Where each one leads
Jaguar XK8
- Against cars of the same age, the Jaguar XK8 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 22% more often than average) than the Mercedes-Benz SLK (passes 16% more often than average).
Mercedes-Benz SLK
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz SLK cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (9.5% against 23.0%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2016 Mercedes-Benz SLK uses 8.5 l/100 km, the 2006 Jaguar XK8 11.2.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Jaguar XK8 | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1997–2004 | 1998–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 75,551 (2010–2020) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 47,128 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 792 | 9,739 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 2,181 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Jaguar XK8 | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 74% | 73% |
| … against cars of the same age | +22% | +16% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 23.0% | 9.5% |
| US owner complaints | 116 | 74 |
| Most complaints about | Engine and engine cooling | Visibility |
| Model year with most complaints | 1998 (32) | 2002 (25) |
| US recall campaigns | 2 | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 365 | 79 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 9 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Jaguar XK8 | Mercedes-Benz SLK | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 11.2 l/100 km (2006) | 8.5 l/100 km (2016) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 153 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 120 kW (161 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,578 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €115,208 | €61,479 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 175,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).