Review of the new Jaguar XF

It was time for Jaguar to be bold. Those aren't in fact our words: they're Jaguar's own. If the Coventry marque is to wrest sales from the German makes in the BMW, Audi and Mercedes-dominated Executive sector, it knows it has to do something different. Something, in fact, like the XF.

This model's predecessor, the S-Type, was bold of course, but in a rather apologetic, retro kind of way. The XF is very different. With its dramatic styling, powerful yet beautiful flowing lines and a distinctive face, this is like no other Jaguar saloon - and yet it could only be a Jaguar.

As Design Director Ian Callum explains: "The XF is a stage in a personal journey for me. It has always been my career goal to return Jaguar to its rightful place as leader in automotive design. Cars like the original XJ6 left a lasting legacy and my ambition has been to create something as seminal. The XF is that car."

You can excuse the hyperbole. This car really does represent a new era for Jaguar, a shift away from the old-style values embodied by cars like the X-TYPE and the S-TYPE and a move into the future. Or at least some of it is. The engines, 3.0 and 5.0-litre petrol units, plus two advanced 3.0-litre diesels, should offer something for everyone. The 3.0-litre diesel models look particularly impressive with power and economy to challenge the best in the sector.

This doesn't appear to be the most spacious car in its sector but the coupe-like lines of the XF do belie the amount of space inside. There's room for five adults in comfort, generous interior stowage and a boot capacity of up to 540 litres (plus the opportunity to fold the rear seats and add a further 420 litres). At 4961mm long and 1877mm wide, on a lengthy 2909mm wheelbase, the XF is 45mm longer and 25mm wider than its nearest 'dimensional' competitor, the Audi A6 - with even greater advantages over the BMW 5-Series, Lexus GS300 and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

"This car really does represent a new era for Jaguar.."

The XF's visual emphasis is intended to be sporty, muscular and dynamic - a character defined by a sweeping silhouette inspired by the XK sportscar with a powerful grille, dramatic side window graphics and strong trademark Jaguar 'shoulders'. The look, however, could not be allowed to come at the expense of efficient packaging. The XF's waistline rises to meet the roof rather than the roof coming down to meet the waist, which improves interior space. This rising waistline gives the XF a higher tail than any previous Jaguar, providing the twin benefits of much improved aerodynamic performance, together with that substantial luggage volume.

Relax inside the XF and it really does feel special. The craftsmanship, materials and attention to detail all impress. Jaguar's designers have sought to find more interesting ways to say 'luxury' and largely, their efforts have worked. The lines are clean and pure, the materials are familiar, but with a very modern flavour - from soft-grained leathers to real wood veneers with a bold, contemporary spin. Even the phosphor blue interior lighting has its own mood.

On the ecologically unfriendly subject of using real timber inside cars, there's more of it on offer here than in any Jaguar since the iconic MkII saloon in the 1960s, with veneers including Satin American Walnut, Burr Walnut and a very modern, straight-grained Rich Oak that works particularly well with textured aluminium highlights that are used in every XF to enhance the contemporary, technical feel. And refreshingly, true to Jaguar's core values, what looks like wood really is wood.

So, get in and settle yourself behind the wheel. What's it like? Well, on entry to the XF, the start button pulses red, like a heartbeat (ignition keys - what are they?). Start the engine and the JaguarDrive Selector gearchange lever rises into the palm of the hand, while rotating air conditioning vents turn from their flush, 'parked' position to their functional open position.

The five engines all feature Jaguar's Sequential Shift six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted 'paddles' for manual gear selection. You can understand the company not bothering to try and take on BMW and offer a conventional manual gearbox option but at least it can deliver competitive diesel engines. Buyers can select 237bhp Diesel or 271bhp Diesel S versions of the 3.0-litre common-rail diesel unit with the latter employing twin turbochargers to achieve its performance. This more powerful diesel is not surprisingly, the most popular choice amongst executive buyers and in the latest range, it gets a sportier interior borrowed for the flagship supercharged XFR model, plus the option of two extra cost packs (dubbed 'Dynamics' and 'Aerodynamic') for owners who'd like to go a stage further.

The top 5.0-litre V8 petrol units offer either a 385bhp normally aspirated engine good for sixty in 5.5s or a supercharged version of the same powerplant which covers the same increment in 4.7s but, just as importantly, provides a wonderful soundtrack wail to accompany the experience. The final option is an unremarkable 3.0-litre V6 petrol.

The XF's drag coefficient is predictably slippery at just 0.29 and the front-to-rear lift balance is precisely zero. This aerodynamic performance contributes to impressively low wind noise, aids fuel consumption and strong high-speed stability and is vital in ensuring ideal handling balance through optimising drag and lift forces. In fact there's plenty to help out on the handling front. Key driving aids on the XF include Electronic Brake Assist, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, the usual Anti-lock Braking System, Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control, and Engine Drag Torque Control. And, for the first time in a Jaguar, Understeer Control Logic which decelerates the car and helps to restore grip to the front wheels when required.

Every XF also comes with two-stage driver and front passenger airbags, side and curtain airbags and seat occupant sensing systems to help ensure the airbags work precisely and only as needed in every circumstance. Front-seat occupants also have the added protection of an anti-whiplash system and 'soft-landing' technology in the seat-belt retractors to soften contact with the front airbags. In a first for a Jaguar saloon, the XF also has the marque's new Pedestrian Contact Sensing System. This can mitigate pedestrian injury by firing actuators that deploy the bonnet, resulting in a cushioned space between the bonnet and engine hardpoints.

The XF offers three trim levels: Luxury, Premium Luxury and Portfolio as well as the range-topping R derivative. Externally, with the exception of the pumped-up R, all cars look similar. As Jaguar points out, a customer is buying an XF, rather than an XF in a particular trim level. All come with leather trim, electric seat adjustment, Sat nav with colour screen, Bluetooth 'phone connectivity, a 6-disc in-dash CD autochanger, rear parking sensors, 17-inch alloy wheels and cruise control.

The key benefits of the super-efficient combustion achieved by the XF's 3.0-litre diesels are the 42mpg combined economy and 179g/km CO2 emissions. These figures are the same for both the 237bhp and the 271bhp models making the more powerful Diesel S look very competitive against the likes of BMW's 535d. The petrol units are predictably thirstier but there's not as big a gap between the 3.0-litre V6 and the 5.0-litre V8 as you might have expected. Buyers can expect 26.8mpg from the V6, 25.4mpg from the V8 and 22.4mpg from the supercharged V8.

Without the XF, Jaguar really would be in trouble. Fortunately, this model has proved to be a growing success story for the Coventry marquee and recent enhancements should keep its momentum going, despite the launch of some notable new arrivals in the executive sector in recent times. This Jaguar is desirable, practical and makes sense on the balance sheet, especially when equipped with its 3.0-litre diesel engines. It's safe to say that for the majority of people who will love the styling, the car is an unqualified success.