Jaguar XFR: $210,900 as tested
Benz E 63 AMG $251,180 as tested

ENGLAND vs. GERMANY
As the new BMW M5 arrives in Australia, we take a look at two of its nearest adversaries: Britain's Jaguar XFR and Germany's Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG.
Both hold high esteem in this prestigious and fiercely fought sector. And both offer a profusion of force-fed power, sport-spec suspension and all the luxury appointments one could wish for.

Testing the two models head-to-head it's obvious the cars have distinctively different personalities however.

The XFR is surprisingly supple, easier to manhandle through corners and accelerates effortlessly to quickly broach the legal speed limit. The car communicates freely with the driver too, and to us at least, is more elegant than its slab-sided German opponent, boasting sinewy lines and aggressive proportions.

The Mercedes-Benz on the other hand feels stiffer, is razor-sharp in response and relentless in its pursuit of speed. Its novocaine interaction, especially through the steering, can at times detract from its intuitive reflexes, but the latest chassis technology and AMG's standard electronic ensemble ensure the assertive driver wants for nothing.

DIFFERENT APPROACH, SAME GOAL
When it comes to ease of use, the E-Class can feel complicated for the sake of being complicated. There's a myriad of buttons, dials and levers that require you to take your eyes off the road to locate. The Jaguar on the other hand is simpler, more intuitive, and this despite having very nearly the same level of options fitted. We also found little things like auto lights and wipers to be better controlled in the Jaguar, especially in low light and misty conditions.

For its lack of electronic damping and chassis control, the XFR does a very good job of managing a level of road holding that's nearly on par with the Mercedes-Benz. That said, body roll is slightly more evident in the Jag and the front end can push (understeer) during abrupt manoeuvres. The only real niggle we noticed with the E 63 was a twitchy rear end under hard braking.

This brings us to the stoppers themselves. Both do a fine job of hauling their respective cars to rest, though we did note a sharper initial bite from the AMG. Modulation is also a little more exact on the Mercedes-Benz, though neither seemed to fade after repeated heavy application.

POWER PLAY
Power delivery, despite the on-paper figures, also felt more tractable from the Jag, its flat torque curve offering plenty of drive right from idle. The rev limiter can approach very quickly, too, and as the ZF transmission will not shift up until prompted (in manual mode), you may find yourself needing to keep one eye on the tacho.

That's not to say the Merc isn't quick. In fact it really hauls along once it gets its breath - it just takes the turbochargers a little longer than the Jag's supercharger to spool up. However acceleration in the V8 engine's mid to high reaches in phenomenal – and we only had the standard 700Nm package. We can't imagine what another 100Nm would do!

The Mercedes-Benz AMG outputs 386kW from its twin turbo 5.5-litre V8, while the Jaguar finds 375kW from its 5.0-litre supercharged V8. Inside the cab, Merc sounds tougher too - louder and dirty. The Jag is more subtle here and around town, the story was much the same.

Ride and comfort was suppler in the Jaguar, the softer squab and compliance of the leather feeling rather dapper, even if ultimately it lacked the support provided by Mercedes-Benz's ultra-cool dynamically adjusting seats. The driving position was however slightly better in the Mercedes with support and visibility tenths ahead of the cushy Briton.

THE VERDICT: BIG CAT WINS, BY A WHISKER
The harder-edge Mercedes-Benz might shave seconds from your lap times, but we're not sure the amount of electronic wizardry is really worth the extra $40K over its European rival. What Jaguar manages from its single state of tune says a lot about this car's capability as much as it does about its liveability. 

The attention to detail, uncluttered high quality cabin and silky-smooth supercharged performance give the big cat an air of sophistication the clinical Mercedes just can't match; even if we're sure it would be a more relevant rival to the new M5.

Specifications:

Jaguar XFR
Price: $210,900
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Ouput: 375kW/625Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
0-100km/h: 4.9 seconds
Wheels / Tyres: 20 x 8.5-inch / 255/35R20
Fuel / CO2: 12.5L/100km / 292g/km

Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG
Price: $240,985 ($251,180 as tested)
Engine: 5.5-litre twin-turbocharged V8
Output: 386kW/700Nm (410kW/800Nm)
Transmission: Seven-speed MCT
0-100km/h: 4.3 seconds
Wheels / Tyres: 19 x 9.0-inch / 255/35R20
Fuel / CO2: 9.8L/100km / 230g/km

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