Blast from the Past: R170 vs. X100

British heavyweight versus German lightweight

By reminiscing  back to the past, or to the late 1990's, I can only remember that both the R170 Mercedes-Benz SLK200 and the Jaguar XK (X100) were just chalk of jeans, back to the days when televisions were standard definition, back when there was my childhood memory of addiction to TV shopping, one when I have to sleep properly when it's 9:00 PM and back when Top Gear was just a boring motoring magazine show with Tiff, Vicki, Quentin, Steve, and other Top Gear presenters from the past, even Andy Wilman who was a presenter back then before he was the producer of the 2002 reboot of Top Gear, which became the flagship of BBC.

In today's world, I have driven the latest versions of the SLK and the XK and I have to say that comparing a car with big power and a lightweight car is a bit of a conundrum for them but looking back to them when they were launched in the late 1990's seems so intriguing. It's like going to the TARDIS to see how are they look like from the past. Anyway, where do we start? The R170 or the X100?

I have a coin. If heads, I'd start with the R170 but if tails, then it's the X100. I spun the coin and I grabbed it, and it was tails so I'd start with the first generation Jaguar XK (X100).

This car tries to stay classy

So, the first generation XK. This was launched in 1996, back when Jaguar is owned by Ford Motor Company, and the first model was dubbed the XK8 in coupe or convertible styles, fitted with a 4.0L V8 engine. Some people said that the XK is more of a modern-day equivalent of the legendary Jaguar E-Type and this was known to be one of the most luxurious high-performance sports cars in the world. It's more of a grand tourer than a sportscar and you can drive it in the winding roads for some rest and relaxation.

The one I have here is the XKR version, the cherry at the top of the cake that what made the XK superb and this powerful version is using the same 4.0L V8 from the original but fitted with an Eaton-developed supercharger, generating 400HP of power and 408ft-lb of torque. Armed with the 6-speed AT, it can go 0-100kph in 5.2 seconds and top speed limited to 250kph.

What made this car unique was the CATS electronic variable damper control system that adjusts the damping force depending in various speed and road conditions and it was perfect when you're driving the twists and turns. Like the original XK8, it's still a gran tourer. With the 6-speed AT, refined suspension, and the luxurious interior, it's just so feels more like a premium sedan in a coupe body. Nice touch to that.

It's cool to drive this car at night....

If power is what comes in my mind on the Jaguar XKR, I have to move on to something a bit lightweight, something that already gave its rivals a headache back in the late 90's. This is the R170 model, the first generation Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class. The SLK stands for SPORT LIGHTWEIGHT COMPACT, meaning that this two-seater roadster is on the lightweight division. As a general rule, it used the platform derived from the C-Class and it has a folding roof, which called them VARIO ROOF back then. With the roof closed, it has the presence of a sports coupe but with the roof off, all that breeze is coming right in front of me.

That reminded me of a prize car of some promo held by some cigarette brand. Is it Philip Morris? Yes it is because back in 2000, there was a promo from Philip Morris where anyone with the Philip Morris 100's won either a 2000 Mercedes-Benz SLK, 80,000 US Dollars, 24K Gold Bars (12,000 US Dollars each), or a trip to Gold Coast, Australia (4,000 US Dollars each). I really wonder what just happened to the guy who won the SLK on that promo? Did he sold off his car from something rubbish or did he crashed? I don't know but I wanna find out soon.

Anyway, what I have here comes with the supercharged 2.3L 4-cylinder engine that generated 193 HP of power and 207ft-lb of torque. It was mated with a 5-speed automatic transmission. 0-100kph in 6.9 seconds and top speed limited to 231kph.

So, now I met those cars from the past, I decided to lap these two round the Top Gear Test Track to find out if a car with bigger power or a lightweight car is proven to be a worthy contender. On the Jaguar XKR Coupe, I did it in a measly 1:24.652. Kinda love the exhaust sound though as for the cornering, it was fine for a car with big power and noise.

Then, I got off from the XKR and into the SLK230K. The handling's not bad for a car that weighs less than the XKR but it did it in 1:33.529, slower than the XKR Coupe! Huh, it's still the power over displacement principle that makes all cars competitive. The XKR is powerful than the SLK230K but the SLK230K's lighter but doesn't matter to me because these two are more like bowties and fezzes. The XKR is more of a bowtie but the SLK230K....that's like fezzes. They're cool though, don't worry about it.