XJR vs E55
 

My supercharged 318ti just isn’t doing it for me as a daily driver, so it will be up for sale soon. To replace it I’m considering another X308 XJR or possibly a W210 E55 AMG, I’m looking for a little comparison between the two, particularly related to the E55. I’ve owned a 2000 XJR, so I’m well aware of the pros/cons associated with it.

XJR Pros: cheap to buy, reliable, power everywhere with the supercharged V8, engine sounds like it’s ingesting a swarm of angry hornets, excellent slushbox (same as E55), beautiful interior materials, very nice build quality, ultra comfy seats, easy to mod for more power (not like it’s needed), easy to fly under the radar, old school styling, great ride for a daily driver, lots of character
XJR Cons: very long body, small rear seat, potential Nikasil issues on the pre-2000 cars, needs the chain tensioners upgraded to be reliable, only 20 MPG on the highway, a bit more body-roll than I’d like (stiffer sways and springs available), old school styling, supercharger adds complexity

Has anyone owned a W210 E55 AMG? Ever compared the two? Here’s what I see as the pros/cons with the E55:

E55 Pros: Milled from a solid block of steel, great looks, known to be bulletproof, a bit quicker than the XJR, more sport focused, excellent build quality, normally aspirated means less stuff to break, I haven’t owned one yet ;), more parts and aftermarket support, slightly better MPG than the XJR (23 MPG highway)
E55 Cons: More expensive to buy, not as “stealth” as the XJR, lacks the instant supercharger torque and cool noises, typical dark and serious German interior, interior materials aren’t quite Jaguar nice, harder ride around town

Before I get the inevitable M5 responses, I’m not buying one. My impression of them after looking at and driving several is that they’re not as well made, not as reliable, and overpriced.

Moses loved his E55. Hopefully he'll chime in.

I think he has one of the newer (W211?) supercharged E55s. Sweet cars, but a bit out of my price range. I would have to make do with the mere 347 HP 5.4L NA version.

I've only ridden in one E55, and I was appalled at the poor build quality. The materials and design were terrible. Come to think of it, they remind me of early 996s.
I think XJRs are much nicer inside (and they look better outside too).

I'm surprised by that Graham, I had a W202 C36 AMG that was very well built, and I've driven a W210 E420 that also seemed very solid. Both were vastly superior to comparable BMWs.

I may not have been clear... It drove fine and was solid, but the interior was crap. For instance, there were lots of worn spots in the upholstery with that shiny plastic look, and it just didn't feel as solid as a Jag or even a BMW.

In my opinion, the only area where the XJRs fall short is in handling and braking. But that's not what they're about anyway... they're a fast, very comfortable, and very good looking way for four people to get around.

Frankly I haven't been impressed in my BMWs either. My Jaguar was VERY nice.

This is so not like you.

Crazy huh?

i liked my jag xjr...but i didnt have the v8 model. have you thought about a C32 AMG?

I got a drive in an e55 2 years ago and thought it was AWESOME. Ride was a bit firm for my taste but got used to it pretty fast.
I've been driving a w210 for 3 years now and just love it... great solid car, easy to work on and parts are cheap.
unrelated, but I drove a C63 AMG the other day... holy %##% !

Go for a supercharged E55...trust me.

I'm interested in spending about $10k, neither of those fit the price range unfortunately.

Actually scratch that, the C32 is cheaper than I thought. Guess I need to do some research on those as well. Any comments on the C32?

they look like a beast. the reason i suggested it, was because ive been looking at them and they're seemingly cheap. in the same realm as nice slk/boxster territory. i did a search on youtube of them....seems to be pretty sweet. i have no first hand experience, though

I had something nagging me on the C32, so I did some reading.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/460643-c32-amg.html

I thought I had looked at those in the past, hence that little nagging voice in the back of my head. I think I'll pass.

what years are you looking at? i think any of the 2000-2006 mercedes' would have issues, especially hard hitting, since they're out of warranty. we used to get e-class cars of that vintage into my shop all of the time for wiring harness issues, fried computers, etc.

i guess it's just a crapshoot.

This.

I love, love, LOVE my E55. It's a 2006. 56,000 trouble free miles of torque filled rage. The fit and finish are great. The leather doesn't show much wear. It's been the best car I've ever owned.

The W210 E55 is 1999 - 2002, the C32 is 2001+ with the older models falling into my price range. The biggest E55 issue that I'm aware of is the transmission computer that will get fried if you spill a drink near the shift lever. There's also the issue of "lifetime" transmission fluid that seems to only last about 50k, but MB changed the official interval to 50k and most cars seem to list a transmission service. Like every German car there's the occasional broken seat motor or other electrical gizmo that goes bad, but no real huge gotchas.

Most of the C32 issues that I've found seem to relate to the cheaper build quality of the W203 as well as some supercharger issues, mostly sensor related. I'm still doing some digging on them, as I do like the cars.

Amazingly enough there's both a C32 and E55 for sale in Wichita, which is freaking amazing. Normally this town is an automotive wasteland. When yesterday's 8" of snow melts I'm going to drive both, hopefully by Friday.

The outlier is a 500E. If I could find one of those somewhat nearby, I'll have a very tough decision to make.

Matt, what do you not like about the 318ti?

Honestly Kurt I just don't think I'm a BMW guy, something about all 3 of the BMWs I've owned hasn't resonated with me. The 318ti is a quick, practical, and fun little car, all it really needs at the moment is new struts and a bushing refresh. As it sits it's a great daily driver, I alternate between it and my Boxster for DD duty. M3 power and 30+ MPG is a great combo, but it just isn't doing it for me.

I definitely would take a W210 E55 over a XJR...infact I would even take a W124 E500/500E over a XJR.

The XJR just does not warm my heart...the W210 E55 is true AMG and has an amazing pedigree, engineering and incredible build quality...for $10-$14K it IS the 4 door Supercar deal bargain!

To poster "gtc" the interior of the W210 cars are not "crap", that is the most "crap" statement I have heard. I have owned a bunch of Mercedes cars from the '80s to present and the interiors have always worn extremely well.

Yasin

So you are ready to take 3k for it?

Double it, then we're talking.SmileWavy

Maybe the one W210 I rode in was a fluke... I admit that every other Mercedes I've been in has been built very well.
For that matter, the XJR seems like a fluke - pretty much the only decent car Jag ever made.

Despite their previous reputation (Lucas anyone?), Jaguar started getting pretty good in the 1990s when Ford bought them. The XJR and XKR are reliable cars, as are the boring S-Type and X-Type of the same era. The new XJ and XF are simply awesome cars, I can't wait until those depreciate for a few years.

I felt the same way about the 325i I owner a few years ago...2006 model year.

I did love my '72 2002tii, but that was a looong time ago:cool:

Matt - at the price ranges you are looking at the cars are going to have 120K+ miles. These supercars have super expensive parts - especially the AMG - and expensive service items. I think their resale values today show how costly they can be to keep on the road. Thoughts?

Edit - I see a '01 E55 in your area. Is that the one you are going to test drive this weekend? Would love to get your report on it.

Onewhippedpuppy-
I have a 98 XJR and love it. Had a 98 XK8 too. Both great cars. Bought them from PHXCARS in Phoenix. Ed (owner) has a MB E55 if you're interested. After buying the two Jags, I bought my 911 and the wife's MB sight unseen from Ed. He is one of the good guys. Website: Phxcars.com: Luxury Car Buying Redefined.

But that's real M money...

I have a w203 C55 and its been great. Probably one of the most under rated cars. The engine is bullet proof and has a ton of power. I've had mine now for about 4 years. Maintenance is normal in my opinion a/b services go from $300 to $800 per year. Resale value on them are really bad. Stay away from the C32- trannys get glycol contamination due to bad tranny cooler design.

Believe it or not, I've found quite a few with under 100k in the $10k price range. The good thing is that many of the major systems are still E-class. Except for consumables like brake rotors and pads, many of the sensors and other little stuff are shared with a common E320/E430. A quick look online finds rotors for $60 each, so even that isn't too bad. Most of the major AMG specific stuff like the engine and suspension shouldn't require much work.

I do plan to look at the car locally, hopefully tomorrow. It's at a car dealership that I've been to before, frankly they normally sell pretty sad cars that they've picked up at auction. I wouldn't ever buy the local car, but it should give me a good sample as to whether I like the E55. I'll post back on what I think.

Andy, I've actually looked around in Phoenix so I'll keep him in mind. I'll be there for work in late March, if I'm still looking for a car the city has some great deals and a LOT of selection.

Even though they're cheap, you're not getting a lot of M3 for $6k. But I won't argue with you, and the 318ti isn't perfect either. On the upside it's different, M3 quick, very moddable (just change SC pulleys), gets 30+ MPG on the highway (I've seen 34), and has the great practicality of a hatchback.

Just had to bump this thread to say.

Saw a XJK in a parking structure last night.

I'm sure the E55 is a very nice car.

But on looks alone that Jag is one sexy beast.

What a difference a test drive makes..... I really liked my XJR, there aren't many cars that I've owned once that I'd like to buy again. To qualify my review, I wouldn't consider buying THIS E55. It was a 2001 with 107k at a shady used car dealership, as I suspected the car is fairly rough and doesn't look well loved. On the upside, driving a neglected car does give a good indication of how well they hold up, even to abuse.

To start with the boring stuff, I love the way it looks. Subtle but purposeful, with that old-school rounded box styling that used to characterize Mercedes sedans. The interior is also old-school Mercedes, lots of straight lines and wood trim. I'd give the styling edge to the Jaguar, though I like the Mercedes as well. The interior was in great shape despite being dirty, the leather showed very little wear and there were none of the worn button symbols or fading that you sometimes get with cheap materials. No rattles during the drive, and the doors had the solid Mercedes "thunk" when they shut. It felt very solid and well made so advantage Mercedes, but the Jaguar does have nicer materials. Everything worked inside (remember neglected car) except for a few missing pixels on the digital clock display. The seats were super comfy with better bolstering than the Jaguar, the rear seat is adult sized so advantage Mercedes. Under the hood the engine surprisingly has a lot of space around it, oil filter right on top, maintenance should be super easy so advantage Mercedes. Thus far I'm ready to give a slight edge to the Jaguar just because it looks so great. Then I drove it......

There's really only one way to describe this car: holy @#$%! Wayne won't let me type what I really said on the test drive, but this car is a freaking MONSTER. The Jaguar was very smooth, progressive, and refined in everything it did, despite being very fast. The Mercedes punches you in the face then sleeps with your wife. At part throttle it drives like any other W210 - controlled, quiet, and sedate. Then you step on the gas and all hell breaks loose. The torque is massive and everywhere, no matter what your speed when you step on the gas and the transmission drops several gears, the car slams you into your seat and hauls ass. This is a very angry motor when you poke it with a stick, nothing like the smooth and refined Jaguar. Long story short, I freaking love it. It's a luxury musclecar sedan, very alive and mechanical. As much as I enjoyed the Jaguar, advantage Mercedes.

As for the other stuff, it's pretty good too. The slushbox is better than the Jaguar, it is very intuitive about holding gears after acceleration when in sport mode and shifts smoothly when you're cruising. It has an autostick-like function that's basically worthless, you have to hold the stick left to downshift, slapping it doesn't seem to work. Frankly I don't care, I've yet to drive a shiftable automatic that's any good at pretending to be a manual. The ride is well controlled but still comfortable, it has a little more roll than I'd like but also likely riding on original shocks. With that said, the ride still errs more towards sport than the Jaguar, so advantage Mercedes. Steering is well weighted but still a little vague (I'm driving the Boxster today so I'm jaded) but still way more feel than the fairling numb Jaguar. Brakes are progressive with lots of power. Even with 107k the car was VERY tight, no issues.

So lots of words, bottom line is I want one. It's much more sporty with more attitude than the Jaguar, so I definitely prefer it. After I sell the 318ti, I'm going shopping.

What's the best site to look at for a used E55? I've loved the Jaguar's for a very long time. My 94 XJ6 being one of the best cars I've ever owned. I just passed on a 2003 S-Type for some bad oil leaks, but it was lush inside.

Benzworld is the best Mercedes forum and it's not very good. Otherwise the usual suspects like Autotrader, EBay, Craigslist, etc.

Jaglovers is good for the Jaguar but the classifieds are pretty slow.

Many threads here indicate that MB quality went to crap sometime in the 2000's. Any inputs on what years to avoid and why? As much as I would be tempted to look at a used E55 I can't help thinking that the odds would be stacked against me in terms of ownership costs. A Sensi at my son's dojo drives a W221 S500 and I recall asking him how he liked the car and he said it seems like every other month he's writing multi $K checks for fixes. Knowing him he probably takes the car to the dealership for service and he does not DIY anything on it.

My 2006 E55 has been mechanically bulletproof. I have replaced the keyless entry sensor in the drivers door ($275) and a blown speaker but that's about it beyond regular maintenance.

Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, BMW, Audi..... they all had their quality nadir in the late '90s to early '00s, depending on when the model was developed. Glad to say, the newer ones have been MUCH better.

Any updates to this story Matt?

I am a month or so away from officially hitting the market for a 'fun' 4 dr family sedan. Price range is under $15K. We don't drive many miles (I work from home office) so as long as the car is in great condition I am not afraid of a 90-100K mile car.