2017 Jaguar XF vs Mercedes-Benz E-Class

What's the difference?

The Jaguar XF is the modern take on a classic four-door, five seat sports sedan, combining a beguiling touch of nostalgia with just the right amount of modern sophistication. 

The coupe-esque rear lines and the bulging bonnet hark back to a time when Jaguar was at the peak of its powers, while the restrained balance of the design points to a wider audience for a reborn brand.

The latest XF has finally been graced with one of the brand’s feistier engines; a 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 that also sees duty in the F-Type and F-Pace. Can it still compete against its rivals like the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series?

People that know what they’re doing have a habit of making whatever it is they do look easy. Jack Nicholson, Usain Bolt, J.K. Rowling – how hard can it be to act, run and write like a champion?

And you might think making a convertible car is easy. In fact, why even bother the designers? Just break out the gas axe, lop the roof off, perch a canvas top over the hole you’ve created; job done.

Yet despite the seemingly simple premise, it’s all too easy to get it wrong.

Happily, Australia wasn’t on the receiving end of the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet, a text book case study in getting it horribly wrong. Although we did cop the answer to a convertible question few people were asking, in the shape of the Chrysler PT Cruiser Cabriolet. And more recently there have been mutterings about the aesthetic success, or otherwise, of the Range Rover Evoque Convertible. Not to mention the necessity of its existence.

Which brings us to the sleek, subtle, and effortless charm of the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet. A masterclass in getting a convertible design exactly right.