Which used car: Jaguar XF diesel or Mercedes CLS diesel?

[alant01]

I'm tempted by either a Jaguar XF 3.0 diesel or a Mercedes CLS 350CDI - both about 28,000 miles, both 60-reg, about the same price, and each promises decent performance and a smooth comfy ride.

Which should I get?

I've had a few Mercedes cars in the past and have generally been happy with them. My experience of a five year old Jaguar S-Type 2.7 diesel was less satisfactory. Does that tell me all I need to know?

Or is the question: should I buy a five year old 3 litre diesel at all, now that diesel is becoming public enemy no.1?

I'd appreciate comments from owners, enthusiasts, and any opinionated PHers.

Regards - Alan

[DSLiverpool]

Not quite the same but I've had a CLS55 and a XFR the difference is quality both perceived and visible is vast, both cars get down the road but I appreciate depth of engineering and quality of interior figments - check it out.

[89speedster]

I'm on my 4th CLS. Had the 55 AMG, 320cdi, 250cdi and am now in a 2015 Shooting Brake. I do big miles and they have all been fantastically reliable.

[89speedster]

I'm on my 4th CLS. Had the 55 AMG, 320cdi, 250cdi and am now in a 2015 Shooting Brake. I do big miles and they have all been fantastically reliable.

[ecs0set]

DSLiverpool said:

Not quite the same but I've had a CLS55 and a XFR the difference is quality both perceived and visible is vast, both cars get down the road but I appreciate depth of engineering and quality of interior figments - check it out.

So which one is higher quality?

[DSLiverpool]

ecs0set said:

DSLiverpool said:

Not quite the same but I've had a CLS55 and a XFR the difference is quality both perceived and visible is vast, both cars get down the road but I appreciate depth of engineering and quality of interior figments - check it out.

So which one is higher quality?

Not sure if serious but the Merc was much much better, the XF pre facelift may be better after was shocking in parts, plus the telematics were very dated 5 years ago and haven't been updated yet.

[kambites]

The Merc certainly wins hands-down on perceived quality. I don't have enough experience of either car to comment on actual quality; had Mercedes sorted out their rust-proofing by 2010?

[Quhet]

On pure aesthetics, I'd get the CLS. Fabulous looking car

[Monkeylegend]

kambites said:

The Merc certainly wins hands-down on perceived quality. I don't have enough experience of either car to comment on actual quality; had Mercedes sorted out their rust-proofing by 2010?

According to some recent threads rust and poor paintwork are an issue with the Jag. Mercedes sorted their major rust issues out around 2005/6 based on my cars.

[jamieduff1981]

DSLiverpool said:

ecs0set said:

DSLiverpool said:

Not quite the same but I've had a CLS55 and a XFR the difference is quality both perceived and visible is vast, both cars get down the road but I appreciate depth of engineering and quality of interior figments - check it out.

So which one is higher quality?

Not sure if serious but the Merc was much much better, the XF pre facelift may be better after was shocking in parts, plus the telematics were very dated 5 years ago and haven't been updated yet.

Not sure if serious but the CLS would need to be vastly superior to the E-class for this to be true. The E-class is close to Ford Crown Victoria inside. Nasty things.

[DSLiverpool]

jamieduff1981 said:

DSLiverpool said:

ecs0set said:

DSLiverpool said:

Not quite the same but I've had a CLS55 and a XFR the difference is quality both perceived and visible is vast, both cars get down the road but I appreciate depth of engineering and quality of interior figments - check it out.

So which one is higher quality?

Not sure if serious but the Merc was much much better, the XF pre facelift may be better after was shocking in parts, plus the telematics were very dated 5 years ago and haven't been updated yet.

Not sure if serious but the CLS would need to be vastly superior to the E-class for this to be true. The E-class is close to Ford Crown Victoria inside. Nasty things.

I have had only one E class in 2001 it was fine, not shiny or gimmicky but pretty solid

[alant01]

Thanks to all for the comments so far.

I was leaning towards the CLS to begin with but couldn't ignore the Jag. I think my own experience with a very troublesome S-Type and the comments above convince me it should be the CLS.

But is a big diesel the right choice anyway for the longer term? Talk of higher road tax for diesels, extra charges in congestion zones for their nitrous oxide emissions and so on make me wonder if petrol is the better choice. Having said that, I am one of those drivers who likes the lazy manner and strong torque of big diesels.

[ecs0set]

DSLiverpool said:

Not sure if serious but the Merc was much much better, the XF pre facelift may be better after was shocking in parts, plus the telematics were very dated 5 years ago and haven't been updated yet.

Very serious. Merc quality has varied from average to bloody abysmal in the last 15 years. I still find the quality of the interior to be lacking with plastic "chrome" everywhere.

[anonymous-user]

Just resurrecting this thread to ask whether the intervening seven years has altered the balance between these two models, as I can just about afford one, now

The original CLS still looks a bit different (though those headlights have always bothered me!), though the XF ain't bad, either....

They've both got their share of mechanical weaknesses, too

Any advice would be most welcome - even if it involves bargepoles....

[Monkeylegend]

Depends on age .

Any post 2013 diesel Merc is very likely to have expensive adblue, NOx sensor issues, and the diesel Jags suffer from oil dilution problems.

Diesel Mercs before pre 2013 ie the Blue Efficiency models, particularly the 4 pot with the 5g box are pretty indestructible and will do big mileages with few issues if serviced properly. The only thing that let them down is the water pump but that is a cheapish fix.

[Walter Sobchak]

Monkeylegend said:

Depends on age .

Any post 2013 diesel Merc is very likely to have expensive adblue, NOx sensor issues, and the diesel Jags suffer from oil dilution problems.

Diesel Mercs before pre 2013 ie the Blue Efficiency models, particularly the 4 pot with the 5g box are pretty indestructible and will do big mileages with few issues if serviced properly. The only thing that let them down is the water pump but that is a cheapish fix.

I’m pretty certain the Jag diesels can suffer the same crankshaft snapping issues that they do in Land Rovers too (3 litre V6 engine)

[Monkeylegend]

Walter Sobchak said:

Monkeylegend said:

Depends on age .

Any post 2013 diesel Merc is very likely to have expensive adblue, NOx sensor issues, and the diesel Jags suffer from oil dilution problems.

Diesel Mercs before pre 2013 ie the Blue Efficiency models, particularly the 4 pot with the 5g box are pretty indestructible and will do big mileages with few issues if serviced properly. The only thing that let them down is the water pump but that is a cheapish fix.

I’m pretty certain the Jag diesels can suffer the same crankshaft snapping issues that they do in Land Rovers too (3 litre V6 engine)

That as well. There used to be a garage graveyard of Jaguar diesel engines with broken crankshafts up in Scotland somewhere, not sure if it is still there.

[Register1]

For me, it would be a 2012 Mercedes, before the rubbish as blue.
So many problems of the ad blue system, ofton required a whole new ad blue tank fitting.

Edited by Register1 on Wednesday 25th May 16:31

[Walter Sobchak]

Monkeylegend said:

That as well. There used to be a garage graveyard of Jaguar diesel engines with broken crankshafts up in Scotland somewhere, not sure if it is still there.

I always found it pretty shocking that JLR have known about that potential fault for years and didn’t do anything to sort it, ok maybe not such a kick with an older XF but imagine it happening in a 2017/2018 Range Rover and getting told you’ve got to stump up for a new engine!.

Personally I’d go for the Merc CLS out of the two, or to throw another option out there, what about the A7?.

[ninjag]

If Jag then I'd go facelift (roughly 2012+)

Lovely to drive, powerful engine yet also quite economical, ZF8 transmission, fantastic over our God awful roads, if you get the Meridian Surround sound system it is excellent, heated front screen is handy in winter, excellent cabin insulation. Jaguar badge still seems to carry that little something special.

But the XF 3.0d V6 does have some inherent problems:

Composite Inlet Manifolds split (8+ hours to repair)
Intercooler plastic crap pipe can split
Turbo secondary actuator can stick/fail
Crank issues from oil dilution
Door actuators fail
Foam insulation around window cables actually disintegrates and the cables then rattle
Front washer capillary action - fluid wicks back to the front fuse box and corrodes it
Facelift (2012+) can lose immobiliser settings when battery is disconnected
Sportbrake boot strut comes loose over time and allows water to soak the rear fuse box
Brake Judder - a common and very annoying problem
Alternators can fail quite early and is a 2.5+ hour job (engine has to be raised a little for access)


A few years ago I had a Mercedes CLS as a hire car, it was fairly new though, 2018 I think with very low miles so not sure about older ones. Hated it. Huge turbo lag, the rear ceiling mounted parking sensor thingy had already fallen off, interior looked nice but plastics were thin and cheap.