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Mercedes CLS350 - a striking, stylish grown-up saloon.

Will diesel and petrol ever be on equal terms in the luxury sector? Kevin Haggarthy considers the options

There was a time when petrol-versus-diesel comparisons were unthinkable. Diesels were dirty, noisy, slow and fractious, so forget the associated benefits of fuel economy, tax concessions and longevity.

But times and diesel technology have moved on – the latter in leaps and bounds. Remember when Jenson Button was nabbed in his BMW 3 series, speeding at 155mph down the autobahn? His famous defence – ‘I didn’t know diesels could go that fast’ – sent 3 series diesel sales skyward and set many petrol heads thinking.

But there’s more. Not only are modern diesel engines dispelling the poor performance myth, they’re also proving genuine no-compromise alternatives in the luxury car class.

The criteria
And here’s the proof.

Let’s say you’re a typical high-mileage, multi-destination driver with a family. You use your car every day, but it must be a quality product – stylish, spacious and comfortable. Let’s also assume you’re an enthusiast, so you demand a rewarding drive. And the budget? Seeing it’s your everyday family run-around, something around the £40,000 mark seems about right.

Of course you’re aware that opting for a diesel will help you a little on the tax front and also in terms of long-term running costs (provided you cover the miles). Nevertheless these factors will only come into play if there’s a product on the market that addresses all your core criteria.

The choice
On the petrol-engined front, there’s a new, exciting and glaringly obvious product that fits your requirements – the new Mercedes CLS 350. The entry level version is priced at £43,120. Check out the lines and think of the last time Mercedes produced such a striking, stylish, grown-up saloon for this sort of money. We can’t.

The CLS 350 delivers a smooth-revving 3.5cc V6 engine with enough power to whisk you up to 60mph in under seven seconds and a top speed of around 155mph. Hardly a modest performance for a family run-around.

But now it seems diesel can deliver a plausible no-compromise contender to this market. So let’s hear it for the new Jaguar XJ 2.7 diesel.
Yes, you read that correctly. Jaguar’s flagship luxury saloon is now available as a diesel.

Following the engine’s successful debut in the S type, we bear testimony to this new XJ as one of the best examples of a luxury diesel in the world. To our minds, while true to the XJ’s traditional lines, this saloon is prettier and classier than ever. And in terms of progressive driving refinement, it probably exceeds the demands of the typical luxury saloon car buyer.

There’s no diesel badging – it’s simply not necessary – and the usual audible giveaway is barely discernable outside the car; literally unnoticeable inside the cabin. In fact we spoke to one driver who had driven the car for two days and hadn’t realised it was a diesel. These things matter.

The performance
The new Mercedes CLS offers the spirited and involving performance a demanding driver will expect of a quality sports saloon. It delivers on handling, too, proving to be one of the most rewarding saloons we’ve driven in this class. The responsive, communicative chassis simply oozes confidence, and it’s easy to forget that you are driving such a big, heavy car.

The CLS will seat five in comfort and offers a really stylish cabin.

Pushed really hard – which of course we did – the CLS will ultimately get a tiny bit sloppy at the limit, protesting ‘Hey I’m a saloon!’ to which your response has to be ‘well you shouldn’t come on like a sports car’.

Where this all makes sense is that for just over £40,000 you get this quite outstanding perfor-mance, plus a re-freshingly new interior cabin that easily seats five in comfort, combined with a humungous boot.

You’ll notice from the rear-end styling that headroom at the back of the CLS loses out a little, but only the vertically extended will find this any kind of problem.

So how does the diesel stack up? Well, if you’re expecting the new XJ to be lacking in performance you’re in for a surprise. This all-aluminium car is lightweight, and kicks up to 60mph as quickly as our petrol engine contender. In fact, the Jag consistently outshines the CLS in terms of overall performance – especially with regard to overtaking power, due to the characteristic diesel torque.

Of course the character of the drive is quite different with these two cars. For a start, there’s all that low-down torque in the Jag – 435Nm virtually across the power band, as opposed to 350Nm from 2400-5000rpm in the Mercedes. On the other hand, the Jag’s automatic gearing, as with all diesels, has shorter travel through the intermediate gears. But then again some drivers prefer the added torque surge, which can prove useful for real-world overtaking.

In terms of driving experience, the final decision here is genuinely a matter of personal preference. Moving from one car to the other as we did, it was clearer than ever that each requires a very different driving style. The Jag demands an approach that exploits the (hardly discernible) turbo boost/torque combination, quite the reverse of the smooth endless progression of the Mercedes. Neither is better or worse – just different.

If you’re still struggling to make a decision, then here’s the best bit about running the Jag. After a week of busy town, country and motorway driving not once did we have to visit a petrol station, achieving close to 400 miles on a full tank. Rub your hands together luxury fleet drivers, the new XJ diesel is here.

The new Jaguar XJ Diesel wins on points.

At similar money to the entry level CLS, the Jag’s sumptuous interior fit and finish also has one up on our German contender. Then again we concede this is another area that comes down to a matter of taste rather than quality.

The result
We relished the opportunity to compare diesel and petrol-engined models in this sector. In purist terms they clearly cannot be regarded as ‘like for like’, but in the course of our assessment we became increasingly convinced there is now equal-terms diesel competition in this sector.

While it should be clear by now that we felt the XJ wins through on points, it’s equally clear that for many the diesel stigma will outweigh all other considerations. For these drivers the CLS is on hand to provide a refreshing take on luxury sporting saloons, combining practicality and seductive looks with an enjoyable, involving, and spirit-ed driving experience.

Spoilt for choice?

SPECS JAGUAR XJ DIESEL
Price £43,995
Engine V6 diesel
Top speed 141mph
Capacity 2.7 litre
Max power 204bhp
0-62 mph 8.2 secs
Fuel Consumption 35mpg average

SPECS MERCEDES CLS
Price £43,120 (CLS 350) to £70,570 (CL55 AMG)
Engine 6 cylinder
Top speed 155mph
Capacity 3.5 litre
Max power 272bhp
0-62mph 6.8 secs
Fuel consumption 28mpg average

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