.jpg "Round 12: Dollars and Sense")
.jpg "The Competitors")
.jpg "Round 1: Exterior Design")
.jpg "Round 2: Interior Design")
.jpg "Round 3: Interior Space")
.jpg "Round 4: Creature Comforts")
.jpg "Round 5: Ease of Use")
.jpg "Round 6: Acceleration")
.jpg "Round 7: Handling")
.jpg "Round 8: Safety")
.jpg "Round 9: Valet Cachet")
.jpg "Round 10: Best Special Feature")
.jpg "Round 11: Popular Opinion")
.jpg "The Decision")
Round 12: Dollars and Sense
The privilege of V12 motoring has always carried a premium, and in the case of the 760Li it is a mind-boggling $51,100 over the asking price for the V8-powered 750Li. Base MSRP for the 760Li is a stratospheric $137,000. Options and packages like the ones on our tester raise the stakes in a hurry: $3,900 for a cosmetic M Sport Package; $2,200 for Rear Seat Entertainment; and $2,600 for NightVision. Throw in a few more minor goodies, $875 destination charge and a $2,100 gas-guzzler tax (13 mpg/city and 19 mpg/highway), and our Bimmer broke the bank at $149,025. Again, we concede that comparing the V12-powered BMW to the V8 XJL Supercharged might be a little apples-and-oranges, but given the comparable performance specs, we stand by it. Certainly, Jaguar offers its share of expensive add-ons, like a $4,000 Luxury Package and $2,200 Bowers & Wilkins sound system. But the good news is almost all of them are standard on the XJL Supercharged. Sure, it lacked the impressive gadgetry of the BMW, but our Jag still felt perfectly appointed and even narrowly avoided a gas-guzzler penalty (15 mpg/city and 21 mpg/highway). Factor in the $850 handling charge, and the Jag's $90,500 sticker seems like a steal.
Scorecard: The Jaguar XJL Supercharged saves cost-conscious captains of industry a small fortune.