This edition of Auction Dilemma does the unthinkable, a review of large imported luxury sedans that doesn't include a vehicle coming from Germany. Not a Mercedes S-Class or BMW 7 Series in sight. Let's look at a 2011 Jaguar XJ up for auction on Doug DeMuro's carsandbids.com and a 2012 Lexus LS 460 up for bid on eBay. We'll explore these British and Japanese high roller alternatives.
2011 Jaguar XJ
Company founder Sir William Lyons launched the XJ in 1968 as Jaguar's flagship sedan. Over the decades, the XJ represented an English option for those wanting a large, posh sedan. The model's staid body style and quad headlight front end never seemed to change until the launch of a completely new and very modern XJ in 2010. This multi-owner 2011 XJ is finished in Indigo Blue with a London Tan interior and shows less than 70,000 miles on the odometer. The car history report shows California and Florida registrations and no accidents. However, the seller states the front and rear bumpers appear to have been repainted.
The XJ's 5.0L quad-valve V-8 was factory rated for 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. A potent engine that, according to an original MotorWeek test drive, produced a 5.8 second 0-60 time. The rear wheels are managed through a six-speed automatic transmission.
With its gear shift knob-free center console, the XJ's sweeping interior looks relatively current, even by today's standards. In contrast, the Lexus LS 460 highlighted below offers a luxurious but more chunky dashboard/center console combination. The near-pristine interior of this Jaguar also benefits from massaging front seats, heated and cooled front and rear outboard seats, and a digital instrument cluster.
2012 Lexus LS460
The Lexus LS, along with the Infiniti Q45 and Acura Legend to a lesser extent, was launched in the late 1980s in an attempt to provide consumers with import alternatives to big German luxury sedans. The LS remains the sole survivor of these efforts and today is a full-fledged premium sedan as opposed to being a better-priced option in its earlier days. Finished in Deep Sea Mica Blue over the light tan interior, this two-owner LS 460 shows an accident-free vehicle history and vehicle registrations from Tennessee and New York. The seller tells of minor vehicle blemishes that seem typical of a nine-year-old car with almost 93,000 miles. Its smooth, if slightly dull, exterior bears a closer resemblance to the current model LS than the bulbous body shapes of its predecessors.
The 4.6L V-8, originally rated at 380 hp and 367 lb-ft of torque, powers the all-wheel-drive system controlled by an 8-speed automatic transmission. For 2012, Edmunds reported a 0-60 time of 6.4 seconds for a rear-wheel-drive LS. Surprisingly slower than the car's Jaguar counterpart in this Auction Dilemma story.
In the cabin, the driver seat's cracked leather is nothing unusual for a light-colored interior of a car approaching six-figure mileage. Interior amenities on this LS include heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a power rear sunshade, and Mark Levinson audio system.
Will You Say Guten Tag To One Of These Non-German Luxury Sedans?
For 2011, Jaguar only sold 5,235 XJs in the U.S., about half the LS 460's bought that year. In comparison, Mercedes sold over 12,000 S-Class sedans in the U.S. for that year. The XJ represents a contrarian automotive play for someone who enjoys the Jaguar brand or wants to be sure they'll have a unique car when pulling up to the country club. As of this writing, the XJ has a high bid of $7,123 with four days remaining.
The LS 460 is also a contrarian play for someone seeking Toyota reliability instead of the mechanical uncertainty commonly associated with European luxo barges. The LS 460 auction has one day left with a current high bid of $13,000.
Sources: carsandbids.com, ebay.com, Motor Week, Edmunds