Which is the best luxurious sedan: Jaguar XJ or the Mercedes Benz S 550?

This blog will compare the Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes Benz S 550 and answer the following questions: does the jaguar XJ look better than the Mercedes Benz S Class? Which is fast: XJ or the S550? Which is more economical for the driver?

Which is the best luxurious sedan: Jaguar XJ or the Mercedes Benz S 550?

The Mercedes Benz S class is the best luxury sedan available on the market and the S550 model offers a good balance between outright performance and comfort. The following table compares key specifications of the Jaguar XJ and Mercedes Benz S 550:

The Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes Benz S 550 are no longer available on sale. Jaguar discontinued the XJ in 2019 while Mercedes Benz introduced the S 550 model in the sixth generation of the S Class.

Jaguar launched 4 generations of the XJ model and currently, there are no plans on launching a new generation of the Xj. Mercedes Benz on the other hand has introduced a new generation of S class in 2020 with model series W 223.

Does the Jaguar XJ look better than the Mercedes Benz S Class?

Yes, the Jaguar XJ looks better than the S Class, it is more aggressive from the front and the big front bumper grille gives it more presence on the road. The S 550 is also a good-looking car but the intelligent LED headlight setup is not to everyone’s liking.

The Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes Benz S Class have identical widths and wheelbase. The 20-inch alloys on the XJ are better looking than the 19-inch wheels on the jaguar. The rear looks a different story. The S Class has a better design, the rear bumper apron blends with the body lines and the LED tail lamps look better than the ones on the Jaguar XJ.

The overall design of the JaguarXJ remained unchanged since its launch in 2009, it is one of the reasons for the low sales figures compared to the other models in the Jaguar. The Mercedes Benz S Class has evolved with each generation. 

The S 550 offers a more spacious interior and creature comforts. The body of the S 550 also contains more high-strength steel so it is safer to drive. Jaguar used mostly aluminium in the body shell of the XJ which makes it lighter but not as durable as the S 550.

Which is fast: the Jaguar XJ or the Mercedes Benz S 550?

The Mercedes Benz S 550 is faster than the Jaguar XJ standard model. The S Class is powered by a bigger V 8 engine compared to the V 6 engine in the Jaguar XJ. The M278 V8 engine in the S 550 is 4.7 litres and it makes  449 HP with 700 NM of torque. 

The engine in the S 550 is also twin-turbocharged, one turbocharger provides charge air to each cylinder bank. A liquid cooler intercooler is used to cool down the charged air and the turbochargers are wastegate actuated. A boost pressure transducer controls the vacuum supply to both the vacuum cells located on the Turbochargers.

The M278 V8 engine in the S 550 also has the Nanoslide coating on the cylinder walls. Nanoslide coating is made up of iron-carbon alloy and it reduces friction as well as increases resistance to the natural wear as the engine builds up the mileage.

The V6 petrol engine in the standard version of the Jaguar XJ is 3.0 litres. Instead of turbochargers, Jaguar XJ uses a supercharger as it develops the boost pressure more quickly. 

The power output of the 3.0-litre V6 engine in the Jaguar is 335 horsepower and 450 Nm of torque. The V6 engine in the Jaguar XJ is based on one AJ133 V8 engine therefore it shares the production line with it. The engine block is mainly made from aluminium but there is no special coating on the cylinder walls. 

The supercharger in the Jaguar XJ is located between both the banks of the engine. It is connected to the crankshaft by a  secondary dedicated belt drive. A primary belt is used for the ancillary components like the alternator, air conditioning compressor and coolant water pump.

The top speed of the Jaguar XJ is electronically limited to 250 km/hr or 155 MPH, Mercedes Benz S 550 also has the same top speed. However, the 0-62 MPH times are different, the jaguar XJ can do the 0-63 MPH in 6.4 seconds.

The Mercedes Benz S 550 thanks to its bigger V8 engine and 9-speed automatic transmission; can do the 0-62 seconds in 4.8 seconds. The Jaguar XJ has high-performance models like XJR with 5.0 litres V8 engines producing more than 500 horsepower but they are not as good as the AMG S63 models.

 The XJR with a 5.0-litre engine can match the performance of the Mercedes Benz S 550, the XJR is capable of achieving 0-62 MPH in 4.6 seconds.

Which is more economical to drive: Jaguar XJ or the Mercedes Benz S 550?

The Mercedes Benz S 550 is more economical to drive. The fuel consumption of the S 550 on open roads like interstate highways is 36 MPG. In the city driving the S 550 can do 20 MPG, the 9 G Tronic transmission is capable of changing multiple gears based on the engine load and driving speed. 

The Fuel economy of the S 550 in combined conditions is 28 MPG. As the fuel tank capacity of the S 550 is around 21 gallons, it has a range of almost 600 miles in a full tank of gas.

The Jaguar XJ standard model gives a combined fuel economy of 24 MPG which is 4 miles more than the S 550. The fuel tank capacity is the same at 20 gallons however due to lower fuel economy, the range of the Jaguar XJ is only 500 miles.

Conclusion

This blog compared the standard model of the Jaguar XJ and the Mercedes Benz S 550. Both the cars are reliable and have good performance. The S 550 comes with airmatic suspension with an adaptive damping system. Therefore, it has better handling and the V 8 engine is more powerful than the v6 engine in the Jaguar XJ