One Owners Comparison Between these 2 fine GT’s from the mid 2000’s
Having owned these cars alongside each other for several weeks over winter (not summer unfortunately), it was fascinating to compare these two rivals, that once competed for your £60k - £70k when you wanted to arrive at the golf club or Cote D’Azur in style and at pace.
Let’s start with LOOKS – Always subjective, but even the most ardent Chris Bangle fan, would have to concede that Ian Callum’s design on the X150 is both more cohesive, and sleeker in execution. However, given the borderline ridicule the mid 2000’s Bangle Beemers received at the time when launched, it’s very fair to say, that (7 Series aside), the BMW products from this time look rather good now. In Stratus Grey the big 6 looks as good as it can, and from the front very much like a Z4 that keeps coming back for seconds.
The 20 inch rims on the XKR look absolutely perfect and it’s just a pretty car without a bad angle. The E64 works better from some angles than others, and that big old butt cannot lie. Fun fact – if you have the boot open, the side profile on the coupe version looks VERY 911. Jag wins but not by as much as it would have in 2007.
INTERIOR – This is one where both cars score and lose points. The Jag being slightly newer in launch year (2006 vs 2003) has much better infotainment system with early touchscreen functionality. Being a JLR system, it works when it wants to, and compared to anything from the past 10 years, it still feels very dated. The original i-Drive for BMW was innovative (if you are feeling kind), and downright infuriating if you were being honest. To be fair, I rarely touch it, as I don’t use the Nav, rarely change heater settings, and play my music through an Aux Bluetooth adaptor. Fit and finish – The Jaguar looks prettier with some quality touches, but the BMW feels better nailed together, and more solid. Simple things like opening the windows and doors the Jag feels light and flimsy, and that’s not just the aluminium talking.
Being a 100kg, 6’8, 50 year old, driver comfort is pretty important, and something that many cars just cannot offer me. While I can fit easily enough in both, the BMW has the far better seating position, and over long journeys my lower back holds up far better. I haven’t ever managed to work out quite why, but after an hour in the Jag I am always fidgeting about having to use the cruise control to free up my twitchy right leg. For this reason, above perhaps all others – as a GT it works better for me. Slightly more head and leg room, a bigger boot, actually useable rear seats for teeny tiny people. If only it had cupholders. BMW wins on it’s comfort and build quality.
PERFORMANCE – Firstly I must point out that during my 4.2 XKR tenure I had the smaller supercharger pulley mod and remap done to mine, giving it 5.0 Supercharged numbers. Many people don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘Too Much Horsepower’. I however do subscribe to this, having sampled a 500bhp rear wheel drive convertible alongside a 360bhp rear wheel drive convertible, in a British winter. Giving up 140bhp is significant (60bhp if comparing standard cars), however you never really feel shortchanged in the BMW, despite the Jag also having the weight advantage at approx. 200kgs less (a significant amount). The torque curve in the N62 4.8 litre BMW V8 means there’s plenty of low down and mid range punch to get you off the line. The difference is really only felt over 60mph where the XKR simply refuses to acknowledge the laws of physics, and punches from 60mph to 100mph like John Prescott at an egg wielding farmer.
The times when I got to enjoy this were perhaps monthly at best. In winter, you know that anything less than a feathered throttle will light up the Traction Control system immediately. Even with budget Landsail tyres on the BMW, it’s yet to spin up it’s rears. There’s no doubt if ‘Ring Times’ are important to you, then the Jag would leave the BMW for dust, but you can really only enjoy that Supercharger whine at something close to full chat, and full chat in winter feels like pulling the pin off a grenade. One thing that the Jag does win points on is the gearbox. Whilst they are both 6 speed ZF units, the Jag’s shifts far quicker, and the steering wheel paddles on the Jag are sorely missed on the BMW. Once engaged on the Jag it does a very good impression of an angry sports car. Sports mode on the BMW does make a difference with the gearbox using the rev range more, and shifting accordingly, but it’s not the same experience. Jag wins here but the BMW is better than you would expect.
RIDE & HANDLING – It’s nigh on impossible for a 1950kgs BMW Convertible to feel lithe on the twisties, and whilst the 6 Series holds on well and corners flat it wouldn’t see which way the 1720kgs XKR went when pushing on in the dry. Jaguar are one of the very few car manufacturers who in the 2000’s managed to give their cars an aggressive stance, big 20” wheels and yet still offer great ride quality. The BMW on smaller 19” rims definitely rides worse, and is well and truly shown up here. I guess one is built for British roads, and the other for German ones. Still, it does make you wonder why Jaguar can manage what the Germans seemingly cannot.
Whilst the Jag definitely beats the BMW here, it’s still no sports car, and in trying to be the jack of all trades, it then loses out overall as a GT in my opinion – it’s original brief. The handling isn’t close to a 911 (I came from a 996.1 so should know!) but I wouldn’t want to drive that 996.1 across Europe either. With a drive to Slovenia on the cards later in 2025, this was very much at the forefront of my brain when selling the Jag for the BMW. The BMW is more comfortable, practical, and feels like it will be less likely to fall apart with daily use. The Jag wins this part even if it fails as an outright sports car.
RUNNING COSTS – Tax on both as post 2006 cars is predictably brutal at £735 per year. Both cars are ULEZ compliant, making a mockery of that system, but in terms of MPG the BMW surprisingly fights back. Long term mixed mpg on both cars for me with some long and short journeys worked out as approx. 24mpg on the Jag and 26mpg on the heavier BMW. Long gearing in sixth certainly helps, but despite the N62 V8’s reputation for not holding on to either it’s oil or it’s coolant particularly well, it remains a wonderful unit when functioning properly. It’s too early to compare parts prices and servicing but I have had the BMW N62 engine before in an E60 5 Series also, so feel kind of prepared for the bills I will face. The Jaguar certainly wasn’t cheap for parts, and in typical JLR fashion, already some parts such as seatbelt pre tensioners are already no longer available. I would give the BMW the nod on running costs.
EMOTIONAL APPEAL – Just when I thought I was ready for an old man’s GT it turns out I wasn’t. Sure I needed to free up a chunk of cash for my wedding, selling the 54k Jag for £14k, and buying the 110k BMW for less than £6k. Matching identical mileage and condition, the BMW would still come out about £5k cheaper. Truth is, I’ve missed having a BMW, and I’m not sure I’m a Jag guy. I already have a quirky, and quite tired looking Rangie (L322) for comfort needs, that I’m not too precious about. Maybe in 10 years I’ll be ready for a Jag in Jewish Racing Gold, but for now the NASCAR like rumble of the Tony Banks exhaust on my 650i on a cold start releases all of the endorphins, and that buttressed rear roofline, and classic BMW interior are all things I can fully get on board with. The fact that my car doesn’t have heavy tints, black alloys and a misplaced M badge only adds to the appeal. BMW scores here.
SUMMARY – If there’s such a thing as constantly buying the best non-M BMW then I seem to be subliminally achieving that over the years: E36 328i Sport, E60 545i, X5 4.8is, Z4 3.0si, E46 330Ci, E64 650i – These are cars I keep coming back to. Comfortably enough for daily use, discreet in appearance, but quick enough to surprise. I haven’t had the car for much of summer to appreciate it’s true qualities yet, but I didn’t feel sad when the XKR left, so perhaps that tells you all you need to know. E63/E64 cars are criminally cheap and underrated, an argument you could perhaps levy for the X150 Jags too, however they definitely received their share of glowing press back in the day, and roundly whipped the 6 Series in group tests. I’m rooting for the underdog this time though.
