Hello, all. I recently had an ‘07 Mercedes CLS63 AMG totaled (still grieving that one, let me tell you) and am now considering a 2016 XJL as a replacement. I’ve read reviews and watched videos, and looked around the last few months of posts here, as well. Ironically, have not been able to drive one because they are hens teeth. There is a SWB 3.0 that I sat in and May ask to drive.

I’m more drawn to the SWB proportions, but the reality is I am 6’6” and tend to take ALL the front seat track space. As move as I loved - LOVED - the CLS, it bordered on snug. Hence, I have the feeling the LWB may be where it’s at for me. (I also can’t find any SWB V8’s - want that for sure.) my questions:

1. 1) the LWB loos absolutely titanic. Are they cumbersome to wield on city streets, parking lots, etc? I don’t live in NY. Or Boston, but it is a crowded metropolitan area.
2. The electronics - this would be a 6 year old car I’d be trying to pair with an iphone13. Will it work?
   
3. I generally hate touch screens, preferring buttons or knob controllers (MB COMMAND). Seat heaters, for example. In all of my cars, it was a readily accessible button. In my wife’s XC90, I have to wait for Sensus to come to life before I start toasting my buns. What can you say about living with InControl Touch Pro?
4. What will the Turin g off of 3g mean for the car in the coming months?
5. Apart from the water pump - which seems to be a must-do by 50 but not necessarily preemptively before then - are there service issues particular to the 2016’s?
6. How “delicate” is the interior? My kids are older, so I’m not especially worried about carrying them, but I do still carry them from time to time and am not in a place in life (or of a mind) to nightly or even weekly clean and condition leather.
7. Any comments or input generally? I know folks are here by choice, so that indicates your outlook, but having shared my situation, I’m curious if folks have other thoughts.
   

With thanks in advance, regards.

 

Hi

I own a XJ R (351) 2016 and would recommend the car as the ideal combination of comfort and performance. Re your questions

1. The LWB is about 5 inches longer than my car but I have not experienced any problems in the UK parking or driving although I would suggest the surround camera system is worth considering as it makes it easier in tight situations
2. I have an android phone and have no difficulty pairing the phone and music
3. The Touch Screen can be slow but the heated seats have a separate switch which takes you directly to the cool/heated seat screen
4. Not sure about 3g but perhaps Jaguar Customer Service could advise
5. There are lists of potential faults on the forum but I have owned 3 XJ's and a number of Mercedes/BMW's as company cars and I would say Jaguar is just as reliable
6. I have 3 grandchildren and the interior has proved to be childproof

As I said at the beginning the XJ particularly the 5.0 I believe is a very good all round car and the interior is stunning which makes every journey special

Hope that helps

Tony

 

I appreciate your response, Tony R. It is good to hear you talk of comparable reliability among the brands.

I was hoping to find an XJR, but I think it was actually your comment in another thread that it is more power than you could ever actually need. Thus, I’m willing to “settle” for the supercharged 5.0.

Re: your grandkids, I think that’s my subconscious hurdle on the car — am I actually old enough (just past 50) to drive the LWB. But I guess that’s fooling myself. And I’m any case, drive what you like, right?👍🏽

 

Hello and Welcome to the forum.

If you really loved your CLS63, you probably have good rapport with your dealer or independent service shop. As you know, European luxury cars are not maintenance-free. Particularly if you're buying pre-owned, service availability and competence are an important factor in brand selection. Have you looked at a newer CLS?

1. There is no difference in front seat legroom between the XJ and XJL. If you can fit an the CLS, you can probably fit in the XJ. Your Merc has 0.6" more front legroom. Of course, shoulder and hip room must also be taken into consideration, so a trial fit is a must.
2. Can't help with this. Like Tony, I have Android (and no difficulties).
3. XJ infotainment systems improve almost continuously during the model's lifetime. My 2012 has the same hard button to recall seat temp and massage as Tony's.
4. My understanding is that the 2014-2017 m/y XJs will lose all over-the-air features with the discontinuation of 3G. If this is true, I'd consider it a deal-breaker.
5. Like the infotainment, the water pump and plumbing improved year-on-year. If (4.) is accurate, then your smart choice would be a 2018+ model. This would also give you the possibility of buying CPO with factory warranty. Or you could be a curmudgeon/Luddite like me, and eschew the 8-speed gearbox, start-stop foolishness, etc. But you'd have to find a cherry that already had the sticky buttons, sunroof and water pump fixed.
6. The Portfolio interior (standard on the XJL and highly recommended) is durable. Jaguar used different parts of the cow for difference surfaces. There's a thread out here somewhere to amaze you. However, there is no pass-thru to the trunk on earlier models. Probably not on later ones, either. The trunk is also tiny for a large car.
7. Just drive a couple of them. You'll know more in 5 minutes behind the wheel than reading about them for hours. If you're more specific about your location, perhaps a forum member will offer a test drive.

 

53,000 miles and 7 years on my original water pump. But the plastic cooling system pipes are starting to fail.

Might be a case for doing the whole lot, all the plastic cooling system pipes, thermostat housing, and water pump, pro-actively before then.

 

+1 on inspecting the cooling system and replacing the water outlet and rear heater pipe as they're known failure points. The AJ133/AJ126 do not like to be overheated as the cylinder block and or heads can warp causing the head gasket(s) to fail.

 

@NBCat @MarkSF @Baltobernie -

thanks for your replies. My CLS was a gen1. Based on my sit down in an XJ, I think it is roomier up front. An XJL certainly would be roomier in the back.

The car I’m looking at is a 1-owner, 22k miles, only-dealer-serviced 2016 with the premium rear seat package. The owner traded it in on a 2022 Alpina, so I’m confident s/he took good care while they owned it.

Though it is less than 12” longer than my CLS, I think it appears so large because of the design - a single uninterrupted line from the front of the bonnet to the rear of the boot. So many other cars of similar size - S-class, 7-series, etc - have additional swoops and waves that break it up. The XJL just looks like a cruise missile.

I’m just not sure about this whole 3g/telematics thing.

 

I've had mine for 3 years, never used any telematics, and have no intention of ever doing so. It's a car, not an iphone.

 

@Mark SF , perhaps I’m misunderstanding, then. What is the prospective of the 3g sundown? No more remote start, right? Navigation?

Pairing a phone will still be possible for blue tooth calling, yes?

also, as I understand it there is a 60gb hard drive. Can you rip cd’s to that? (Maybe I’m not too young to drive this — I still have cd’s. &#128518

 

No remote start, nav or hotspot. SOS may still be available; opinions vary. Bluetooth is not affected. The 2012 hard drive will accept 6 ripped CDs.
I wrote to JLR USA weeks ago asking about 3G, and never got a response.

 

• As big as the LWB seems, its actually very small and nimble when driving. I've ONLY owned LWB and live in NJ/NY....never had an issue, never felt that i was too big (unless trying to park in the city). also, personal opinion, the car looks better as LWB
• Yes it will work. You will need at least 1 song on the phones memory to use bluetooth audio
• generally agree, InControl is much better than the previous version, you'll end up getting used to it, its not a show stopper
• I would say somewhere in the middle. you can tell the leather in the driveseat was wearing out by 50k....but the rest of the interior was in fairly great shape. i wouldnt worry too much. just make sure you clean up spills
• if you're considering a 3.0V6....you're going to be INCREDIBLY disappointed coming from a CLS63. make sure you're looking for a SC V8 or XJR

 

Thanks for your reply, @carzaddict . It is an SC I am looking at.

 

I own a CLS55 AMG and XJ 5.0 SC. Also CL63 AMG among others

XJ is real leather, real dash. It requires a bit more care than the soft touch vinyl and mb tex or whatever Mercedes uses in their models. XJ is definitely roomier no question about it, and I have SWB not LWB.

I am on the original water pump on mine at 11 years and 60k miles. I bought all the latest parts to replace it, but I kind of don't want to touch anything that works. Generally I find "preventative maintenance" ends up fixing one thing and breaking two in the process. I inspect mine for leaks regular and would immediately pull over and shut off the car at the first indication of coolant loss

Controls through the touch screen kind of annoys me. There is a physical button to bring up the heated seat menu but still requires touch screen input. At least the seats are truly cooled rather than the nonsense cooling in Mercedes.

 

@silvertonesx24 , this is really helpful. Thanks. I have to say, I loved that M156. That said, at least from the videos, the Jaguar 5.0 SC sounds wonderful as well, and presents a more stark contrast to the appearance of the XJ.

I’m getting close to making my decision.