Buy/Drive/Burn: $65,000 European Luxury Sedans for 2020
In the last edition of Buy/Drive/Burn, we discussed three large European wagons with a $65,000 price point. The Buy vote was a toss-up between the E-Class and the A6 allroad.
Today we cover the sedan variants of the same three cars, at the exact same price point. Think you’ll choose differently?
Audi A6
The A6 is the most affordable of our competitors today in its highest trim. Available in 45 Premium (2.0L) or 55 Premium (V6), base prices are $54,900 and $59,800, respectively. The 55 Premium uses the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 as the allroad, and pairs it with a mild hybrid system of 48 volts. 335 horses shift to all wheels via the seven-speed DCT. Assume you’ve checked a couple of options to end up at $65,000, probably Premium Plus for the B&O system and virtual cockpit, and the Convenience Package for an advanced key and traffic assist.
Jaguar XF
For 2021, the high-powered S versions of the XF disappear, as Jaguar refreshes and narrows down the aging lineup of its largest sedan (the V6 also disappears). In 2020 the S is the trim to get if you want V6 power in your XF. With a 3.0-liter supercharged power plant, the XF is the hotrod of today’s trio. Three-hundred and eighty horses travel via the standard all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic. It’s the most expensive car here at $68,200, so no optional extras.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Unlike the wagon version, the E-Class sedan goes without All-Terrain plastic cladding. The most expensive non-AMG version of the E-Class is today’s E 450 4MATIC. The 450 means you get a 3.0-liter V6 (362 hp) instead of the 2.0-liter I-4 of the E 350. Mercedes’ model numbering system has really been a shambles for some time now. A nine-speed automatic is the only transmission on offer. The base price is $61,550, which is easily enhanced to around $65,000 by the Designo package, which nets you a nicer interior.
Last time you chose the Mercedes or the Audi when considering the wagon versions of these cars. Does the supercharged power of the XF make the Brit more tempting?
[Images: Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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The XF to this point surprisingly doesn't suck, a few years ago I toyed with the idea of one. The disparity between the last Ford DEW98 S-type and first XF was staggering - and XF is also DEW98 and initially a carryover drivetrain (on a percentage basis it was like 30-40% more for the XF). Therefore: Buy me a Jag XF. Drive the Audi. Burn the Mercedes, esp in I4.
Burn them all and get either a W126 or a 1st-gen LS400