My new huge local Guy Salmon JLR dealer offered me a spot on their latest promotion, - Drive and Compare. I chose a Jaguar XF, vs a Mercedes E class.
You book, turn up, drink the rather fine coffee from your new freebie Jaguar coffee thermos, and nibble on a fresh panini while they check your driving license and arrange insurance. You then get thrown the keys to the car which has a pre programmed demo route in the sat nav.
1st Up was an XF (be still my beating heart) SPORTBRAKE. A P250 HSE R-dynamic to be precise. In dark BRG pearlescent. De-chromed. Jesus christ this thing is beautiful, I mean bite your knuckles orgasmic gorgeous.
Open the door, climb inside and sink into the soft (softer and more comfy I think than my Beemer) cream leather seats, contrasting superbly with the black carpets and Black leather dash and door caps, cream and black leather door cards, , the fine wood trim and light grey alcantara headlining. You feel special in here, it feels premium, it feels tasteful but smart. Electric seat, steering column and mirrors all tweaked into place, the hi tech displays beaming at you, you twitch the (now normal -none of this rising up turret) gear leaver into drive, and off you go.
The route was Sunbury cross, M3 to Camberley round the big junction and back to Sunbury. The first part of the M3 is good (and police safe) for a blast and blast it I did. Clearly its a ZF8 box like the Beemer, its got some grunt thats delivered smoothly and quietly - kicks down well but I am spoiled by the BMW B58 lump so it feels a little lacking - most would love it tho. Ride - fantastic, better then the Beemer, handling good but not quite on the button like the Beemer. Quiet both in ride and wind noise tho there was a noise from the back right somewhere.
Stopped along the way, had a good look over the car, the boot is huge, it would take the custom double dog box from the Beemer no problem. You can see where my heart is by now.
The tech is perfect, sat nav good with speed limit reading reading (100% accurate) and up to date speed camera warnings, - even if you like linking it to the limiter. Dials clear, and the sat nav pinches and zooms quickly and smoothly. Aircon a breeze to use.
Drive it back and reluctantly leave it there, glancing back to see its beauty one more time. (did I mention its heart achingly good looking?)
Fill up the jag coffee flask, grab a hairdresser biscuit.
So to the Mercedes, E220 AMG Night Line edition premium. It looks dumpy, almost ugly after the Jagwar. Climb inside into the all coal mine black interior, and perch on the harder seat. Premium? the Jagwar makes this feel positively winfield at Woolworths. The over large garish colours of the tech springs to life, and its time to fiddle with the stupid little stalk that is the gear selector, not knowing what state its in till one spots the tiny little gear indicator in one of the pac man displays.
Press the start button and bag of nails up ahead is unleashed, Quiet and smooth it aint. God knows how it gets the AMG monika cos sprightly it aint either.
We hit the same route and we discover the adaptive intelligent suspension, it reveals it presence by pitter pattering up and down over the Sunbury cross flyover, then rocking my head side to side over the drainage cambers in the fast lane. More road noise than the Jagwar.
The tech could have landed me in Jail. Reads the road signs, found the first variable 60, missed the 50, missed the 40 (both found by the Jag) and finally woke at the third 40. Trust destroyed.
Disliked this thing with a passion, tho it surprised me with a 38 MPG reading after the run with some heavy boots of throttle.
Hifi (both kitted out with premium branded sounds) sounded frankly no better than my standard Beemer audio.
Cant be bothered to find out how much the Mercedes is, the jag is 44.9k list in the spec I had. get that for 39 easy on Carwow, cost to change from the Beemer would be about 14k.
Then I climbed back into the Beemer. Jeez its close, I love the Jag, soo soo much, if they had given me the 3 litre petrol to try I would be in deep doo doo by now, but that 6 cyl turbine smooth 340 horses power plant just about snapped my wallet shut, I drove home got to some highly illegal speeds very quickly on the safe section of M3 and I was not disappointed in my current chariot.
Thats not to say I wont drool and have pangs of heart ache next time I pass an XF sport brake.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 4 Jun 21 at 03:15
|
