XKR 4.2 (Ali) vs Merc SL55 AMG???
Discussion
Hi all,
I'm a long term observer of the forums, but thought I'd make my first post to get some input on something that's been eating away at me for months. I'd love to hear some comparisons from anyone with direct experience of both cars.
I have been an avid jag fan most of my life, and had an x308 xjr a few years back (which incidentally turned out to be somewhat anti-climatic, a combination of limited means at the time, I was 22, and having a particularly troublesome example!)
Having driven the xkr, I absolutely love these, satisfying my want for a quick, fluid sonorous and stylish GT, the 4.2 having enough power to satisfy (tried the 5.0 which is ballistic, but out of budget). But I have always had a soft spot for the SL, particularly in 55 guise. I haven't had the chance to drive one, but love the sound and style. I understand they can be a bit of a nightmare in terms of reliability, but I would probably buy a dealer example of either car.
Btw, I have a budget of around 30k, seemingly putting me in 2007 xkr territory vs significantly older 03-04ish SL55.
As I said, any input on either car for a daily driver in London would be much appreciated, things like ride, what they're like when pressing on and generally living with!,
Ps, I did find the xkr a little too muted for my taste, would love to hear from anyone who has successfully altered the exhausts to good effect on the 4.2.
Thanks in advance and looking forward to some replies.
I'm a long term observer of the forums, but thought I'd make my first post to get some input on something that's been eating away at me for months. I'd love to hear some comparisons from anyone with direct experience of both cars.
I have been an avid jag fan most of my life, and had an x308 xjr a few years back (which incidentally turned out to be somewhat anti-climatic, a combination of limited means at the time, I was 22, and having a particularly troublesome example!)
Having driven the xkr, I absolutely love these, satisfying my want for a quick, fluid sonorous and stylish GT, the 4.2 having enough power to satisfy (tried the 5.0 which is ballistic, but out of budget). But I have always had a soft spot for the SL, particularly in 55 guise. I haven't had the chance to drive one, but love the sound and style. I understand they can be a bit of a nightmare in terms of reliability, but I would probably buy a dealer example of either car.
Btw, I have a budget of around 30k, seemingly putting me in 2007 xkr territory vs significantly older 03-04ish SL55.
As I said, any input on either car for a daily driver in London would be much appreciated, things like ride, what they're like when pressing on and generally living with!,
Ps, I did find the xkr a little too muted for my taste, would love to hear from anyone who has successfully altered the exhausts to good effect on the 4.2.
Thanks in advance and looking forward to some replies.
XKRSL55 said:
I did find the xkr a little too muted for my taste, would love to hear from anyone who has successfully altered the exhausts to good effect on the 4.2.
Thanks in advance and looking forward to some replies.
Sorry can't help in comparisons but regarding your comment on the XK exhaust, Thanks in advance and looking forward to some replies.
many members in the www.xkec.com Club have changed their exhausts
Maybe best to join and get access to their Forum
Lostprophet, I'm 26 now!,
Interesting to hear your choices, as well as the xkr. Iv considered pretty much everything, but not either you have mentioned. I find the tt too much of a common sight due to the abundance of lesser versions, and the same goes for the M3. iv had most things in the current BMW range, and find them massively competent, but totally bland. The M3 is IMO a brilliant performance car, but for me lacks any excitement whatsoever, I also run a 123d as a daily driver and get as much of a sense of occasion than when jumping into an M3, I'd like my weekend car to be a bit more special for my hard earned 35k!!.
Interested to read that you seem reluctant on the 4.2 xkr?, I find it at least on a par with a v8 m3 performance wise, and spec'd correctly can look pretty decent inside.
Interesting to hear your choices, as well as the xkr. Iv considered pretty much everything, but not either you have mentioned. I find the tt too much of a common sight due to the abundance of lesser versions, and the same goes for the M3. iv had most things in the current BMW range, and find them massively competent, but totally bland. The M3 is IMO a brilliant performance car, but for me lacks any excitement whatsoever, I also run a 123d as a daily driver and get as much of a sense of occasion than when jumping into an M3, I'd like my weekend car to be a bit more special for my hard earned 35k!!.
Interested to read that you seem reluctant on the 4.2 xkr?, I find it at least on a par with a v8 m3 performance wise, and spec'd correctly can look pretty decent inside.
Have Paramount Performance Cats and Exhaust on my 09 4.2 XKR and both are fantastic. They do different levels of loud. I've got the Sport and with the Cats its plenty loud enough with a lovely tickover V8 rumble. I've driven the SL55 and lovely car well built but in my opinion lacking character. The interior is a bit bland too. Go for the Jag.
Edited by silverspeed on Wednesday 4th August 08:36
I haven't driven the SL55 but have driven the E55 a couple of times, I drove a 03 and 04 plate E55, both under 70K on the clock.
The noise the engine makes is lovely, the performance is very good very much like a XKR, big performance from any gear any speed except even more so.
imho the XKR is going to be a more drivers tool and probably feel more special than the SL even if it isn't going to feel as fast.
One thing I should warn you about, both cars I looked at had large amounts of cash spent on 'keeping' them on the road. More than I would have expected. The Air suspension seems like a weak point, as both had bits replaced on the suspension to the tune of £1K.
I would look at getting one from a merc dealer to get a decent warranty..
NST
The noise the engine makes is lovely, the performance is very good very much like a XKR, big performance from any gear any speed except even more so.
imho the XKR is going to be a more drivers tool and probably feel more special than the SL even if it isn't going to feel as fast.
One thing I should warn you about, both cars I looked at had large amounts of cash spent on 'keeping' them on the road. More than I would have expected. The Air suspension seems like a weak point, as both had bits replaced on the suspension to the tune of £1K.
I would look at getting one from a merc dealer to get a decent warranty..
NST
With the Merc you might want to check how good the rust history is for the year you are buying. We have an 2001 E-Class and it has had 2 new front wings and all the door skins replaced. Plus this is the third tail gate. All down to tin worm and talking to the firm that replaced the panels our experience isn't at all un-common. People here on PH have said that in about 2004 the quality of the steel and the coating got better. But you might want to check this date.
If the Merc has a full MB main deal service history then it should have a 30year body work guarantee so they will replace panels, in our case there was no quibbling, in fact they spotted rust spots we hadn't and asked to be allowed to replace those too.
If the Merc has a full MB main deal service history then it should have a 30year body work guarantee so they will replace panels, in our case there was no quibbling, in fact they spotted rust spots we hadn't and asked to be allowed to replace those too.
So which one eh?
Well the SL55AMG is one beast of a car, it is strictly a GT, but with 500+BHP, folding metal roof and all those toys, it is a great used buy. On the other hand the ali XKR is definitely more sporty, lighter and more lithe. The Jag is mechanicall, a very 'simple' car, without the complexity of all the Mercs technology. Here in lies one of the your answers, the reason it is cheap is that they are expensive to run, even though the price tag is <£30k, it is still a £100k car and now it has fallen out of warranty and getting older, the bills maybe become large. My mate who has a '54 plate SL55AMG has just spent £1500 on the suspension on a car with 30k miles......The Jag on the otherhand is really quite cheap, it is going to be more modern, reasonable main dealer service pricing, no real issues. I think the XKR sounds way better, drives better and for me the better choice. But a second answer to your question is, buy the car you 'want'. For me I have looked at the value in these big Mercs and they do seem very tempting, but for me a Jaguar is something 'special' and therefore gets my vote no matter the mercs credentials...
Well the SL55AMG is one beast of a car, it is strictly a GT, but with 500+BHP, folding metal roof and all those toys, it is a great used buy. On the other hand the ali XKR is definitely more sporty, lighter and more lithe. The Jag is mechanicall, a very 'simple' car, without the complexity of all the Mercs technology. Here in lies one of the your answers, the reason it is cheap is that they are expensive to run, even though the price tag is <£30k, it is still a £100k car and now it has fallen out of warranty and getting older, the bills maybe become large. My mate who has a '54 plate SL55AMG has just spent £1500 on the suspension on a car with 30k miles......The Jag on the otherhand is really quite cheap, it is going to be more modern, reasonable main dealer service pricing, no real issues. I think the XKR sounds way better, drives better and for me the better choice. But a second answer to your question is, buy the car you 'want'. For me I have looked at the value in these big Mercs and they do seem very tempting, but for me a Jaguar is something 'special' and therefore gets my vote no matter the mercs credentials...
XKRSL55 said:
Lostprophet, I'm 26 now!,
Interesting to hear your choices, as well as the xkr. Iv considered pretty much everything, but not either you have mentioned. I find the tt too much of a common sight due to the abundance of lesser versions, and the same goes for the M3. iv had most things in the current BMW range, and find them massively competent, but totally bland. The M3 is IMO a brilliant performance car, but for me lacks any excitement whatsoever, I also run a 123d as a daily driver and get as much of a sense of occasion than when jumping into an M3, I'd like my weekend car to be a bit more special for my hard earned 35k!!.
Interested to read that you seem reluctant on the 4.2 xkr?, I find it at least on a par with a v8 m3 performance wise, and spec'd correctly can look pretty decent inside.
It is not so much that I think the 4.2 XKR is a bad car, it’s just there is a better car out there than the 4.2 XKR. It is the 5.0 XKR. That is my reservation. I feel the XKR 5.0 is all the car I could ever want. I think I need the changes Jag have made on the 4.2 to get it to the new model. I feel if I can’t afford the 5.0 XKR then I should love elsewhere.. i.e the TTS and M3. I understand what you mean about these 2 cars and I feel the same as you. However, I have owned the old 225 TT and it was a lovely car to be in… sure it was not a sports car but it felt nice. That is something the M3 lacks, and I suppose the XKR has?Interesting to hear your choices, as well as the xkr. Iv considered pretty much everything, but not either you have mentioned. I find the tt too much of a common sight due to the abundance of lesser versions, and the same goes for the M3. iv had most things in the current BMW range, and find them massively competent, but totally bland. The M3 is IMO a brilliant performance car, but for me lacks any excitement whatsoever, I also run a 123d as a daily driver and get as much of a sense of occasion than when jumping into an M3, I'd like my weekend car to be a bit more special for my hard earned 35k!!.
Interested to read that you seem reluctant on the 4.2 xkr?, I find it at least on a par with a v8 m3 performance wise, and spec'd correctly can look pretty decent inside.
I have yet to test the XKR, TTS, and M3.
Thanks for all the responses, all input is very helpful.
Triple7, I feel the same way about the merc re complexity and reliability. I would imagine the jag is the more flowing, modern drive. An aspect that draws me to the SL is the simplicity of the jag as you say, I realise this benefits it's reliability and on road credentials, but the interior just doesn't feel or look as special as I would like, whilst the merc looks better crafted, the seats in particular on the xk just look 'cheap', not a deal breaker, but annoying they couldn't be like the recaros (as in late X100). I suppose I really need to test drive the merc. It's just that it's so difficult getting a test drive at my age, I have a good 'relationship' with my jag dealer, but whilst I'm sure I could talk my way into driving an sl55, I just don't feel comfortable doing it!.
Lostprophet, I would definitely advise you drive both the xkr 4.2 and the v8 m3, totally different machines. The m3 is IMO the much better drivers car in the traditional sense, but you can cover ground almost as quickly in the jag because it just flows, almost as if the m3 (and all bmw's for that matter) weren't designed for our roads, and the jag was, beautifully damped with a great ride. Also regarding the 5.0 being the better car, I agree to some extent, but I did feel slightly dissapointed with it. It's significantly harder riding, which I felt took away some of the magic of the 4.2, and didn't think it sounded as nice. It does handle more tidily,especislly with dynamic mode on, but it's never going to touch a 997 (or a v8 m3 for that matter) in the outright handling department, so I'd rather have the balance of the 4.2 for the money. It is bloody quick though, and the interiors a little nicer, but still has the naff(IMO) seats, my main problem with the xk inside.
Triple7, I feel the same way about the merc re complexity and reliability. I would imagine the jag is the more flowing, modern drive. An aspect that draws me to the SL is the simplicity of the jag as you say, I realise this benefits it's reliability and on road credentials, but the interior just doesn't feel or look as special as I would like, whilst the merc looks better crafted, the seats in particular on the xk just look 'cheap', not a deal breaker, but annoying they couldn't be like the recaros (as in late X100). I suppose I really need to test drive the merc. It's just that it's so difficult getting a test drive at my age, I have a good 'relationship' with my jag dealer, but whilst I'm sure I could talk my way into driving an sl55, I just don't feel comfortable doing it!.
Lostprophet, I would definitely advise you drive both the xkr 4.2 and the v8 m3, totally different machines. The m3 is IMO the much better drivers car in the traditional sense, but you can cover ground almost as quickly in the jag because it just flows, almost as if the m3 (and all bmw's for that matter) weren't designed for our roads, and the jag was, beautifully damped with a great ride. Also regarding the 5.0 being the better car, I agree to some extent, but I did feel slightly dissapointed with it. It's significantly harder riding, which I felt took away some of the magic of the 4.2, and didn't think it sounded as nice. It does handle more tidily,especislly with dynamic mode on, but it's never going to touch a 997 (or a v8 m3 for that matter) in the outright handling department, so I'd rather have the balance of the 4.2 for the money. It is bloody quick though, and the interiors a little nicer, but still has the naff(IMO) seats, my main problem with the xk inside.
Edited by XKRSL55 on Wednesday 4th August 12:19
XKRSL55 said:
Thanks for all the responses, all input is very helpful.
Triple7, I feel the same way about the merc re complexity and reliability. I would imagine the jag is the more flowing, modern drive. An aspect that draws me to the SL is the simplicity of the jag as you say, I realise this benefits it's reliability and on road credentials, but the interior just doesn't feel or look as special as I would like, whilst the merc looks better crafted, the seats in particular on the xk just look 'cheap', not a deal breaker, but annoying they couldn't be like the recaros (as in late X100)
Make sure you only buy a car with the 'Luxury Sport Interior'. You can tell by the '16 way' adjustable seats and perforated leather. The first cars don't have the lux sport interior which is now standard. Agree the 'basic' 'R' interior is cr@P. Triple7, I feel the same way about the merc re complexity and reliability. I would imagine the jag is the more flowing, modern drive. An aspect that draws me to the SL is the simplicity of the jag as you say, I realise this benefits it's reliability and on road credentials, but the interior just doesn't feel or look as special as I would like, whilst the merc looks better crafted, the seats in particular on the xk just look 'cheap', not a deal breaker, but annoying they couldn't be like the recaros (as in late X100)
So you came to Jaguar forum to ask about a Merc or a Jag? Not that the opinions will be in any way biased. 
I think Triple7 was on the money about the Merc though. The sheer complexity of the thing allied to Mercedes' reliability record at the time would make me run a mile. German cars in general leave me cold so I'm perhaps not the most objective here.
ETA Yay! 500 posts!
I think Triple7 was on the money about the Merc though. The sheer complexity of the thing allied to Mercedes' reliability record at the time would make me run a mile. German cars in general leave me cold so I'm perhaps not the most objective here.
ETA Yay! 500 posts!
Edited by unpc on Wednesday 4th August 14:08
Triple7 said:
The 'Standard' 'R' interior has lower quality leather seat facings, adjustable 10 ways. The 'Luxury Sport' interior has soft, perforated, 16 way full leather seats, with a leather dashboard.
I sat in the XK the other day and I have to say what a lovely car. I think the XK is defo the way to go for me! Next year hopefully I will pick up a nice XKR in black with cream leathers and black dash. Job done. 
It is a strange one for me, i have eben debating about so many cars for so long and it took one seat in an XK for 30 minutes for me to think yes this car has all I want in a car. Good looks, in my £35k budget, it has the pace I want, the rear seats, big boot and the interior which makes the driver feel special. It seems to me that the XKR will be the car that I will love to drive.
I debated about the S5, M3, TTS, 911s, GTR, and so many coupe options I can not recall. It is pleasing to decide. The only main issue which I think I will have to put up with is the sharp depreciation. On a 2007 car with low miles (£35k) I will prob lose £5k per year and my aim is to keep the car for 4 years so I will lose about £20k and only get back below £15k on resale. So be it .. right?
I debated about the S5, M3, TTS, 911s, GTR, and so many coupe options I can not recall. It is pleasing to decide. The only main issue which I think I will have to put up with is the sharp depreciation. On a 2007 car with low miles (£35k) I will prob lose £5k per year and my aim is to keep the car for 4 years so I will lose about £20k and only get back below £15k on resale. So be it .. right?
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