In final tally, our Jaguar XJL Supercharged charged to 2nd. In fact, those who dislike counting angels on the head of a pin would call it a tie with the 1st-place Audi. Between them, these two cars took every category but for Seats (the BMW) and Trunk (the Equus). And in Driving Excitement, the Jaguar dominated in our four drivers’ voting.
“The Jaguar is easily the most spirited of the four,” observed Elfalan, “I liken it to an Ivy League athlete because of its clean-shaven appearance paired with spry dynamics.”
A key to this is the Jaguar’s 5.0-liter supercharged V-8, topping the horsepower chart big time with 470 bhp. This and the Jag’s curb weight (at 4395 lb., our least ponderous yet hardly a lightweight) propelled it to 60 mph in the quickest time, 4.4 sec. It handily beat the others to the quarter mile too, 12.8 sec. at 111.1 mph.
“A fantastic engine,” said Hong, “its supercharged growl fitting the car’s namesake.”
Nevertheless, recalling our feelings on non-chauffeuring, we all found the driver’s seat of the XJL most definitely the best one in the house. Said Elfalan: “The Jaguar displays an airy playful feel that belies its size. Everything—throttle tip-in and liftoff, steering turn-in—is incredibly responsive, almost out of character for the class.”
DeLorenzo commended the Jaguar’s ride/handling compromise: “It was very comfortable and exhibited the least freeway hop. Yet when the road got twisty, the Jaguar had good grip and little in the way of body roll. It moves with speed and grace,” he concluded.
“Speed and grace,” a good summary, that. The Jaguar XJL was a strong finisher, topping seven of our 19 Objective and Subjective Rating categories.
Too bad about the Jaguar’s electronic infotainment, though. Its touch-screen received complaints from everyone for its lack of precision, convoluted menu paths—and agonizingly slow reaction times. “Had the iPhone this kind of delayed actuation,” noted Hong, “it would have been killed in the marketplace.”
The XJL’s interior didn’t garner as many plaudits, though. I felt it was by far the least roomy, but in the spirit of full disclosure I’m the oversize one with the fragile back. But other more agile colleagues concurred, especially about meager head room in the rear and complex ingress/egress back there.
I might pick the Jag as #1 in this Test. The 7 I find to look anywhere from dull to stunning on the roads, depending on its colors and options combo. Weirdly, whenever these comparisons come out, the 7 looks rather dated and bland next to the competitors that appear more expensive, while in person, at least from a distance, the 7'er is one of my favorites. It's when I get up close to the F01 that I find the design slightly lacking in a cunning sense of precision and character/allure, however, while at a short distance, it can look effortlessly beautiful and luxurious.
Interior wise, I don't love the Audi's as much as many do. It appears very fussy, lots of altering angles, and buttons, etc. I prefer the clean and simpler approach from Mercedes. The 7's interior never left an impression on me, and it's a weak spot now that the 5'ers is basically the same thing.
Finally, the Equus might win in value, but it doesn't have that underlying strength and refinement from the big boys yet, not to mention that the Design has the presence of a $20K car to me.

^ I'm not following Marcus? The Jag finished second here just behind the Audi - not last. ???
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