Building an ideal executive-style luxury sedan is not an easy task for a carmaker. If the car turns out too soft and isolated, you lose enthusiasts who aren't quite ready to retire in a Lexus. Too complex or high-strung and you risk alienating your technology-challenged, soft-in-the-middle buyers who expect a measure of mindless comfort. Get the balance just right, and your five-passenger $60,000 midsize sedan will both impress with remarkable dynamics and indulge with palpable comfort.
We've gathered three such vehicles for this comparison: the 2009 BMW 550i, 2010 Jaguar XF Premium and 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport.
The 2009 BMW 550i is widely regarded as the benchmark among sporting luxury sedans with its imposing modern design, 360-horsepower 4.8-liter V8 and legendary sporting dynamics. For a car that's been around for five years, its reputation remains consistently impressive.
All-new in '09, the Jaguar XF now is available in a midlevel model, and this Jaguar XF Premium includes not only a new 385-hp direct-injection 5.0-liter V8 but also more standard features. Riding a 1st-place finish from the last time we collected four similar cars in 2008, the Brit car should be taken seriously.
The new-generation 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport stands a very good chance of improving on its previous 3rd-place finish. Sure, the 382-hp 5.5-liter V8 is a carryover item from the outgoing E-Class, yet Mercedes-Benz has spent a considerable sum to refine this ninth-generation E-Class into a car meant to define this segment of sedans.
The Big Picture
These three V8 sedans epitomize what their first-rate companies do best. The 550i, E550 Sport and XF Premium are not almost-there, entry-level luxury cars. Nor are they flamboyant accessories with dark-tinted windows, meant for cruising Sunset Boulevard. They aren't hard-core performance sedans, either.
Instead these are meat-of-the-biscuit vehicles that BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz promote as symbols of everything they know. They're the right size, and when equipped with V8s, they've got the right amount of effortless performance. In relative terms, they provide a value commensurate with the asking price. Driving any one of these three announces that you know the price of quality and can justify paying for it. And clearly you're smart enough to resist overpaying for more than you require.
Sure, there's a place for one-dimensional super-sport Nürburgring sport sedans. 500 hp? Check. Wide, grippy tires? Yep. Neck-snapping upshifts? Bam! Then you might be more interested in a comparison between the BMW M5, Cadillac CTS-V and Mercedes C63 AMG, and that's over here. Everyday drivability, ride comfort, freedom from gas-guzzler taxes, the latest infotainment features and optional equipment? Well, not so much.
We're glad the 2009 BMW 550i, 2010 Jaguar XF Premium and 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport exist. This ideal trio goes 90 percent of the way to the M5, E63 AMG and XFR super sedans, yet they're 100 percent easier to live with and rewarding in ways the thoroughbreds are not.
The Performance Concept
In a three-wide quarter-mile drag race, the winner here will likely be decided by the driver who gets the jump or the one with the best available traction. From slowest to quickest, our results showed a difference of just 0.3 second and 1 mph. That's close.
The Mercedes-Benz E550 is the quickest to 60 mph with a run of 5.3 seconds (5.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) and its quarter-mile run of 13.6 seconds at 103.5 mph is also the best of the group. We suspect the explanation comes from the largest-displacement engine with the most torque that is connected to the only seven-speed transmission in the test. These items also probably serve to explain the fact that the E550 returns the best observed fuel economy in this comparison with 19.3 mpg, compared to the BMW's 16.9 mpg and the Jaguar's 16 mpg.
Braking, on the other hand, is not the E550's best play, as it records a stop from 60 mph in 126 feet. The 2010 Jaguar XF's large, performance-compound tires and plus-size brake hardware bring it to a halt in just 106 feet. The BMW 550i neatly splits the two at 111 feet, but its average stopping distances aren't as consistent.
Predictably, the 2009 BMW 550i does best in dynamic categories, clinging to the skid pad with a grip of 0.87g and weaving through the slalom at 64.9 mph. We think the reason probably lies with the car's $4,700 ZSP Sport option package, which includes 19-inch wheels, performance tires and a taut suspension. (But if you want shift paddles on the steering wheel and the quick-shift transmission programming, the 2TB option will cost you an additional $500.)
Driving on the Test Track
The BMW Sport package might be considered by some to be money well spent on a 550i because it also includes this test's highest-scoring front seats, which are otherwise a $1,200 stand-alone option. There's a trade-off in ride comfort, however, as we found on bumpy or undulating roads that the sport suspension has been tuned with so much rebound damping that it makes the car progressively pack itself down to the road. The impression is that its suspension action doesn't "breathe" as well as the others, especially the Mercedes-Benz with its air springs.
Although the E550 Sport's suspension is tuned slightly firmer than an E550 Luxury model, it still rides like a Mercedes sport-luxury sedan should and far better than it did last year. Unfortunately, the Sport's standard 18-inch AMG wheels, while attractive, are surrounded by all-season tires, which relegates the car to the back of the pack in handling tests, where it posted 0.81g on the skid pad and 62.8 mph in the slalom.
And a great big mea culpa is owed to Jaguar, which, after reading our post on Straightline that indicated the XF's overly aggressive stability control had limited the car to just 0.82g on the skid pad and 63.8 mph in the slalom, informed us that the XF's stability and traction controls are indeed truly defeatable, but only after holding the button down for at least 10 seconds.
It's our standard procedure to run all tests with stability control on, off and in a performance mode (if so equipped), but we admit we pressed and held the XF's button only for as long as it takes you to read this sentence. Worse yet, we did not have access to the test track for a retest. Nevertheless, the XF's performance is nothing to be ashamed of, especially with stability control on the performance mode.
How Most Cars Are Driven
On our favorite mountain test loop and least favorite freeway slog, we discovered other distinguishing factors that were not revealed at the track.
For instance, we're not sold on the BMW's steering effort, which we found to be too heavy, especially compared to the lightly weighted Jaguar and buttery Mercedes-Benz system. So syrupy and out of character does the 550i's steering seem that more than a couple drivers thought there might be something wrong with the car.
Meanwhile, we were surprised by the early onset of understeer in the Jaguar, combined with a lifeless and vague feeling from the front tires. At a pace that we'd describe as spirited but less than the limit, the XF will wander unceremoniously to the outside of its lane even while we dial in increasing amounts of steering. On a straightaway, the 2010 Jaguar XF Premium feels controlled and well-mannered, yet the Jaguar's 20-inch tires, courtesy of the $4,000 Portfolio pack, so taint the freeway ride that the car feels like an SUV rollin' on aftermarket 24s. Every road impact reverberates throughout the cabin and sometimes causes stability to suffer as well.
The opposite is true from behind the sculpted three-spoke wheel of the Mercedes, where we can quite literally feel our way around any curve or sharp corner and know precisely how much or how little grip is available. Midcorner adjustments can be made with either the throttle position or steering angle or a combination of the two. No drama and no fuss; just obedience and confidence. There seems to have been a major shift in philosophy in the ride-and-handling department in Stuttgart, because the E550 no longer is defined by wooden, disconnected steering and a floaty bargelike chassis.
The E550 Sport is by far the most adaptable, rewarding and confident car on the widest variety of surfaces despite not being the outright best-handling car.
Looking Good
According to civilian observers, the 2010 Jaguar XF is the clear winner on style. Everywhere we drive it, people take notice. There's simply not a bad angle from which to view it, although its silhouette is a familiar one these days, as the Lexus GS confirms. Even so, we're still not enamored by Jaguar's use of the Leaper insignia on the trunk lid, a reversal of Jag's usual practice where the Leaper is on the hood and the Growler badge is on the trunk. The diagonal Leaper on the trunk just seems to hang there uncomfortably.
The BMW 5 Series has aged well, and the aero tweaks of the 550i Sport make it look sharper and more menacing, like an M5. There isn't a misplaced line, proportion or gesture in the mix. In these ways, it reminds us of a well-tailored men's suit.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport draws mixed reviews. Those who like it say the new chiseled sheet metal makes it look like George Clooney. Those who don't like it say it looks like a chunky old S-Class. Nevertheless, we think it's fresh, attractive and unmistakably a Mercedes-Benz.
Living Room
The cabin of the XF Premium (with Portfolio pack) is quite handsome and cleverly designed. The unique starter button (which pulses with light in the rhythm of a heartbeat), rotary-knob gear selector, rotating HVAC vents and touch-sensitive map/dome lighting did not go unappreciated by us. At the same time, the touchscreen incorporates too many functions that might be better served by buttons, the Portfolio edition's front seats are too narrow, and while we appreciate the effort to create two different moods with the ambient lighting (sparkly day and backlit night), neither one is entirely successful.
The 2009 BMW 550i's interior is de rigueur BMW, with one glaring fault. The pairing of the new-style iDrive 3.0 controller and shortcut keys to the same ol' iDrive 1.5 software didn't fool us one bit, and further muddled the operation of the electronics. Just when we had gotten used to the two different systems, BMW has unsuccessfully blended them. Meanwhile, the materials and the quality of their assembly were up to BMW's usual standard.
The all-new interior in the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class manages to blend old-world design (some said 1970s) with the careful craftsmanship you'd expect from a company that offers so many futuristic electronic features. It is the only car here that is universally regarded as comfortable and intuitive to operate from the moment you get behind the wheel. It manages to be warm and rich, well-equipped and well-planned, and high-tech and high-quality all at the same time.
Equipment, Features and Value
At this point it seems appropriate to lay some window stickers on the table, especially since price counts for 20 percent of the final score in this test.
Base priced at $61,225 (including destination charge), our 2009 BMW 550i is also fitted with the Cold Weather package, the Sport package, Comfort Access (intelligent key), rear sunshades (including the rear side windows), iPod/USB adapter, navigation system (DVD-based), head-up display (reflected in front of the driver) and satellite radio (with one-year subscription) for a grand total of $72,345 test-topping dollars.
The 2010 Jaguar XF Premium with its 5.0-liter V8 (the 4.2-liter V8 now belongs to the base XF and the supercharger goes to the XFR) is priced at $57,000 even. Adding the Portfolio pack (personalized interior trim/stitching, more leather, ultra-suede headliner, deep carpets and 20-inch wheels), adaptive cruise control and a 440-watt Bowers and Wilkins audio system brings the total to $65,075. Pretty good value, we'd say.
Mercedes-Benz has announced pricing for the 2010 E-Class, but not its options. The base E550 Sport starts at $57,175, and using last year's option pricing, our test car barely breaks $60,000 even with the Premium 1 package. This package includes hard-drive-based navigation, rearview camera, Harman Kardon audio, iPod integration, satellite radio and ventilated front seats for a total outlay of $60,325, making it the least expensive car here.
Have a look at the Top 15 Features matrix and explanation to get a better idea of where your money could be spent, but suffice it to say the Mercedes-Benz E550 and Jaguar XF Premium both offer value the 2009 BMW 550i can't touch.
3rd Place
The current E60-generation BMW 550i effectively has been around since 2004 and it has served the company well. We've come as close as one can to pronouncing it the best sport sedan on the planet.
Problem is, it's gotten old and harsh, being outpaced everywhere but where the roads start to twist and turn. Its asking price is too dear and its electronics are due for replacement. Moreover, this segment of sedans is now crowded with equally talented but better-equipped cars for the same or less money. Has BMW over-BMWed the 2009 550i? We think so. We hope BMW has enough goodies in the pipeline for a thoroughly revamped 2011 5 Series.
2nd Place
The revisions to the 2010 Jaguar XF have been significant, just not as significant as those made to the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550. The Jag's new sonorous 5.0-liter V8 is bright and vigorous. The six-speed automatic is extremely intelligent and its interface with the driver is (we'll say it) nifty.
But the challenging yet compelling appearance of the XF might not be enough to overcome the car's design shortcomings. Big wheels sure do fill up wheelwells, but they also diminish any semblance of a supple ride. A great-looking interior sure makes for pretty pictures, but glossy bits reflect too much noontime sunlight (not a problem in Britain, apparently) and the touchscreen is at once overused and already outdated. And unless this car gets some sales traction in the market, it might prove to be forgettable, despite its styling.
1st Place
You know the feeling. You've just walked into the meeting or party or bar wearing an outfit that's just a little bit more handsome and cosmopolitan than everybody else's. It gives you an inner confidence and outward respect without your needing to utter a word. You feel effortlessly cool, controlled and more attractive. You think, "This is going to be my day. I own this room."
That's how it feels to drive the new Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport. Like many before it, this Merc feels overbuilt, like it'll go down the road impervious to any exterior influences for the next 250,000 miles. But here's the difference: This time, it doesn't drive like a European taxi.
Whatever Mercedes-Benz has done to the steering of this E-Class, it should do with every car in its portfolio. It's supple, friction-free, informative and predictable. And there's nothing wrong with the corporate V8 engine. Besides producing the best acceleration, it is also the most fuel-efficient of this trio, and not by a little bit.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E550 Sport amounts to more than the sum of its parts. It's hard to describe, but there's an overall sense of satisfaction, competence and experience that's somehow baked into the fiber of this car. It drives like it knows where it's going. It looks like it knows where it's been. And it's priced as if it knows where we're all headed.
The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.
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tenta20 says:
09:18 AM, 04/05/2010
Mercedes E-class for the win!