The Great Car Showdown: Mercedes CLS 55 AMG vs Jaguar XJR

In a battle of speed and power, two luxurious cars faced off against each other in a high-stakes showdown. The Mercedes CLS 55 AMG, with its impressive 476 horsepower, took the lead early on, accelerating to 60 mph quicker than a Porsche 911 at £70,000 - a staggering eight grand more than its rival. However, just when it seemed like the Mercedes had the upper hand, the Jaguar XJR emerged from the shadows.

Despite being powered by only 400 horsepower, the XJR made up for lost steam due to its lighter weight. A full 250 kilos lighter than its opponent, the Jag's power-to-weight ratio was remarkably similar to that of the Mercedes. This allowed the XJR to carve through tight corners with ease, its supercharged 4.2 L engine roaring to life around every curve.

But what truly set the XJR apart from its rival was its clever use of lightweight materials in its construction. With extensive use of aluminium alloys in its chassis and bodywork, the XJR weighed a mere 1.5 tons - a far cry from the Mercedes' nearly two-ton weight. This gave the XJR an unexpected advantage when it came to setting quick lap times.

The XJR's owner set a target time of 54.9 seconds for their lap, but they knew that the Mercedes was no pushover either. With its powerful 5.4 L supercharged engine and seemingly firmer chassis, the CLS 55 AMG looked like it had the edge in terms of raw power. However, as soon as the lights went out, the XJR made a move for the lead.

The CLS 55 AMG's owner took advantage of their more powerful engine to accelerate away from the start line, but they knew that the XJR was no pushover. Despite having less horsepower on paper, the Jag had somehow managed to shave precious seconds off its own lap time in recent weeks. The owner couldn't resist giving it a try themselves.

With the ESP switched off and the steering feeling more responsive than ever before, the CLS 55 AMG's owner felt a sense of confidence as they pushed their car to its limits. But just when they thought they had the edge, disaster struck - or rather, did not strike. The CLS 55 AMG's owner reported that despite having the computer interruption still active, they were able to maintain control and make progress down the track.

However, one crucial aspect of the XJR's performance was yet to be tested: its ability to handle the high-speed corners on this particular circuit. As soon as the XJR's owner hit top speed, their car began to wobble precariously around every turn. The power-to-weight ratio may have been similar, but in reality, it felt like they were fighting a losing battle against gravity itself.

And yet, despite all of its wildness and understeer, the XJR had one trick up its sleeve that ultimately proved decisive - its incredibly low weight. With the Mercedes struggling to keep pace as the lap wore on, the XJR took advantage of every opportunity to pull away from its rival. By the time they crossed the finish line, it was a staggering 1.17 seconds behind the CLS 55 AMG.

But in the end, it wasn't about being the fastest - it was about whether power could beat weight. The answer was no - and the XJR's owner knew that as soon as they saw their car cross the finish line first.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entime for a shootout the Mercedes CLS 55 AMG 476 horsepower and quicker than a Porsche 911 to 60 at £70,000 it's 8 Grand More Than This the Jaguar XJR with only 400 horsepower it seems the Merks got it in the bag but then the Jags got less weight being a full 250 kilos lighter so the two cars power to weight ratios are remarkably similar but which is quickest I know it feels like this shape of Jaguar saloon has been with us for about half a century but this latest XJ Series has only actually with us for 2 years and this their pride and joy the XJR has only been out for one with its supercharged 4.2 L engine and I can assure you this 400 horsepower is quite a handful when let loose around this tight angles in circuit but it's all a bit too soft and rly to have a letter r for racing behind it but despite all its wildness this Jaguar has got one important trick up its sleeve and that is for its size it's a very light car they've extensively used aluminium Alloys in the chassis building they got aluminium Bodywork and so it weighs just over 1 and 1/2 tons time to try and keep it neat and tidy to set a quick lap time the Jag sets a target of 54.9 seconds and so to the Mercedes and the question can Power Beat weight because we now have a car that weighs nearly two tons compared to the Jag it's like I've got three passengers sitting beside me and behind me but with a 5.4 L supercharged engine we've also got a lot more power this is my kind of Mercedes of course they call it a coupe but it's still a a four-door Saloon in all intents and purpose I think they've also at the same time firmed up the chassis somewhere they give the steering more feeling we've still got the computer interruption we still even though we got the ESP Switched Off we can't get rid of it all and yet they haven't really left that much on I've still got plenty of opposite loot to use and the brakes are fading so I think it's time for me to go for that lap time by radar the mighty MC is already nearly a second ahead a lead which it maintains down to the hair pin finally beating the Jagger cross the line by 1.17 secondstime for a shootout the Mercedes CLS 55 AMG 476 horsepower and quicker than a Porsche 911 to 60 at £70,000 it's 8 Grand More Than This the Jaguar XJR with only 400 horsepower it seems the Merks got it in the bag but then the Jags got less weight being a full 250 kilos lighter so the two cars power to weight ratios are remarkably similar but which is quickest I know it feels like this shape of Jaguar saloon has been with us for about half a century but this latest XJ Series has only actually with us for 2 years and this their pride and joy the XJR has only been out for one with its supercharged 4.2 L engine and I can assure you this 400 horsepower is quite a handful when let loose around this tight angles in circuit but it's all a bit too soft and rly to have a letter r for racing behind it but despite all its wildness this Jaguar has got one important trick up its sleeve and that is for its size it's a very light car they've extensively used aluminium Alloys in the chassis building they got aluminium Bodywork and so it weighs just over 1 and 1/2 tons time to try and keep it neat and tidy to set a quick lap time the Jag sets a target of 54.9 seconds and so to the Mercedes and the question can Power Beat weight because we now have a car that weighs nearly two tons compared to the Jag it's like I've got three passengers sitting beside me and behind me but with a 5.4 L supercharged engine we've also got a lot more power this is my kind of Mercedes of course they call it a coupe but it's still a a four-door Saloon in all intents and purpose I think they've also at the same time firmed up the chassis somewhere they give the steering more feeling we've still got the computer interruption we still even though we got the ESP Switched Off we can't get rid of it all and yet they haven't really left that much on I've still got plenty of opposite loot to use and the brakes are fading so I think it's time for me to go for that lap time by radar the mighty MC is already nearly a second ahead a lead which it maintains down to the hair pin finally beating the Jagger cross the line by 1.17 seconds\n"