Fat-Cat Sedans: BMW 750iL vs. Jaguar XJ12, Mercedes-Benz S500 - Car and Driver
As the decimal point ka-chunks over to six figures on the window sticker—in this day of megadeals and gigabytes, $100,000 qualifies as one biggabuck— the gasp you hear is not from us. Nobody here cringes at the prospect of great cars. When three of the world's top automakers proffer four-doors at the one -biggabuck price point (close enough, after gas-guzzler and luxury taxes), we break out the crate of fresh superlatives we've been saving for that special occasion. In this regard, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz have earned places at the exclusive head table—each offers a V-12. That's the good news. To get down to one biggabuck, we had to trim our aspirations back to the S500, a dimensionally similar sedan propelled by a 32-valve 5. 0-liter V-8. At $101,726 as tested, this lesser Mercedes still weighed in at the heaviest price. The Jaguar XJ12 is a variation on the familiar XJ6, upgraded with a 6. 0-liter V-12 and other details. While the world's automakers constantly adjust their images in hopes of attracting new buyers, Jaguar just keeps doing what it has always done with wood and leather, with shapes and shadows. At $92,688 out the door, the XJ12 is the only one of the group that could sell itself without a test drive. As luxury cars reach for new capabilities, they leave behind the days when a guy who. Source: www.caranddriver.com
