It doesn't surprise me that the E63 won but the reality is that at this level, the cars are all way faster than most can handle. The E63 and M5 have gotten so common now in some parts of the country that the XFR-S to me is a more interesting option (sans boy racer wing).

 

I agree with you 100 percent.. There are so many BMW and Benz here in Philly there's nothing unique about them. I drive my XFR around the block and everybody is taking a good look at it. Also you have to look at the option list of what comes with the E63 and M5. By the time your done, you could have bought two XFR-S.. LOL... I bet if you park the Benz, BMW and the XFR-S side by side in a Homedepot lot, The XFR-S will draw more attention even from the Benz and Bimmer drivers.. I'm just saying.

 

I agree as well. I got looks and compliments all the time. Especially while filling her up!

 

Last month I was in the Mercedes dealership having my CLS serviced and while waiting for the shuttle I went into the showroom. Having been thinking of replacing this car I was considering the E63 (which should really revert back to the E55 badge considering it's a 5.5 litre engine again). I don't like what they did with the styling on the new CLS model but if they had not screwed that up I would have bought a CLS63 as I really love that car. The E63 is pretty amazing with the 70/30 AWD (where the performance advantage is coming from) and dialed in interior... the car is mature from a design standpoint and few details are left unattended.

The problem with the E63 is it's success, I see them on a daily basis and unless you are looking for the details you could well say it was an E350 that just passed you by. The styling is more aggressive but it still looks like a German 4 door people mover... I just can't get excited about anything other than the acceleration.

A few weeks later we were at our house in Florida and I went into the Land Rover / Jaguar dealership where I bought my wife's Sport Autobiography. While chatting with my contact I asked him if he could get me an XFR-S and a week later he sent me a pic of a black one he found. I already have a black car and more to the point, a black XFR-S is a safe choice that I could not get inspired about for the same reason I couldn't buy an E63. A few days later he sent me the pic of the french racing blue one that he found and I bought it and had it shipped to California.

In the land of Teslas and Maseratis I will enjoy having this car, it stands out and offers plenty of performance, more than I could take advantage of. The odds of seeing another one are beyond remote given the limited number produced and the even smaller number in french racing blue, and even though it is more expensive than an E63, when you option up the Mercedes you are going to be in the same price range but more to the point if you are going to spend $100k or more on a car, relative price competitiveness is not your primary concern.

PS- I did not get the giant rear wing option.

 

Dang Jeff, I was really digging your post until I got to the very end and I see you decided against the big wing!

Congrats on your car.

 

Good Luck with the ride.. Can't wait to see some pic's. I think you made a good choice..

 

Thans for ruining my day......After attending a customer event at my local Maserati dealer just last night I had pretty much decided to upgrade my 2010 XFR to a Gran Turismo, but after reading your post I'm back to square one in making a decision. One of the big determining factors in the car I drive is exclusivity (I know not everyone cares about this but it's certainly a factor to me). And while I certainly can't say I've seen a ton of Maseratis flooding the streets (I live in NC), I've seen ZERO XFR-S and probably won't. Time to rethink my next move........well played jeff3545, well played.

 

Very happy with my XFR-S so far. This coming from a guy who has a C63. If Jag would have figured out a way to shave a few hundred pounds off the XFR-S, my bet is we'd have reviewers claiming it a Benz Beater. As it is now, I drive the C63 occasionally, the XFR more frequently. I have 45K miles on my C63 and it's held up wonderfully though. I hope the Jag holds up as well.