Originally Posted by 220S

I was up in TO today to look again at the inside the W212 E63 (K-A, you are correct in your observations, but I'll save that for posting on the AMG boards where people seem to be a bit more open to critique. )

Anyway the Jag dealer is right next door and I looked at the XKR coupe. Salesperson was very cool and asked if I wanted to take it out. We went for a good long drive and he was nice enough to allow me to go to Decker Canyon and really ream on it (until he got a bit nervous and said, "well, we better turn around and head back." )

My take:

The exterior is gorgeous except that I don't like the chrome side vents nor the hood vents with "Supercharged" stamped on them. But the design is beautiful and very Aston-like. Big fat rear fenders like my 993.

Visibility is actually good even though the thing is radically raked with a small rear window. The beltline is high with a shallow greenhouse and you feel wrapped in the cockpit. Ergonomically it all worked for me. No sunroof which is nice and the interior head space is high (perfect if you're tall.) Seats were very, very comfortable with deep adjustable bolsters.

The Nav had cheesy icons and was not nearly as nice as my E63. Touch screen was, eh. The glowing start button and rising wheel (which is the shifter) is just a bit too weird for me. Also the stalks (wipers, signals, lights, etc.) on the steering wheel were a bit too high for me (could get used to it, though); that was one thing that wasn't quite so ergonomic for me.

The car is very light (all aluminum body) and you could feel it. The chassis was stiffer than an Airmatic MB, but not as stiff as a Porsche or BMW. It actually was a good compromise. Remember this was built as a GT car. And it plays the role quite well (rear seats are pretty much non-existent.)

Steering was not as precise nor had the communicative feel of a Porsche or BMW. Was very close to my E63. And the steering wheel itself was a bit thin and no thumb locks like the AMG. It was nicely wrapped in leather but too wimpy. That was also another non-ergonomic dislike for me.

Supercharger has a lot of low end grunt so you get the torque just putzing around city streets. Power feels very linear for a F/I motor. Torque really throws you back into the seat at around 4k. Paddles shifters are pretty quick but the 6 speed tranny is no better than the AMG Speedshift 7 speed. They need to put in a PDK/MCT type tranny in this car.

Once we were into the canyon, the car really shined. You feel the lighter weight. There's a lot less weight transfer and so you get less understeer. It does have some built in understeer but it's not bad. The car handles very, very nicely.

The best thing is that this car is designed as a GT car and it does the job really well. You can bust the rear end out easy and yet still control it easily. But at the same time you can drive it gently and it's very comfortable (although a bit stiffer than my E63.) It takes choppy roads nicely.

It was really fun to toss it into the corners. It's the kind of car that behaves well and is pretty nice on the inside (leather is quite good and with nice stitching) with all the comfy electronics. You could cruise up to SF very comfortably (providing you have only two people and very little luggage.)

But at the same time you can really run it on the back roads and get a lot out of it. It's not a real sports car but very sports car-like. I was impressed with the handling. The only real issue I have is that the brakes aren't that great. Big rotors but they aren't slotted and/or vented and I'm assuming you could get fade early on. Plus you had to use a fair amount of leg power. The AMG brakes in the E63 are far, far superior.

It's a beautiful body. And a decent GT. Not perfect by any means but I think I could live with one. The shortcomings were not in performance by any means, but in the inside layout and the nav system, steering wheel, etc..

After getting back into my AMG, I realized it's really a better overall performer, (better motor, brakes, and a bit more comfortable overall), but the Jag is not bad. Not bad at all. It's really quite fun to drive. I could live with one.

p.s., interesting interview here with the head designer of Jaguar: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/int...er-ian-callum/

Originally Posted by K-A

Nice, thanks for the review. My Cousin has that Jag (in France), he made fun of me when I told him I own an E-Class.... "What, do you have a family already" ****-hole.

About your first part, I know what you mean. I never thought pointing out factual information is "hating", but hey, c'est la vie.

Jag is really making some pretty cars these days. I like Ian Callum, in fact, I like hearing him describe his designs, seems to be a realist. He said specifically about the new Jag XJ, "don't call it beautiful", as he cites, the design approach is meant to be bold, aggressive, modern, etc. but for better or worse, doesn't fit the quintessential definition of "beauty/graceful". I feel that same term goes for many new cars, especially M-B's new ones.

Originally Posted by MLRLINCOLN

One thing I can tell you is that the wheels that come with the Sport Pkg. are really nice and they are using different brake pad material that leaves NO Brake Dust on the wheels.