12 Rounds with…2010 BMW 760Li vs. 2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged

Let's be honest: no one under the age of 50 would be caught dead in the previous XJ. Sadly, its thoroughly modern aluminum underpinnings and impressive performance were buried beneath stuffy styling that was essentially nipped and tucked for the better part of four decades. Conversely, the BMW 7 Series has evolved dramatically over five generations, consistently refreshing its nouveau riche cache with advanced technology and driving excitement. Well, one look at the sleek new XJL Supercharged and it's clear this is not your father's (or grandfather's) Jag. But can this V8-powered British beauty keep pace with a 12-cylinder Bavarian bruiser? To find out, we go 12 rounds in a super-sedan slugfest. Photos courtesy of respective manufacturers

Round 1: Exterior Design

Radical redesigns are risky. It wasn't long ago - 2001 to be exact - that a then-all-new, trunk-heavy 7 Series had armchair auto design critics everywhere crying foul. The much-maligned "Bangle butt" is long gone and the current 760Li retains BMW's signature long hood and short overhangs. New and noteworthy design elements are a sharply creased shoulder line stretching uninterrupted from headlights to tail lights; and an enlarged, more upright twin-kidney grille. The combined effect is solid and menacing, yet subtle. Not so for the radically re-tooled XJL Supercharged. From its low-slung upright mesh grille (a la Bentley) and striated hood, to its blacked-out C-pillars and vertical LED tail lights wrapped dramatically over the deck lid, the big Jag is positively striking. The phrase "coupe-like profile" may be overused these days, but not in this case. With its high beltline, reverse teardrop side window graphic and fastback glass roof, the 17-ft. long XJL Supercharged may be the sleekest big car ever built. Scorecard: The big Jag bloodies the Bimmer within seconds of the opening bell

Round 2: Interior Design

The Jag's interior is, in a word, mesmerizing. Everywhere you look, there's inspiration and superior craftsmanship; modernity tempered with old-school British cool. Buttery-soft leather in stunning two-tone color schemes with contrast piping and stitching covers virtually every surface. A semicircular band of wood veneer tapers from the doors up over the leather dash, giving the entire forward cabin a sunken, yacht-like vibe. Atop the center stack, a handsome analog timepiece is flanked by two baseball-size black-and-chrome air vents bulge from their leather-wrapped housing. The chrome-heavy center console, featuring the now-familiar rotary gear selector, is accented with phosphor blue backlighting. By day, natural light floods the interior via a panoramic class roof; by night, more phosphor blue ambient lighting gives the cabin a hip after-hours glow. Behind the broad, thick steering wheel, a 12.3-inch LCD screen displays three "virtual" analog gauges. In comparison, the 760Li cabin - awash in its own soft leather and wood veneers - feels drab, uninspired and almost cheap. Scorecard: Not even a fair fight. The Jag interior gives Bentley and Rolls a run for their money.

Round 3: Interior Space

With its unique proportions, swept-back profile and clever visual trickery (the blacked-out C-pillars, for example) the XJL's appearance distracts from its massive dimensions - 206.6 inches long, 74.6 inches wide and 57 inches tall - making its spacious interior almost surprising. Front occupants get 41.5 inches of legroom and an additional feeling of roominess courtesy of the expansive leather dash and wraparound wood veneer. The extended wheelbase affords rear passenger 44.1 inches of legroom, nearly five inches more than in the standard XJ. Up front, all controls and switchgear are well placed with a slight bias toward the driver. Rear passenger controls include seat massage, heating and cooling, and cabin climate. The 760Li has similar dimensions, measuring 205.3 inches long, 74.9 inches wide and 58.3 inches tall. Inside, front occupants get 41.2 inches of legroom, though the seating position feels much closer to the road ahead. Riding on a 126.4-inch wheelbase, rear passengers enjoy 44.3 inches of legroom and a bevy of controls, including one for the position of the front passenger seat, allowing rear passengers to further enhance their legroom. Despite its short deck lid, the Jag actually has a slight edge in cargo space, with its the truck opening to an unusually wide angle and swallowing 15.2 cu. ft of luggage, roughly a cubic foot more than the BMW. Scorecard: Both interiors are commodious places to spend some time. Dead even.

Round 4: Creature Comforts

Long wheelbase luxury flagships usually showcase the finest comfort and convenience a carmaker has to offer and these two are no exceptions. When it comes to seat comfort, the BMW has an overall edge despite some shortcomings. Both offer 20-way massaging, heated and cooled front thrones. The BMW seats offer unique upper backrest articulation; however, we still found the molded Jaguar seats more comfortable. The BMW's massage feature also disappointed somewhat. It focused only on the lower back, whereas the Jag system kneaded all the way to the shoulder blades. In the back, the BMW really shines, offering optional heated, cooled and massaging individually adjustable power seats with four-way lumbar support and backrest articulation. Two wedge-shaped footrests and one-touch automatic side and rear window shades round out the rear tranquility of the 760Li. Both cars offer optional rear seat entertainment packages. And speaking of entertainment, both also feature premium sound systems, but the Jaguar's 1,200-watt, 20-speaker Bowers &Wilkins surround sound system makes the BMW system seem flat and underpowered. Scorecard: Close, but a slight edge to the BMW, which created a true chauffer-driven experience.

Round 5: Ease of Use

At long last, BMW's notorious iDrive electronic interface has gone from endlessly frustrating to wonderfully functional. Scrolling through the vast array of menus and subdirectories - controlling every last detail of entertainment, vehicle information, navigation, and telecommunication - is very intuitive. The black ceramic rotary selector is bolstered by short-cut buttons for CD, radio, navigation and phone. There are also eight programmable "favorite" buttons. Synching a Bluetooth phone or MP3 player takes seconds. And the 10.2-inch high-def infotainment screen is perfectly positioned to display handsome graphics, including Google maps and smart phone emails and texts. Meanwhile, the Jag's navigation, climate, audio and telecommunications are all accessible via an 8-inch touch screen, which does cut down on button clutter. That said, the screen is small, drab and somewhat buried in the center stack. It's also slow to react to your fingertips. There is a voice command system, but these always seem fussy and the Jag's is no exception. Scorecard: In a major upset, BMW's iDrive handily beats the Jag's sub-par interface.

Round 6: Acceleration

With an all-new 6.0-liter twin-turbo V12 making 535 hp and 550 lb-ft. of torque stuffed under its long hood, the 760Li should make short work of the Jag, which is motivated by a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 capable of 470 hp and 424 lb-ft. of torque. Manufacturer performance figures bear this out too, with the Bimmer blazing to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and the XJL Supercharged claiming 4.9 ticks. Clearly, both are ridiculously fast for their size, but the Jag simply feels faster in the straights. Some of it comes down to weight and handling (see Round 7); the other factor is the transmission. The BMW's massive muscle is routed to the rear wheels via an all-new ZF eight-speed automatic - two more gears than the previous generation. While this allows for shorter gear ratios, the tranny sometimes feels like it gets lost in the midst of all that cog-swapping. Conversely, the Jaguar's six-speed always seems perfectly timed for linear, lag-free acceleration. Scorecard: This one's also close, but the big cat is the real runner.

Round 7: Handling

The 760Li lets drivers select from four distinct blends of damper and stability controls, rear differential, active steering, shift times, and throttle response: Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport+, the latter of which significantly dials back the traction and stability controls. The variations feel subtle at times, and no matter how it's set up, the steering is wonderfully sharp and precise and the ride quality is firm. Unfortunately, none of this can mask the fact that this car is massive - 5,026 lbs. curb weight - and feels every ounce of it. Thanks to an aerospace-inspired aluminum chassis under is sexy skin, the Jaguar XJL Supercharged tips the scales at a shockingly lithe 4,323 lbs. Engage the Jag's Dynamic mode - stiffer air suspension, longer shift times, quicker throttle response, and less intrusive stability control - and hold on as the XJL Supercharged can dance through apexes and squirt around traffic with a poise like no car this size. Even though there are fewer options for dialing in driving style, the XJL comes preset to coddle while still communicating, engaging and exciting. Scorecard: We'll take the Jag's feline finesse over the BMW's freight train thump.

Round 8: Safety

There's something about long wheelbase European sedans that conjures up images of chauffeuring foreign dignitaries. The Jaguar's standard features - antilock brakes, stability and traction control, front and side curtain airbags, active head restraints, and blind spot warning system - will keep them safe in an accident; the BMW 760Li's bevy of high-tech safety gear will protect them from a military coup. The optional NightVision camera can look up to 165 feet ahead of the car and uses thermal imaging to detect people and animals and display them on the screen. For daytime driving, optional side-view cameras mounted near the front wheel wells can scope out oncoming traffic at intersections and blind curves. And a front collision warning system calculates following distance, providing visible and audible warnings of a possible crash while preparing the braking system for a shorter stopping distance. Blind spot and lane departure warnings and a heads-up display round out the impressive safety offerings. Scorecard: The 760Li just might be the safest things on four wheels.

Round 9: Valet Cachet

Image may not be everything, but when it comes to luxury limos like these, it certainly is something. With its flaring kidney-shaped nostrils, titanic proportions and menacing stance (particularly atop optional 20-in. alloy double spoke wheels), the big Bimmer has presence. And for those who look closely enough, the subtle "V12" imprinted on the small chrome strips just behind each front wheel well still earns some bragging rights. But next to the Jag, the 760Li looks like part of the scenery; the brawny bodyguard hired to protect the real star. Not only is the Jag's overall look an instant conversation piece, but its also nuanced enough to merit countless closer looks. On several occasions, we caught ourselves marveling at minutiae: how the rakish, glass roofline seemingly spills onto the impossibly short deck lid; or how the blacked-out C-pillars - at first blush, an odd choice - really do provide a slimming, shortening effect and give the rear glass a wraparound appearance. Drooling over deck lids and C-pillars!? Now that's presence. Scorecard: The Jag stands shoulder to shoulder with anything that rolls up to the valet stand on opening night.

Round 10: Best Special Feature

The big cat could have had this one in the bag if it made better use of laptop-quality 12.3-inch LCD screen behind the steering wheel. Presently, it only displays three unremarkable computer-generated analog gauges (though the tachometer is sometimes replaced by warnings messages and menu displays). Any chance to customize this display - orientation, colors, themes, etc. - would be more interesting and appealing to the iPhone generation. Speaking of which, the BMW's technological integration is brilliant. Among the many innovations is a Mobile Office feature that uses a "text-to-speech" translation system to read the content of emails and text messages from a synched smart phone so drivers don't have to take their eyes off the road. Scorecard: The BMW packs more cool tech than your neighborhood Apple store.