Torque of the town

After a period in the doldrums, Jaguar has been on something of a roll recently, with chief design boffin Ian Callum winning praise from all quarters. So there was a lot riding on the new XF.

Launched to widespread acclaim at the Frankfurt motorshow, the XF is claimed by Jaguar to fuse "sports car styling and performance with the refinement of a luxury saloon". Yikes. That sounds messy. Surely the Jag's legendary feline features are sacred?

Well only as long as it is profitable and for some time now that hasn't been the case. This sports saloon has the bulk of its sleek frame slap in BMW territory, and Jaguar is hoping the XF's January launch will remind us of when it used to dominate this sector.

While the design team has gone to town on the outer shell—in an attempt to appeal to a younger punter—neat touches such as paddle transmission and touch-sensitive dashboard controls stand out. Add keyless entry, a top-spec 416bhp V8 engine and a front grill you could barbecue antelope on, and it looks like BMW finally has a new rival to worry about.