I just traded my 99 Corvette for an 08 Mercedes CL 550. I've been driving the MB now for a week. Got back into the Jag. yesterday. The Jag has better throttle response, brakes feel better and the Jag gets more thumbs up ! and the mileage is better. Jag was a $500 investment, now 1 year later it's $3600 invested. Mercedes $18000 invested and I'm doing brakes next week. Have an appointment to flush the hydraulic suspension for $500 ! This should be an interesting year of comparisons.

 

Almost 100 more hp out of that 5.5 V8, and "only" 2 doors, and a lot more money. Will be interesting to see how the comparison with the Jag progresses.

 

I like older MB's but generally speaking Jaguars are more the driver's car. Comparing them to BMW or Maserati is more appropriate. The fact you like the XJ more speaks volumes considering it's fundamentally a much older technology car being based on the XJ40 platform.