POOR KITTY; Our Jaguar XKR gets temporarily derailed.(News)

Byline: CAROLYN PAVIA-RAUCHMAN

The car everyone loves to look at and drive was taken away from us at the end of its second quarter in our long-term fleet. A possibly drunken hit-and-run driver clipped the Jaguar XKR convertible as our intern had it out looking for a place to park the pretty cat and take its photo in the late-summer sunshine.

All things considered, we were lucky, as the intern wasn't hurt, although plenty of damage was done to the Jaguar's passenger-side rear quarter (the repair period began in the second quarter, but the work was completed only as the third quarter began).

Before that hit, though, the Jaguar was in and out of the dealership. First, we had a windshield chip repaired, but that cost only $39.95. Then a couple of electronic glitches, via the "check engine'' light, called out to us. A faulty converter and a faulty oxygen sensor were replaced, all under warranty, but we lost a couple of prime summertime driving days. During one hiatus at the shop, the mechanic noticed that the rear differential was leaking fluid, so another appointment was scheduled. This time, the work took just one day.

One of the few minor complaints we have that keeps surfacing involves the center-dash touch screen. Almost everything is shown and controlled from there, including the Jag's nav system, ...