, along with the rest of the stable, the convertible and the KXR Convertible went through important updates.
Six years after the introduction, the XKR started to lack the performance to keep up with the market competition. It had to evolve, and the evolution came with more power and updated features.

Sleek and powerful, the XKR Convertible was the fastest quickest production cabriolet of the family. At the front, the apron-mounted oval grille resembled old Jaguar models, and the cat-badge was installed on the upper side of the bumper. On the hood, a pair of slats used to cool the engine made the most striking aesthetic difference between the XKR and its less-powered brothers, the XK8. It didn’t look just like a regular open-top GranTurismo.

Inside, instead of the three-dials on the center stack, there was a newly installed display. It was the beginning of a new era, where digitization started to replace the analog style. The J-pattern for the gear-selector remained the same, with a chromed rim and wood trim around it. Even if there was not enough room for someone in the back, the rear seats were covered in the same leather and with the same attention to details as the front ones.

The 2003 Jaguar XKR Convertible lost the old 4.0-liter V8 and gained a 4.2-liter unit that offered almost 40 ponies more. Thanks to a 6-speed automatic transmission that sent power to the rear wheels, the car rocketed to 100 kph (62 mph) from standing still in 5.6 seconds.