MB E 400 vs. XF Sportbrake
#1
09-01-2017, 10:38 AM
MB E 400 vs. XF Sportbrake
We are rapidly approaching the time when both of these vehicles will be in the market. I love Jags, but acknowledge MB also builds fine cars. Our MB wagon is about to go on six years and I presume could easily last another six, but I am considering replacing it. The current E400 is very sweet. The Jag base price is noticeably more. I keep seeing negative comments on the XF interior. We put 20K miles on the wagon each year and so I am not willing to make the compromises I make for the F Type. Everything on the wagon needs to be satisfactory. Any free advice.
#2
09-01-2017, 11:42 AM
Member
The interior of m '17 XF R-Sport is weak in comparison to the '09 Merc wagon I traded, and mine wasn't leather, just had the base MB-Tex seats. I haven't sat in an E series Merc, pics seem to seem to show it as a bit gaudy. The Jag is pretty plain, sure doesn't deliver an impression equal to its price IMHO. However, I love to drive it, and I have been happier with it the longer I've had it (14 mos.)
I wish I'd known about the jag wagon coming, it would probably have been my preference, though if I had to do it over right now, I'd want to look at and drive an E400 before I dropped the hammer.
I wish I'd known about the jag wagon coming, it would probably have been my preference, though if I had to do it over right now, I'd want to look at and drive an E400 before I dropped the hammer.
#3
09-02-2017, 03:04 AM
Senior Member
I have a 2017 Jaguar XF S and 2017 Mercedes E300. Both cars are excellent in their own ways and I am very happy with both of them. While I can’t speak for the sportbrake/wagon versions, they are basically the same as the sedans from the rear seats forward. I hope my subjective comments are helpful to you and others comparing these cars.
XF pluses:
1. Exterior styling is unique and very attractive, especially the front end.
2. Rarely see another one unlike other run of the mill luxury cars.
3. Love the LED headlights.
4. I have the optional 20” split spoke dark gray diamond turned wheels which are rare and look fantastic.
5. My S model has the same 380hp V6 as my F-Type which is powerful when needed, or wanted, and very well behaved during normal driving.
6. No lag with the supercharged engine.
7. Amazingly seamless shifting through the power bands.
8. Plenty of interior and trunk space.
9. A large car that does not feel its size when driving.
10. Excellent handling, braking and steering feel.
11. I have the technology package with the larger center display and digital instrument panel which I feel is a must in this car. It is worth the money and makes the interior feel more upscale. Latest software fixed most of the early problems with the InControl Touch Pro system.
12. Crisp, clear displays and graphics.
13. Customizable infotainment menus.
14. Bluetooth connects fast.
15. Excellent highway gas mileage in eco mode, not so good city mileage. To be fair, I use dynamic mode 95% of the time and it is hard not to enjoy the acceleration, which negatively impacts fuel consumption.
16. Very comfortable sport seats.
17. Rear folding seats allowed me to haul two 8’ moldings from Home Depot with ease.
18. Steering wheel position, feel and buttons are very good.
19. Really like the blind spot assist and adaptive cruise control features.
20. No reliability issues so far.
21. Very pleased with my dealer’s service department.
22. Jaguar remote app works well and has more usable information than the Mercedes ME app.
23. 5 year 60,000 mile warranty and included maintenance
24. Included navigation map updates up to 4 times a year for 5 years
XF minuses:
1. I do like the interior but it could be a tad bit better in overall quality and feel. It is a nice place to be, but it should smell of leather and feel more like the XJ or Range Rover Sport interior. I think this hurts the XF’s sales because people on the fence probably choose something else, which is a shame because they are missing out on an otherwise great car.
2. If I were to get another XF, I would opt for the all-wheel drive. Under hard acceleration, the car wants to override the traction control and break the back tires loose.
3. Infotainment can be slow at times but very good overall.
4. Hate the start/stop feature. Very noticeable and I always disable it.
5. Power trunk could be faster.
6. LED headlights make a buzzing noise which I believe are cooling fans (most noticeable when parking in a garage).
7. Configurable interior mood lighting is only available with the luxury package, which is rare unless special ordered. Should be standard like Mercedes.
8. S model sounds a little too tame, especially the exhaust sound.
9. Jaguar should have offered an extended leather option for the dash and door panels like other models they sell.
10. InContol apps good but not as good as Apple Carplay.
11. Head up display works well but is not as clear as others.
12. Carpet and floor mat quality in the interior and the trunk looks cheap compared to the Mercedes.
13. Exterior courtesy lighting could be better.
14. Positioning of power windows switches are far forward on door panel which forces you to reach for them.
15. Forward parking assist sensors should automatically engage at low speeds like the Mercedes. Instead you have to push a button on the touch screen to enable it.
E300 pluses:
1. Super quiet and smooth for a 4-cylinder engine (no experience with the V6 in the E400 but I imagine it is excellent as well).
2. Initially turned off by the thought of the 241hp 4 cylinder until I drove it. It is super quiet and smooth with adequate power.
3. No turbo lag.
4. Very smooth transmission where you can barely detect shifting.
5. Super nice ride quality. More of a highway cruiser than back road enthusiast car but very capable.
6. Drove 440 miles from Northern to Southern California and got 35.6 mpg averaging 74.8 mph with 4 adults and trunk full of luggage. Impressive!
7. Standard configurable interior mood lighting which impresses everyone and make the interior feel special.
8. Excellent, large hi-def center infotainment display.
9. Start/stop is not annoying in this car and very smooth. Rarely disable it because it is not bothersome.
10. Slightly quieter interior overall likely due to the smaller 18” wheels vs the Jag’s 20” wheels.
11. Seats are much more comfortable than they look and the quality is very good.
12. Intelligent LED lights are excellent.
13. To my ears, the Burmester surround sound system is better than the Jag’s Meridian 825W surround system.
14. Love the active side bolsters which seem gimmicky but really work well
15. Apple Carplay is nice.
16. Crosswind assist technology also seems like a gimmick but it does work very well (detects the effects of strong side winds and uses the car’s computer to help keep the car on course).
17. Best choice to take friends or family to dinner.
18. Excellent local Mercedes dealer support.
19. No reliability issues.
E300 minuses:
1. 4 cylinder sounds like a diesel at idle.
2. I have owned numerous BMW’s with iDrive dial and like the Mercedes touchpad controller, but prefer the Jaguar Pro touch screen.
3. Infotainment system is surprisingly sluggish on boot up.
4. I don’t care for the steering wheel stalk gear selector and push button park switch. First time my wife drove the E300, she had to call me to figure out how to park the car. Not intuitive.
5. Selecting Sirius/XM stations can be frustrating.
6. Power trunk closes more violently than it should.
7. My impression is that the Interior overall does not have the same solid feel of older Mercedes. I think the newer design is nicer but there was a clear attempt to save weight in some areas cheapening the interior slightly.
8. Trunk space is good but should be slightly larger for this class. There is small storage space below the trunk floor though which helps. Only slightly larger trunk than the C class.
9. Exterior design is very nice but not as good as the Jaguar when parked side by side.
10. Exterior door window trim moldings tend to come loose and look out of alignment. Pressing on them fixes this problem for a short time before they move again.
11. Thumb scroll dial on steering wheel takes a while to get used too but nice once you get familiar with it.
12. Fake exhaust tips look good but I don’t know why they went cheap and didn’t run the exhaust pipes all the way to the tips.
13. Mercedes ME app is very slow to communicate with car.
14, Maintenance not included unless you buy an optional coverage.
15. Less warranty coverage than Jaguar.
It is pretty hard to choose a favorite with these two cars, although I would give the edge to the XF. Most of the minuses I listed for both cars are really nitpicking very nice cars. You cannot go wrong with either one. I really like the looks of the XF sportbrake. I tend to choose cars that are not common, but that is me and good luck with your decision.
XF pluses:
1. Exterior styling is unique and very attractive, especially the front end.
2. Rarely see another one unlike other run of the mill luxury cars.
3. Love the LED headlights.
4. I have the optional 20” split spoke dark gray diamond turned wheels which are rare and look fantastic.
5. My S model has the same 380hp V6 as my F-Type which is powerful when needed, or wanted, and very well behaved during normal driving.
6. No lag with the supercharged engine.
7. Amazingly seamless shifting through the power bands.
8. Plenty of interior and trunk space.
9. A large car that does not feel its size when driving.
10. Excellent handling, braking and steering feel.
11. I have the technology package with the larger center display and digital instrument panel which I feel is a must in this car. It is worth the money and makes the interior feel more upscale. Latest software fixed most of the early problems with the InControl Touch Pro system.
12. Crisp, clear displays and graphics.
13. Customizable infotainment menus.
14. Bluetooth connects fast.
15. Excellent highway gas mileage in eco mode, not so good city mileage. To be fair, I use dynamic mode 95% of the time and it is hard not to enjoy the acceleration, which negatively impacts fuel consumption.
16. Very comfortable sport seats.
17. Rear folding seats allowed me to haul two 8’ moldings from Home Depot with ease.
18. Steering wheel position, feel and buttons are very good.
19. Really like the blind spot assist and adaptive cruise control features.
20. No reliability issues so far.
21. Very pleased with my dealer’s service department.
22. Jaguar remote app works well and has more usable information than the Mercedes ME app.
23. 5 year 60,000 mile warranty and included maintenance
24. Included navigation map updates up to 4 times a year for 5 years
XF minuses:
1. I do like the interior but it could be a tad bit better in overall quality and feel. It is a nice place to be, but it should smell of leather and feel more like the XJ or Range Rover Sport interior. I think this hurts the XF’s sales because people on the fence probably choose something else, which is a shame because they are missing out on an otherwise great car.
2. If I were to get another XF, I would opt for the all-wheel drive. Under hard acceleration, the car wants to override the traction control and break the back tires loose.
3. Infotainment can be slow at times but very good overall.
4. Hate the start/stop feature. Very noticeable and I always disable it.
5. Power trunk could be faster.
6. LED headlights make a buzzing noise which I believe are cooling fans (most noticeable when parking in a garage).
7. Configurable interior mood lighting is only available with the luxury package, which is rare unless special ordered. Should be standard like Mercedes.
8. S model sounds a little too tame, especially the exhaust sound.
9. Jaguar should have offered an extended leather option for the dash and door panels like other models they sell.
10. InContol apps good but not as good as Apple Carplay.
11. Head up display works well but is not as clear as others.
12. Carpet and floor mat quality in the interior and the trunk looks cheap compared to the Mercedes.
13. Exterior courtesy lighting could be better.
14. Positioning of power windows switches are far forward on door panel which forces you to reach for them.
15. Forward parking assist sensors should automatically engage at low speeds like the Mercedes. Instead you have to push a button on the touch screen to enable it.
E300 pluses:
1. Super quiet and smooth for a 4-cylinder engine (no experience with the V6 in the E400 but I imagine it is excellent as well).
2. Initially turned off by the thought of the 241hp 4 cylinder until I drove it. It is super quiet and smooth with adequate power.
3. No turbo lag.
4. Very smooth transmission where you can barely detect shifting.
5. Super nice ride quality. More of a highway cruiser than back road enthusiast car but very capable.
6. Drove 440 miles from Northern to Southern California and got 35.6 mpg averaging 74.8 mph with 4 adults and trunk full of luggage. Impressive!
7. Standard configurable interior mood lighting which impresses everyone and make the interior feel special.
8. Excellent, large hi-def center infotainment display.
9. Start/stop is not annoying in this car and very smooth. Rarely disable it because it is not bothersome.
10. Slightly quieter interior overall likely due to the smaller 18” wheels vs the Jag’s 20” wheels.
11. Seats are much more comfortable than they look and the quality is very good.
12. Intelligent LED lights are excellent.
13. To my ears, the Burmester surround sound system is better than the Jag’s Meridian 825W surround system.
14. Love the active side bolsters which seem gimmicky but really work well
15. Apple Carplay is nice.
16. Crosswind assist technology also seems like a gimmick but it does work very well (detects the effects of strong side winds and uses the car’s computer to help keep the car on course).
17. Best choice to take friends or family to dinner.
18. Excellent local Mercedes dealer support.
19. No reliability issues.
E300 minuses:
1. 4 cylinder sounds like a diesel at idle.
2. I have owned numerous BMW’s with iDrive dial and like the Mercedes touchpad controller, but prefer the Jaguar Pro touch screen.
3. Infotainment system is surprisingly sluggish on boot up.
4. I don’t care for the steering wheel stalk gear selector and push button park switch. First time my wife drove the E300, she had to call me to figure out how to park the car. Not intuitive.
5. Selecting Sirius/XM stations can be frustrating.
6. Power trunk closes more violently than it should.
7. My impression is that the Interior overall does not have the same solid feel of older Mercedes. I think the newer design is nicer but there was a clear attempt to save weight in some areas cheapening the interior slightly.
8. Trunk space is good but should be slightly larger for this class. There is small storage space below the trunk floor though which helps. Only slightly larger trunk than the C class.
9. Exterior design is very nice but not as good as the Jaguar when parked side by side.
10. Exterior door window trim moldings tend to come loose and look out of alignment. Pressing on them fixes this problem for a short time before they move again.
11. Thumb scroll dial on steering wheel takes a while to get used too but nice once you get familiar with it.
12. Fake exhaust tips look good but I don’t know why they went cheap and didn’t run the exhaust pipes all the way to the tips.
13. Mercedes ME app is very slow to communicate with car.
14, Maintenance not included unless you buy an optional coverage.
15. Less warranty coverage than Jaguar.
It is pretty hard to choose a favorite with these two cars, although I would give the edge to the XF. Most of the minuses I listed for both cars are really nitpicking very nice cars. You cannot go wrong with either one. I really like the looks of the XF sportbrake. I tend to choose cars that are not common, but that is me and good luck with your decision.
#4
09-02-2017, 04:49 PM
A E 400 with the P2 package will cost close enough to the XF that price should not be a factor. The most noticeable shortcoming with my E are the front seats but that can be fixed for $1300. I think I'll go test an XF sedan. I can easily enough imagine the changes aft of the C pillars.
I have tried w/o success to find a description of the Jaguar active seats. Are they comparable to the MB multi-contour seats
I have tried w/o success to find a description of the Jaguar active seats. Are they comparable to the MB multi-contour seats
Last edited by Suaro; 09-02-2017 at 05:18 PM.
#5
09-02-2017, 10:01 PM
I have a 2017 Jaguar XF S and 2017 Mercedes E300. Both cars are excellent in their own ways and I am very happy with both of them. While I can’t speak for the sportbrake/wagon versions, they are basically the same as the sedans from the rear seats forward. I hope my subjective comments are helpful to you and others comparing these cars.
XF pluses:
1. Exterior styling is unique and very attractive, especially the front end.
2. Rarely see another one unlike other run of the mill luxury cars.
3. Love the LED headlights.
4. I have the optional 20” split spoke dark gray diamond turned wheels which are rare and look fantastic.
5. My S model has the same 380hp V6 as my F-Type which is powerful when needed, or wanted, and very well behaved during normal driving.
6. No lag with the supercharged engine.
7. Amazingly seamless shifting through the power bands.
8. Plenty of interior and trunk space.
9. A large car that does not feel its size when driving.
10. Excellent handling, braking and steering feel.
11. I have the technology package with the larger center display and digital instrument panel which I feel is a must in this car. It is worth the money and makes the interior feel more upscale. Latest software fixed most of the early problems with the InControl Touch Pro system.
12. Crisp, clear displays and graphics.
13. Customizable infotainment menus.
14. Bluetooth connects fast.
15. Excellent highway gas mileage in eco mode, not so good city mileage. To be fair, I use dynamic mode 95% of the time and it is hard not to enjoy the acceleration, which negatively impacts fuel consumption.
16. Very comfortable sport seats.
17. Rear folding seats allowed me to haul two 8’ moldings from Home Depot with ease.
18. Steering wheel position, feel and buttons are very good.
19. Really like the blind spot assist and adaptive cruise control features.
20. No reliability issues so far.
21. Very pleased with my dealer’s service department.
22. Jaguar remote app works well and has more usable information than the Mercedes ME app.
23. 5 year 60,000 mile warranty and included maintenance
24. Included navigation map updates up to 4 times a year for 5 years
XF minuses:
1. I do like the interior but it could be a tad bit better in overall quality and feel. It is a nice place to be, but it should smell of leather and feel more like the XJ or Range Rover Sport interior. I think this hurts the XF’s sales because people on the fence probably choose something else, which is a shame because they are missing out on an otherwise great car.
2. If I were to get another XF, I would opt for the all-wheel drive. Under hard acceleration, the car wants to override the traction control and break the back tires loose.
3. Infotainment can be slow at times but very good overall.
4. Hate the start/stop feature. Very noticeable and I always disable it.
5. Power trunk could be faster.
6. LED headlights make a buzzing noise which I believe are cooling fans (most noticeable when parking in a garage).
7. Configurable interior mood lighting is only available with the luxury package, which is rare unless special ordered. Should be standard like Mercedes.
8. S model sounds a little too tame, especially the exhaust sound.
9. Jaguar should have offered an extended leather option for the dash and door panels like other models they sell.
10. InContol apps good but not as good as Apple Carplay.
11. Head up display works well but is not as clear as others.
12. Carpet and floor mat quality in the interior and the trunk looks cheap compared to the Mercedes.
13. Exterior courtesy lighting could be better.
14. Positioning of power windows switches are far forward on door panel which forces you to reach for them.
15. Forward parking assist sensors should automatically engage at low speeds like the Mercedes. Instead you have to push a button on the touch screen to enable it.
E300 pluses:
1. Super quiet and smooth for a 4-cylinder engine (no experience with the V6 in the E400 but I imagine it is excellent as well).
2. Initially turned off by the thought of the 241hp 4 cylinder until I drove it. It is super quiet and smooth with adequate power.
3. No turbo lag.
4. Very smooth transmission where you can barely detect shifting.
5. Super nice ride quality. More of a highway cruiser than back road enthusiast car but very capable.
6. Drove 440 miles from Northern to Southern California and got 35.6 mpg averaging 74.8 mph with 4 adults and trunk full of luggage. Impressive!
7. Standard configurable interior mood lighting which impresses everyone and make the interior feel special.
8. Excellent, large hi-def center infotainment display.
9. Start/stop is not annoying in this car and very smooth. Rarely disable it because it is not bothersome.
10. Slightly quieter interior overall likely due to the smaller 18” wheels vs the Jag’s 20” wheels.
11. Seats are much more comfortable than they look and the quality is very good.
12. Intelligent LED lights are excellent.
13. To my ears, the Burmester surround sound system is better than the Jag’s Meridian 825W surround system.
14. Love the active side bolsters which seem gimmicky but really work well
15. Apple Carplay is nice.
16. Crosswind assist technology also seems like a gimmick but it does work very well (detects the effects of strong side winds and uses the car’s computer to help keep the car on course).
17. Best choice to take friends or family to dinner.
18. Excellent local Mercedes dealer support.
19. No reliability issues.
E300 minuses:
1. 4 cylinder sounds like a diesel at idle.
2. I have owned numerous BMW’s with iDrive dial and like the Mercedes touchpad controller, but prefer the Jaguar Pro touch screen.
3. Infotainment system is surprisingly sluggish on boot up.
4. I don’t care for the steering wheel stalk gear selector and push button park switch. First time my wife drove the E300, she had to call me to figure out how to park the car. Not intuitive.
5. Selecting Sirius/XM stations can be frustrating.
6. Power trunk closes more violently than it should.
7. My impression is that the Interior overall does not have the same solid feel of older Mercedes. I think the newer design is nicer but there was a clear attempt to save weight in some areas cheapening the interior slightly.
8. Trunk space is good but should be slightly larger for this class. There is small storage space below the trunk floor though which helps. Only slightly larger trunk than the C class.
9. Exterior design is very nice but not as good as the Jaguar when parked side by side.
10. Exterior door window trim moldings tend to come loose and look out of alignment. Pressing on them fixes this problem for a short time before they move again.
11. Thumb scroll dial on steering wheel takes a while to get used too but nice once you get familiar with it.
12. Fake exhaust tips look good but I don’t know why they went cheap and didn’t run the exhaust pipes all the way to the tips.
13. Mercedes ME app is very slow to communicate with car.
14, Maintenance not included unless you buy an optional coverage.
15. Less warranty coverage than Jaguar.
It is pretty hard to choose a favorite with these two cars, although I would give the edge to the XF. Most of the minuses I listed for both cars are really nitpicking very nice cars. You cannot go wrong with either one. I really like the looks of the XF sportbrake. I tend to choose cars that are not common, but that is me and good luck with your decision.
XF pluses:
1. Exterior styling is unique and very attractive, especially the front end.
2. Rarely see another one unlike other run of the mill luxury cars.
3. Love the LED headlights.
4. I have the optional 20” split spoke dark gray diamond turned wheels which are rare and look fantastic.
5. My S model has the same 380hp V6 as my F-Type which is powerful when needed, or wanted, and very well behaved during normal driving.
6. No lag with the supercharged engine.
7. Amazingly seamless shifting through the power bands.
8. Plenty of interior and trunk space.
9. A large car that does not feel its size when driving.
10. Excellent handling, braking and steering feel.
11. I have the technology package with the larger center display and digital instrument panel which I feel is a must in this car. It is worth the money and makes the interior feel more upscale. Latest software fixed most of the early problems with the InControl Touch Pro system.
12. Crisp, clear displays and graphics.
13. Customizable infotainment menus.
14. Bluetooth connects fast.
15. Excellent highway gas mileage in eco mode, not so good city mileage. To be fair, I use dynamic mode 95% of the time and it is hard not to enjoy the acceleration, which negatively impacts fuel consumption.
16. Very comfortable sport seats.
17. Rear folding seats allowed me to haul two 8’ moldings from Home Depot with ease.
18. Steering wheel position, feel and buttons are very good.
19. Really like the blind spot assist and adaptive cruise control features.
20. No reliability issues so far.
21. Very pleased with my dealer’s service department.
22. Jaguar remote app works well and has more usable information than the Mercedes ME app.
23. 5 year 60,000 mile warranty and included maintenance
24. Included navigation map updates up to 4 times a year for 5 years
XF minuses:
1. I do like the interior but it could be a tad bit better in overall quality and feel. It is a nice place to be, but it should smell of leather and feel more like the XJ or Range Rover Sport interior. I think this hurts the XF’s sales because people on the fence probably choose something else, which is a shame because they are missing out on an otherwise great car.
2. If I were to get another XF, I would opt for the all-wheel drive. Under hard acceleration, the car wants to override the traction control and break the back tires loose.
3. Infotainment can be slow at times but very good overall.
4. Hate the start/stop feature. Very noticeable and I always disable it.
5. Power trunk could be faster.
6. LED headlights make a buzzing noise which I believe are cooling fans (most noticeable when parking in a garage).
7. Configurable interior mood lighting is only available with the luxury package, which is rare unless special ordered. Should be standard like Mercedes.
8. S model sounds a little too tame, especially the exhaust sound.
9. Jaguar should have offered an extended leather option for the dash and door panels like other models they sell.
10. InContol apps good but not as good as Apple Carplay.
11. Head up display works well but is not as clear as others.
12. Carpet and floor mat quality in the interior and the trunk looks cheap compared to the Mercedes.
13. Exterior courtesy lighting could be better.
14. Positioning of power windows switches are far forward on door panel which forces you to reach for them.
15. Forward parking assist sensors should automatically engage at low speeds like the Mercedes. Instead you have to push a button on the touch screen to enable it.
E300 pluses:
1. Super quiet and smooth for a 4-cylinder engine (no experience with the V6 in the E400 but I imagine it is excellent as well).
2. Initially turned off by the thought of the 241hp 4 cylinder until I drove it. It is super quiet and smooth with adequate power.
3. No turbo lag.
4. Very smooth transmission where you can barely detect shifting.
5. Super nice ride quality. More of a highway cruiser than back road enthusiast car but very capable.
6. Drove 440 miles from Northern to Southern California and got 35.6 mpg averaging 74.8 mph with 4 adults and trunk full of luggage. Impressive!
7. Standard configurable interior mood lighting which impresses everyone and make the interior feel special.
8. Excellent, large hi-def center infotainment display.
9. Start/stop is not annoying in this car and very smooth. Rarely disable it because it is not bothersome.
10. Slightly quieter interior overall likely due to the smaller 18” wheels vs the Jag’s 20” wheels.
11. Seats are much more comfortable than they look and the quality is very good.
12. Intelligent LED lights are excellent.
13. To my ears, the Burmester surround sound system is better than the Jag’s Meridian 825W surround system.
14. Love the active side bolsters which seem gimmicky but really work well
15. Apple Carplay is nice.
16. Crosswind assist technology also seems like a gimmick but it does work very well (detects the effects of strong side winds and uses the car’s computer to help keep the car on course).
17. Best choice to take friends or family to dinner.
18. Excellent local Mercedes dealer support.
19. No reliability issues.
E300 minuses:
1. 4 cylinder sounds like a diesel at idle.
2. I have owned numerous BMW’s with iDrive dial and like the Mercedes touchpad controller, but prefer the Jaguar Pro touch screen.
3. Infotainment system is surprisingly sluggish on boot up.
4. I don’t care for the steering wheel stalk gear selector and push button park switch. First time my wife drove the E300, she had to call me to figure out how to park the car. Not intuitive.
5. Selecting Sirius/XM stations can be frustrating.
6. Power trunk closes more violently than it should.
7. My impression is that the Interior overall does not have the same solid feel of older Mercedes. I think the newer design is nicer but there was a clear attempt to save weight in some areas cheapening the interior slightly.
8. Trunk space is good but should be slightly larger for this class. There is small storage space below the trunk floor though which helps. Only slightly larger trunk than the C class.
9. Exterior design is very nice but not as good as the Jaguar when parked side by side.
10. Exterior door window trim moldings tend to come loose and look out of alignment. Pressing on them fixes this problem for a short time before they move again.
11. Thumb scroll dial on steering wheel takes a while to get used too but nice once you get familiar with it.
12. Fake exhaust tips look good but I don’t know why they went cheap and didn’t run the exhaust pipes all the way to the tips.
13. Mercedes ME app is very slow to communicate with car.
14, Maintenance not included unless you buy an optional coverage.
15. Less warranty coverage than Jaguar.
It is pretty hard to choose a favorite with these two cars, although I would give the edge to the XF. Most of the minuses I listed for both cars are really nitpicking very nice cars. You cannot go wrong with either one. I really like the looks of the XF sportbrake. I tend to choose cars that are not common, but that is me and good luck with your decision.
Thanks for your comprehensive comparison. I agree. I did test the E350 with 4 cylinder. A dog in my view. I chose the XF AWD Prestige loaded. Has some small quality issues inside but overall is very solid and works. I think the way it drives is the clincher for me. You feel a part of the car and the supercharger is seamless and works beautifully with the drivetrain. I enjoy my XF very much and it is better than my previous 5 series BMW.
#6
09-02-2017, 10:40 PM
I think your write up is very accurate.
Disable it permanently until you plug it back in if you want. Bothered me on my Benz too but never found a way to disable it permanently.
Disable it permanently until you plug it back in if you want. Bothered me on my Benz too but never found a way to disable it permanently.
#7
09-03-2017, 01:45 PM
Trending Topics
#8
09-27-2017, 04:54 PM
I worked my way thru the config and came out at 76K. As pretty as the car is and as much as I would enjoy having a second Jag in the garage, I just don't think this machine cuts it. There just isn't enough tech to compete with MB. The 2018 E 400 is a nice looking wagon and has tons more tech and on an apples to apples comparison costs less. This Jag is just technologically obsolete before it gets released. Then I thought what about doing a CPO in two years and concluded the price would be more realistic given market forces, but then it would be even more out of date technologically than it is today.
My F is no tech marvel, but its a play toy and the looks and sounds go a long way to make it worthwhile. In the wagon world a lot more than looks and sounds are needed.
I expect this experiment will last maybe three years.
Given the postings on this thread. I expect there isn't much interest to start with.
My F is no tech marvel, but its a play toy and the looks and sounds go a long way to make it worthwhile. In the wagon world a lot more than looks and sounds are needed.
I expect this experiment will last maybe three years.
Given the postings on this thread. I expect there isn't much interest to start with.
#9
09-27-2017, 07:59 PM
#10
09-28-2017, 02:01 AM
Senior Member
The current generation Mercedes E class is an excellent choice and does have the edge in a few areas over the XF. I do disagree the technology in the latest Jaguars is obsolete and inferior to the Mercedes. Not sure specifically what you are talking about. Are you referring to the infotainment system, safety features, performance, etc.?
I assume you are talking about the Jaguar infotainment system. If you are referring to the 2014 F-Type, then yes, it is pretty poor. This is not true in the newest Jaguars with the InControl Touch Pro Systems. Jaguar properly put the focus on performance, driving experience, theatrics and sound in the F-Type, instead of whiz bang tech toys (although the 2018’s get the toys). I rarely use the stereo in my 2014 F-Type because it distracts from the fun and I don’t care about the infotainment. The latest systems have vastly improved Jaguars dinosaur tech of the past and they have moved light years ahead.
To be clear on my experience, this is what I own for comparison:
2017 MB E300 with P2 pkg delivered 2/17
2017 XF S with all options except luxury pkg delivered 4/17
Being a tech-oriented person with an IT background and having driven both cars for a while, I prefer the Jag’s infotainment over the Mercedes in terms of actual use and features. I like the touch screen over the rotary dial. It all depends on what is important to you and what you like. The Mercedes screens are not as intuitive, especially changing radio or XM stations and there are many ways to do the same function. It also boots much slower than the Jag. The InControl unit in the XF can be slow at times when starting a navigation destination, but is generally quicker overall. I like being able to customize the home screens, you cannot do this in the Mercedes.
I would not say the latest tech in the Jag is obsolete, it is quite feature rich and modern (unless you are not looking to get the InControl touch pro and technology package). I do believe I would be very unhappy with my XF if it didn’t have the tech package. It should be standard on all XF’s. The P2 pkg in the Mercedes is nice but the P1 is all you really need in my opinion. The P3 increases the technology with options most people will not understand and jumps the price drastically.
I have expressed an issue with the front parking sensors working intermittently when pushing the button to activate them on my XF, in another thread. It seems others have had this problem. Pretty sure this is simply a software bug and it is literally the only service related issue I have with my car. The Mercedes automatically activates the front sensors beautifully, which is how they should work on the XF. A negative strike against Jaguar here. The lane departure and blind spot assist works well on both cars, but the Jag is better. I do like the adaptive cruise control on the Jag and do not have this option on the Mercedes. The parking assist/pilot is excellent on the XF and a bit choppy on the E300 when the wheels turn. Not a feature I use every day, but Jaguar has the better technology here.
Still focusing on technology, if you plan on using the Mercedes ME or Jaguar Remote apps from a phone, the Jaguar app is better and much faster to communicate with the car. Not something I use all the time, but remote starting the XF from my iPhone takes 3 seconds, whereas the Mercedes app thinks and thinks and mostly just times out doing nothing. It seems any feature where the ME app needs to communicate with the car takes forever at times, forcing you to simply not use it. The Jag app just works every time. The ME app takes forever to boot, if it actually does and can be frustrating. Not sure if you would use this tech in the Mercedes, but if you do, be prepared to be disappointed.
There is a lot of room to negotiate on the XF if you push the dealer, making it much more attractive. Anywhere from $12 – 18K off MSRP is not unreasonable depending on the dealer, how long they have had the car and how many XF’s they move. Since many people opt for SUV’s these days, the sedans are a good buy. I would think the wagons would be even better, although the inventories will be low. When I got the E300 in February, the dealer had all the cars on the lot at a flat 10% off sticker with no markups and would not negotiate further. It was still a good buy for the money. They had a black 2017 E400 wagon on the lot parked next to my car and it is still available for sale today. I am sure they are willing to deal.
Have you driven the current generation XF yet?
What specifically don't you like about the technology in the XF? What do you like about the Mercedes technology?
If technology is most important to you, make sure you drive one with the technology package and have the dealer show you all the features. Have the dealer's specialist go through a complete demo of the system, if you haven't already.
Perfect? No. Obsolete, definitely not.
I assume you are talking about the Jaguar infotainment system. If you are referring to the 2014 F-Type, then yes, it is pretty poor. This is not true in the newest Jaguars with the InControl Touch Pro Systems. Jaguar properly put the focus on performance, driving experience, theatrics and sound in the F-Type, instead of whiz bang tech toys (although the 2018’s get the toys). I rarely use the stereo in my 2014 F-Type because it distracts from the fun and I don’t care about the infotainment. The latest systems have vastly improved Jaguars dinosaur tech of the past and they have moved light years ahead.
To be clear on my experience, this is what I own for comparison:
2017 MB E300 with P2 pkg delivered 2/17
2017 XF S with all options except luxury pkg delivered 4/17
Being a tech-oriented person with an IT background and having driven both cars for a while, I prefer the Jag’s infotainment over the Mercedes in terms of actual use and features. I like the touch screen over the rotary dial. It all depends on what is important to you and what you like. The Mercedes screens are not as intuitive, especially changing radio or XM stations and there are many ways to do the same function. It also boots much slower than the Jag. The InControl unit in the XF can be slow at times when starting a navigation destination, but is generally quicker overall. I like being able to customize the home screens, you cannot do this in the Mercedes.
I would not say the latest tech in the Jag is obsolete, it is quite feature rich and modern (unless you are not looking to get the InControl touch pro and technology package). I do believe I would be very unhappy with my XF if it didn’t have the tech package. It should be standard on all XF’s. The P2 pkg in the Mercedes is nice but the P1 is all you really need in my opinion. The P3 increases the technology with options most people will not understand and jumps the price drastically.
I have expressed an issue with the front parking sensors working intermittently when pushing the button to activate them on my XF, in another thread. It seems others have had this problem. Pretty sure this is simply a software bug and it is literally the only service related issue I have with my car. The Mercedes automatically activates the front sensors beautifully, which is how they should work on the XF. A negative strike against Jaguar here. The lane departure and blind spot assist works well on both cars, but the Jag is better. I do like the adaptive cruise control on the Jag and do not have this option on the Mercedes. The parking assist/pilot is excellent on the XF and a bit choppy on the E300 when the wheels turn. Not a feature I use every day, but Jaguar has the better technology here.
Still focusing on technology, if you plan on using the Mercedes ME or Jaguar Remote apps from a phone, the Jaguar app is better and much faster to communicate with the car. Not something I use all the time, but remote starting the XF from my iPhone takes 3 seconds, whereas the Mercedes app thinks and thinks and mostly just times out doing nothing. It seems any feature where the ME app needs to communicate with the car takes forever at times, forcing you to simply not use it. The Jag app just works every time. The ME app takes forever to boot, if it actually does and can be frustrating. Not sure if you would use this tech in the Mercedes, but if you do, be prepared to be disappointed.
There is a lot of room to negotiate on the XF if you push the dealer, making it much more attractive. Anywhere from $12 – 18K off MSRP is not unreasonable depending on the dealer, how long they have had the car and how many XF’s they move. Since many people opt for SUV’s these days, the sedans are a good buy. I would think the wagons would be even better, although the inventories will be low. When I got the E300 in February, the dealer had all the cars on the lot at a flat 10% off sticker with no markups and would not negotiate further. It was still a good buy for the money. They had a black 2017 E400 wagon on the lot parked next to my car and it is still available for sale today. I am sure they are willing to deal.
Have you driven the current generation XF yet?
What specifically don't you like about the technology in the XF? What do you like about the Mercedes technology?
If technology is most important to you, make sure you drive one with the technology package and have the dealer show you all the features. Have the dealer's specialist go through a complete demo of the system, if you haven't already.
Perfect? No. Obsolete, definitely not.
The following users liked this post:
ololly (09-28-2017)
#12
09-28-2017, 10:11 PM
Member
The current generation Mercedes E class is an excellent choice and does have the edge in a few areas over the XF. I do disagree the technology in the latest Jaguars is obsolete and inferior to the Mercedes. Not sure specifically what you are talking about. Are you referring to the infotainment system, safety features, performance, etc.?
I assume you are talking about the Jaguar infotainment system. If you are referring to the 2014 F-Type, then yes, it is pretty poor. This is not true in the newest Jaguars with the InControl Touch Pro Systems. Jaguar properly put the focus on performance, driving experience, theatrics and sound in the F-Type, instead of whiz bang tech toys (although the 2018’s get the toys). I rarely use the stereo in my 2014 F-Type because it distracts from the fun and I don’t care about the infotainment. The latest systems have vastly improved Jaguars dinosaur tech of the past and they have moved light years ahead.
To be clear on my experience, this is what I own for comparison:
2017 MB E300 with P2 pkg delivered 2/17
2017 XF S with all options except luxury pkg delivered 4/17
Being a tech-oriented person with an IT background and having driven both cars for a while, I prefer the Jag’s infotainment over the Mercedes in terms of actual use and features. I like the touch screen over the rotary dial. It all depends on what is important to you and what you like. The Mercedes screens are not as intuitive, especially changing radio or XM stations and there are many ways to do the same function. It also boots much slower than the Jag. The InControl unit in the XF can be slow at times when starting a navigation destination, but is generally quicker overall. I like being able to customize the home screens, you cannot do this in the Mercedes.
I would not say the latest tech in the Jag is obsolete, it is quite feature rich and modern (unless you are not looking to get the InControl touch pro and technology package). I do believe I would be very unhappy with my XF if it didn’t have the tech package. It should be standard on all XF’s. The P2 pkg in the Mercedes is nice but the P1 is all you really need in my opinion. The P3 increases the technology with options most people will not understand and jumps the price drastically.
I have expressed an issue with the front parking sensors working intermittently when pushing the button to activate them on my XF, in another thread. It seems others have had this problem. Pretty sure this is simply a software bug and it is literally the only service related issue I have with my car. The Mercedes automatically activates the front sensors beautifully, which is how they should work on the XF. A negative strike against Jaguar here. The lane departure and blind spot assist works well on both cars, but the Jag is better. I do like the adaptive cruise control on the Jag and do not have this option on the Mercedes. The parking assist/pilot is excellent on the XF and a bit choppy on the E300 when the wheels turn. Not a feature I use every day, but Jaguar has the better technology here.
Still focusing on technology, if you plan on using the Mercedes ME or Jaguar Remote apps from a phone, the Jaguar app is better and much faster to communicate with the car. Not something I use all the time, but remote starting the XF from my iPhone takes 3 seconds, whereas the Mercedes app thinks and thinks and mostly just times out doing nothing. It seems any feature where the ME app needs to communicate with the car takes forever at times, forcing you to simply not use it. The Jag app just works every time. The ME app takes forever to boot, if it actually does and can be frustrating. Not sure if you would use this tech in the Mercedes, but if you do, be prepared to be disappointed.
There is a lot of room to negotiate on the XF if you push the dealer, making it much more attractive. Anywhere from $12 – 18K off MSRP is not unreasonable depending on the dealer, how long they have had the car and how many XF’s they move. Since many people opt for SUV’s these days, the sedans are a good buy. I would think the wagons would be even better, although the inventories will be low. When I got the E300 in February, the dealer had all the cars on the lot at a flat 10% off sticker with no markups and would not negotiate further. It was still a good buy for the money. They had a black 2017 E400 wagon on the lot parked next to my car and it is still available for sale today. I am sure they are willing to deal.
Have you driven the current generation XF yet?
What specifically don't you like about the technology in the XF? What do you like about the Mercedes technology?
If technology is most important to you, make sure you drive one with the technology package and have the dealer show you all the features. Have the dealer's specialist go through a complete demo of the system, if you haven't already.
Perfect? No. Obsolete, definitely not.
I assume you are talking about the Jaguar infotainment system. If you are referring to the 2014 F-Type, then yes, it is pretty poor. This is not true in the newest Jaguars with the InControl Touch Pro Systems. Jaguar properly put the focus on performance, driving experience, theatrics and sound in the F-Type, instead of whiz bang tech toys (although the 2018’s get the toys). I rarely use the stereo in my 2014 F-Type because it distracts from the fun and I don’t care about the infotainment. The latest systems have vastly improved Jaguars dinosaur tech of the past and they have moved light years ahead.
To be clear on my experience, this is what I own for comparison:
2017 MB E300 with P2 pkg delivered 2/17
2017 XF S with all options except luxury pkg delivered 4/17
Being a tech-oriented person with an IT background and having driven both cars for a while, I prefer the Jag’s infotainment over the Mercedes in terms of actual use and features. I like the touch screen over the rotary dial. It all depends on what is important to you and what you like. The Mercedes screens are not as intuitive, especially changing radio or XM stations and there are many ways to do the same function. It also boots much slower than the Jag. The InControl unit in the XF can be slow at times when starting a navigation destination, but is generally quicker overall. I like being able to customize the home screens, you cannot do this in the Mercedes.
I would not say the latest tech in the Jag is obsolete, it is quite feature rich and modern (unless you are not looking to get the InControl touch pro and technology package). I do believe I would be very unhappy with my XF if it didn’t have the tech package. It should be standard on all XF’s. The P2 pkg in the Mercedes is nice but the P1 is all you really need in my opinion. The P3 increases the technology with options most people will not understand and jumps the price drastically.
I have expressed an issue with the front parking sensors working intermittently when pushing the button to activate them on my XF, in another thread. It seems others have had this problem. Pretty sure this is simply a software bug and it is literally the only service related issue I have with my car. The Mercedes automatically activates the front sensors beautifully, which is how they should work on the XF. A negative strike against Jaguar here. The lane departure and blind spot assist works well on both cars, but the Jag is better. I do like the adaptive cruise control on the Jag and do not have this option on the Mercedes. The parking assist/pilot is excellent on the XF and a bit choppy on the E300 when the wheels turn. Not a feature I use every day, but Jaguar has the better technology here.
Still focusing on technology, if you plan on using the Mercedes ME or Jaguar Remote apps from a phone, the Jaguar app is better and much faster to communicate with the car. Not something I use all the time, but remote starting the XF from my iPhone takes 3 seconds, whereas the Mercedes app thinks and thinks and mostly just times out doing nothing. It seems any feature where the ME app needs to communicate with the car takes forever at times, forcing you to simply not use it. The Jag app just works every time. The ME app takes forever to boot, if it actually does and can be frustrating. Not sure if you would use this tech in the Mercedes, but if you do, be prepared to be disappointed.
There is a lot of room to negotiate on the XF if you push the dealer, making it much more attractive. Anywhere from $12 – 18K off MSRP is not unreasonable depending on the dealer, how long they have had the car and how many XF’s they move. Since many people opt for SUV’s these days, the sedans are a good buy. I would think the wagons would be even better, although the inventories will be low. When I got the E300 in February, the dealer had all the cars on the lot at a flat 10% off sticker with no markups and would not negotiate further. It was still a good buy for the money. They had a black 2017 E400 wagon on the lot parked next to my car and it is still available for sale today. I am sure they are willing to deal.
Have you driven the current generation XF yet?
What specifically don't you like about the technology in the XF? What do you like about the Mercedes technology?
If technology is most important to you, make sure you drive one with the technology package and have the dealer show you all the features. Have the dealer's specialist go through a complete demo of the system, if you haven't already.
Perfect? No. Obsolete, definitely not.
#13
09-29-2017, 03:10 PM
Senior Member
Jaguar has a tough battle to change perceptions on its vehicles from being plagued by past ownership problems, quality and service issues, and old world technology. TATA has changed that quickly with a ton of investment, cool designs, and offering a 5 year 60,000 mile warranty and maintenance coverage on Jaguars is a huge show of commitment on their part to ease concerns. I am really impressed with the Jaguar and Land Rover offerings across the board. Sadly, I think a lot of people just write them off without even looking. I, too, was in that group, until I was invited to drive the F-Type for the first time and it cost BMW another sale. I just hope Jaguar doesn't morph into BMW, where you start small, add water to get the next size, and so on, until they all look alike without a lot of character, in order to be the world sales leader. This is what drew me away from BMW.
#14
10-06-2017, 03:30 PM
I can’t pretend I have figured all of this out. But it seems the base Jag is $7,400 more than the base E. Let’s say the P1 package is reasonable, that adds $3,700 which makes the delta $3,700). The P2 package strikes me as silly and adds an additional $2,900. The P3 package adds $3,600 over the P2 (or $10,200 total) and is where the tech goodies are to be found.
The Jag tech package is $3,265 and the driver assistance package is $3,400. So if you take the assistance package and not the tech you get $73,800 vs the E with P1 at $66,800. A big difference in my estimation.
Now lets say you go whole hog and get the E and the P3 so you are at $73,250. Now the cars are about evenly priced. But you get the P3 evasive steering, active blind spot, active x-traffic braking, active lane change assist, those pre-safe things which I think as over-engineering, and a heads-up display. Plus a few standard items like the crosswind assist, and active brake assist.
Frankly, I am going to leave it to someone at one of the magazines who gets paid to do this sort of thing to sort it all out.
So my rough conclusion is that the Jag is more expensive and the MB has more goodies (with the price equaling P3 package).
The Jag tech package is $3,265 and the driver assistance package is $3,400. So if you take the assistance package and not the tech you get $73,800 vs the E with P1 at $66,800. A big difference in my estimation.
Now lets say you go whole hog and get the E and the P3 so you are at $73,250. Now the cars are about evenly priced. But you get the P3 evasive steering, active blind spot, active x-traffic braking, active lane change assist, those pre-safe things which I think as over-engineering, and a heads-up display. Plus a few standard items like the crosswind assist, and active brake assist.
Frankly, I am going to leave it to someone at one of the magazines who gets paid to do this sort of thing to sort it all out.
So my rough conclusion is that the Jag is more expensive and the MB has more goodies (with the price equaling P3 package).
#15
10-27-2017, 08:39 PM
I must say I wish Jaguar was being a little less ambitious with the Sportbrake . I would prefer the 340 BHP engine and 18/19 inch wheels. My concern is that the Sportbrake will not be offered for long enough for the line to expand the way the F Type has. I still think the pricing is too aggressive. But I sure would like one.
#16
10-30-2017, 09:15 PM
I note a flurry of reviews today (10/30/17) of the sport brake from AutoWeek etc. Generally positive, but not very enthusiastic. No discussion of the merits of the car vis-a-vis the competition, and clearly no discussion of the tech aspect. It is good to see JaguarUSA marketing getting the car some press. One interesting note is the statement to expect a broader range over time which should address the high price. My fear is that this will be like the Caddy CTS wagon, a short lived experiment.
#17
11-10-2017, 12:21 AM
Senior Member
#18
11-10-2017, 12:49 PM
I think there is more demand for wagons than meets the eye and that the herd mentality in the NJ import car community has been an important factor in the absence of wagons from the US. If you are going to make a wagon for Europe, it isn't that much of a stretch to import it to the US. A good wagon is a rational choice. The European consumer being rational takes wagons at an enormous rate, especially in Germany. The E wagon has more carrying capacity than the ML, drives better, and at least to me looks better than that shoe box on wheels. A friend just returned an RX 350 after 400 miles because she did want to do the climb into the cabin. Wagons are more user friendly. That MB, Jaguar, Porsche, and even Buick are going to offer wagons in the near future tells me the wind is changing. At least I hope so. The E wagon has the highest demographics of any MB vehicle and so I am not surprised Jaguar and Porsche want in on the action.
Last edited by Suaro; 11-10-2017 at 01:17 PM.
#20
11-28-2017, 10:29 PM
The LA Times included it in an introduction of 6 new models from different manufacturers. Gave it good marks. "Not an SUV, and not a sedan". Good power and handling with all the sedan bells and whistles plus load leveling.
