following on from the excellent 'scooby to m5' thread, i was looking for some opinions on these two cars.
basically, im 34 and want to go down to one car(got a tuned evo and a bmw e36 328 auto). the m5 sounds ideal, BUT, its manual, and i fancy a big engined auto next.

problem is, that while i think the xkr in particular is a good looking car (especially in brg with 20" detroit alloys), my girlfriend thinks its an old mans car

basically, i want RWD, big V8, prefer auto, but cant afford an rs6 oh, and if it can be tuned slightly its a bonus


any ideas? any opinions on the clk55 amg or xkr?

your advice is much appreciated

p.s. edited to say the clk im talking about is the previous shape one, not the hugely expensive new one
im setting my budget at no more than 35k (ish)

[Edited by Spudgun VI - 8/22/2003 8:51:08 AM]

 

Don't forget the Audi S8 which I think has the tiptronic box and paddle shifts (though obviosly not RWD) - albeit it's the size of a house.

The ultimate in lazy though is an Overfinch tuned Range Rover. OK it won't go around corners and will need an £80 re-fill every half an hour but all thet luxury and a 5.7 tuned Chevrolet V8 sounds like a laugh.

Not answering your original question I know but just a though.

 

I'm 6"3' and I couldn't fit in an XKR

 

Spud

I would say the 55, too many reliability problems with the Jags , shame cuz the XKR is a lovely looking car.

Just my opinion


Iain

 

CLK 55 AMG - 350 bhp and 375 Ibft torque. Pretty quick but not quite the power of the XKR and RS6. XKR is very quick but have to agree it is an old man's car - couldnt face one myself. But then the CLK also to me is an old man's car.

Why not look at an normal S6 (340bhp) or even the 4.2 A6 (300 bhp) ? Just an idea.

 

RS4, modded to 450bhp by MTM.

 

I've test driven an XKR 370bhp and driven amates XK8 cab, recently test drove CLK55Komp and have owned a couple of V8 mercedes, now got an S55AMG.

The XK's as said above they are really quite small inside, same chassis as the old XJS, hardly any rear leg room in the coupe or headroom and no rear leg room in the cab. The XKR is fast (not quite as quick as an M3) engin e is smooth but you do sometimes get a whine from the super charger when you boot it, its got a really nice auto box, the ride on the 20 inch wheels is a bit rougher than the cab I drove but alright, the CATS suspension ststem is supposed to be semi active to minimise roll on cornering and help the handling it helped a bit but although there is some feed back from the chassis it isn't a lot and even overriding the gerabox manually doesn't give too much control on the twisties, the seering was okay but didn't have much feel. Seats were good but could do with an adjustable head rest and could go lower.

The Cl also has very little rear leg room, but masses more room in the front and some rear head room for an adult male, i think the boot is bigger too. The Merc does have some steering feel and its ABC body control suspension really does work minimising body roll and reducing weight transfer on s bends on twisty roads, the chassis has loads of grip and whilst its no M3 it can be chucked around like a much smaller car. The ride is firm but superbly dampened on the 18 inch wheels. The engine in this one was the 500bhp, but like the S430 I had its silky smooth and the auto box is as good as the jags but with a better override system giving more control on winding roads (has finger button on the wheel) and very handy for over taking when you don't want to kick down.



The 367bhp S55 Saloon was tested by road and track mag
1.4
3.2
5.7
9.0
13.4
14.1 @ 102.7 mph
Time to speed, sec
0–20 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.4
0–40 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3.2
0–60 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.7
0–80 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9.0
0–100 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.4

Time to distance
0–1320 ft (1⁄4 mile). . . . . . . . . . .14.1 @ 102.7 mph

The XKR 370bhp (later ones have more)Cra nad Driver tested it in august 2000

Zero to 30 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.1

40 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2.9
50 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4.0

60 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.2
70 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6.6

80 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.3
90 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.3

100 mph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.5

Standing 1/4-mile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.8 sec @ 105 mph
Top speed (governor limited). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 mph


Both great cars, looking at these tests performance is closer than you think the jag is only 0.9 secs 0-100mph quicker.

The XKR is a great car fast , good looking, has a good engine and box lovely leather and wood, but I think the CL is a better allrounder feels really special and actually seems to handle better for fast road use.

I've been amazed at how enjoyable chucking my s55 about can be for such a big car and it uses virtually the same chassis and suspension as the CL55.

 

He is talking about the CLK not the CL

 

Standard S6 very cheap compared too RS6 at a couple of years old!
mmmmmm S6!

 

Both are owned in the family; XKR I believe will be a classic in many years though from the new shots of the latest version its looking dated though this is a gentlemans cruiser - cigar in one hand, brandy glass in the other (with lemonade).

Depending on the spec list, brake upgrade & 19inch wheels are essential. Owner father figure............grey hair plays golf etc

AMG again stunning car many options to pick from but the latest shape & model, goes well & seems to be the sports car for the 40 plus....

When driving them performance is similar though the jags nose is oh so long so watch out for high kerbs.....if it was me I'd go for the Merc - if I was 20 years older I'd go for the jag......

Decisions, decisions

 

Considered an HSV GTS?

 

cheers for the feedback everyone, much appreciated.

it kinda reinforces what ive been thinking, i.e. jag is a bit too old for me at the moment shame really.

looks like when i change it'll be to the m3 with smg that my girlfriend is dying for me to get oh well, heres to a couple of years being the object of everyones hatred on the road

mind you, a silver m3 with red or black leather is a nice place to be when everyones calling you an arrogant c*nt