WOW! What's wrong here? BMW 650i convertible LOSES to a Jaguar?

This month's Car and Driver does a comparison of 5 high end convertibles

The Porsche 911, Cadillac XLR-V, Jaguar XK, Mercedes SL550, and the BMW 650i.

When I was reading the final tally I was in shock when I saw the BMW 650 end up in the 4th place slot!

The final ranking went like this:

5. Cadillac XLR-V
4. BMW 650i
3. Jaguar XK
2. Porsche 911
1. Mercedes S550

After reading the rankings I'm beginning to wonder about these guys...

Here's how we would have picked them (Remember, we prefer a drivers car not a mush melon)

5. Jaguar XK- Styling doesn't do it for us
4. Cadillac XLR-V-Awesome engine/handling but interior quality is a letdown
3/2. TIE-Mercedes SL550/BMW 650i-Mercedes is the best looking of all of them but the 650 convertible has really grown on us over time. It's the only new BMW design that works for us (We'll give the addition of new M Coupe into their stable honorable mention from a styling perspective), it looks fantastic driving on the road, the engine is killer and we like the extra space in the back.
1. Porsche 911-Simply the best 911 ever and even better in the S version

Lexus - 6/30/2006 5:08:54 PM

+1 Boost

Although, I am a big Lexus fan but the I think the BMW 650i convertible/coupe look way more sexy than the Jaguar XK. If I had to choose between the two, I go with the BMW 650i.

Lexus

MercBasher - 6/30/2006 7:44:05 PM

0 Boost

don't fret this is one of those moments where the reviewers give a little bounce to a new introduction - a year from now everyone will laugh. . . its a little like all the reviews over the years which say something like one of these:

(a.) "this new Infiniti/Cadillac/Acura will surely give the 3 series a run"

(b.) "although our test Range Rover / Jaguar / Mercedes spent three weeks in the shop we believe the manufacturers when they say that they have addressed the quality issues, and we think its perfect for a one-vehicle family"

three2four - 6/30/2006 11:52:35 PM

+1 Boost

The XLR-V should be at the top spot, i have no idea how people could say that the xlr-v has bad interior quality. It has fine french leather, suede door and seat inserts, leather wrapped dashboard just like the 911 except you dont have to pay thousands extra, genuine steel, and gauges made by the famed italian jeweler BVLGARI. It also has genuine exotic Zingana wood trim throughout the interior.

ContiRoane - 7/1/2006 3:45:13 AM

+1 Boost

The XLR-V also has a giant bus sized steering wheel, bad bad plastic throughout, un-supportive seats, a cheap looking Nav/Climate/Audio interface, poor leather quality and most importantly.....a $100,000 sticker price.

These are things the Mercedes, BMW and Porsche most certainly do not have.

When one drops over 100 grand for a car...they expect damn near perfect !!!!

The XLR-V has some very noticeable flaws.

JUGNU - 7/1/2006 6:31:16 AM

+1 Boost

5)Cadillac XLR-V- High output engine and good ride,but interior again as usuall with all GM ars is a biggg letdown.

4)Jaguar XK - only there coz of its rich heritage,design and mainly due to Ian Callum.

3)BMW 650i-THe Cabrio and M variants are great,very fun to drive machine,great handling,bigg and bold design.

2)Porsche 911-A real sports car,with nothing not to like,but it's very evolutionary.

1)Mercedes SL-A great overall Sports car,with stuning design and performance,simply the best.

JUGNU----->THE CARMAN

JUGNU - 7/1/2006 6:31:16 AM

+1 Boost

atomicbri - 7/1/2006 8:37:07 AM

+2 Boost

I don't think the 6 series is all that, and neither did C&D.... the M6 is a 'Bahn Burner, however the other ones are not all that great looking. 2 people around here have a 6 series that I see on a daily basis, both convertibles and they really look kind of bland in a weird way. Not sure why, but they do. and that humped assed rear end.... Not sexy at all. The XK is not to bad to me, yes yes I know you all bitch how it has a Taurus grille...(Which it doesn't FOrd used Jag to design the Taurus grille....) but I still think the XK has a sexy presense to it. I have seen it in person and it is hot....

three2four - 7/1/2006 2:37:47 PM

+1 Boost

Of course Top Gear magazine would rank the XK at the top pf the list. It is a British magazine and they always favorr British cars. Have you ever seen their tv show, they said that the XKR was better than the SL55 AMG and the Maserati Cambiocorsa, which we all know is far from being right. It's obvious that you don't know what you are talking about and love to hate everything that American automakers build. BVLGARI's name is on the gauges and also on the key fob. You want to talk about plastic, look at the SL 550. I purchased an SL600 about a year ago and it spent more time in the garage alongside the other car that i wish i never bought, the BMW 745Li. In a $148,000 Benz, i expected a little better. And for the record, i don't work for cadillac, i just hate when people talk bad about things they know nothing about.

three2four - 7/1/2006 3:14:33 PM

+1 Boost

It's great to see someone on here with common sense.

three2four - 7/1/2006 3:35:26 PM

+1 Boost

You say the escalade is making an effort, you are sadly mistaken. NO, the escalade made an effort back in 1999 when the first escalade hit showrooms and sunk the navigators market. There is only one word to describe the escalade when compared to its competitors, King.

three2four - 7/1/2006 6:52:08 PM

+1 Boost

I probably kept it for at the most 6 months. I hated the iDrive and the car was in the shop more in the shop instead of the street. Have you had any problems with yours?

three2four - 7/2/2006 3:14:15 PM

+1 Boost

I currently have a Maserati quattroporte sport gt and an 07 escalade ext. How about you?

L0RD0FTHER1NGS - 7/3/2006 4:07:00 AM

+1 Boost

British or German Engineering? Hands down I would work with the Germans, as much as I deslike BMW's I would take it instead of the Jag.

three2four - 7/4/2006 2:48:16 PM

+1 Boost

I would recommend the CLS55 and the CL55. I used to like the SL55 but that changed after I bought the XLR-V. The Quattroporte is amazing and the performance is great for a full-size luxury sedan.

three2four - 7/5/2006 3:26:02 PM

+1 Boost

I know the leases are terrible, they wanted $1900 a month for a base Quattroporte without any options for a 4 year lease. I always lease cars, its so much better because the payments are lower and you get new cars every couple of years. I bought the Quattroporte and like i said in my last comment, the car is AMAZING. Its that Italian engine, i cant get enough of it either.