Mercedes-Benz CLS vs Jaguar XJ

babyching | Sep 19, 2011 |

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Mercedes-Benz CLS vs Jaguar XJ

Motorized Luxury and Style

Any serious motor enthusiast knows that when looking for a real luxury vehicle, Europe is the place to do your shopping. German engineers have established their reputation as some of the best luxury car developers. Today they go up against worthy rivals in the form of the British manufacturers of the Jaguar cars. Mercedes and Jaguar are without a doubt among the top luxury car brands in the world. Here, the 2011 Mercedes Benz CLS takes on the 2011 Jaguar XJ in a battle of style, luxury, power and class.

Performance

A lot of emphasis is placed on comfort and convenience when developing a luxury car. It is however important to remember that power and performance cannot be overlooked or compromised when it comes to luxury vehicles. The Mercedes Benz CLS comes with either a 5.5 or 6.3 liter engine, both of which are V-8 engines. The 5.5l engine delivers 382hp while the 6.3l engine gives 507hp. The CLS comes as a rear wheel drive vehicle and has a seven speed automatic transmission. The Jaguar XJ is available as the XJ, XJ Supersport and XJ Supercharged. All the three trims come with a 5.0l, V-8 engine with the standard model delivering 385hp, 470hp from the Supercharged and 501hp from the Supersport. The bigger 6.3l engine Mercedes Benz takes the first round by a slim margin.

Fuel Efficiency

Luxury driving and fuel efficiency will rarely go hand in hand. Anyone buying a Mercedes or Jaguar will not be looking to get the most efficient vehicle possible. The Jaguar offers better fuel efficiency with an average of 16 miles per gallon in city driving and 23 miles on the highway. The CLS gives an average of 14 miles in city driving and 21 miles on a highway for every gallon of gas. In a duel between luxury cars, fuel efficiency gets you one third of a point. This means that even though the Jaguar takes round two of the battle, it does not count for much as far as I am concerned.

Safety

One of the most critical aspects of comfort and luxury is safety. A car cannot be luxurious and comfortable if it is not safe. This is especially so when the vehicle in question can reach speeds of up to 186mph. Controlling and ensuring safety of the passengers in such a car requires more than basic vehicle safety features. Stability control, antilock brakes, airbags in the front, sides, overhead and at knee level, anti whiplash head restraints, ABS and driveline traction control are some of the features that are available in the Mercedes CLS. The Jaguar on its part has all these features as well as a number of others that include blind spot sensors and advanced aerospace technology which ensures better handling and shorter braking distances. I award round three to the Jaguar as it comes with several advanced features that are not part of the Mercedes package.

Exterior Features

There is a lot of similarity in the way these two cars are shaped. Both have an appearance that can only be described as a combination of coupe and sedan features. They however retain very distinct features that are traditional to their family lines. The Mercedes when viewed from the front has the unmistakable shape, style and curves of the modern Benz. The Jaguar’s prominent creased hood and meshed grill along with some excellently executed curves on its body make for a stunningly good appearance. After consulting the judge, jury and prosecution, I rule this one a spoilt vote! I must point out that I was all three and we agreed, it is a hung jury.

Interior Features

Interior features are another important aspect of luxury cars. Jaguar and Mercedes have always delivered on comfort and convenience for passengers and drivers of their vehicles. Black and chrome are the main colors in the 2011 Jaguar XJ which comes with heated leather seats, walnut veneer interior, electrochromic rearview mirror, 8" touch screen display for climate control, audio, Bluetooth and navigation controls, soft grain-leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, rear coat hooks and much, much more. The Mercedes is also quite elaborate though it does not seem to be able to measure up to the Jaguar despite having electrionic cruise control, leather seats, high gloss Laurel wood trim, auto-dimming rearview mirror, multifunction display for the trip computer, oil level check, reminder as well as malfunction messages, digital speedometer and a few other features. The Jaguar therefore gets an important win which seems to decide it all.

Conclusion

Even though the 6.3l engine Mercedes can deliver a little bit more power, the Jaguar clearly has a lot of good things going for it. The XJ has a more sophisticated and tasteful interior, a number of additional safety features, lower fuel consumption and all these combined make it a better car as far as I am concerned. When looking at style, luxury, power and class the Jaguar gets three out of four while the Benz takes one out of four. There are a number of others who agree with me on this, including the British Prime Minister’s office which has bought a number of Jaguar XJs.