Jaguar's new British-built XJ flagship saloon is a rejuvenated, worthy rival to Germany's Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
By Erin Baker
Fabulous looks, poise and comfort guaranteed
Rear styling is as special as the rest of the car
Sumptuous interior sets the all-new XJ apart from its German rivals
Elle Macpherson at the XJ launch at the Saatchi Gallery last summer
On a soft, pink evening last summer, a queue of shivering models in sequinned cocktail dresses and cool dudes in sharp suits snaked around the side of the über-hip Saatchi Gallery on Chelsea's King's Road.
Chauffeured saloons with privacy glass pulled up every five minutes to decant yet more leggy twentysomethings into the line waiting on the coned-off red carpet, and paparazzi flashes bounced off Tom Ford sunglasses and Californian teeth.
Once names were checked on fluttering guest lists, the queue poured into the gallery's vast white spaces, which were packed by 8pm.
Faces in the perfumed crowd included Elle Macpherson, Matthew Williamson, Rosamund Pike, Jefferson Hack, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Alex James, Poppy Delevigne, Portia Freeman, Rory Bremner and, er, David ''The Hoff'' Hasslehoff (it's all right, he's sort of retro-cool these days).
And somewhere in the crowd lurked a new car. Yes, readers, this glamorous event was nothing more than a motor industry unveiling. Except motoring journalists seemed to have been abducted and replaced by Hollywood tinsel.
So which marque now thinks youth, celebrity and fashion are the way forward? Lamborghini, perhaps? Cheeky Fiat? Urban MINI?
Nope. The answer is Jaguar, the Coventry cat, last refuge of the cravat-wearing, moustache-sporting, cigar-puffing company executive and serial golfer, who is exclusively over 50 and has never heard of Elle Macwhatserface. That Jaguar.
Except that Jaguar no longer exists, for the car at the centre of last summer's party, the new XJ, marks the completion of a sharp turnaround by the brand in the past few years.
The move started with designer Ian Callum's arrival from Aston Martin, followed by the current, punchy XK sports car, which made you wonder why banker boys shelled out extra for Aston's V8 Vantage.
Then we had the exciting XF saloon, with its pulsating red starter button, futuristic silver cylindrical gear selector that rose out of the centre console, funky iPod connectivity, cool blue interior lighting and more aggression on the road than any equivalent mustered by Audi or Mercedes.
And now we have the new XJ, being built at Castle Bromwich, purring on the start line like Jaguars of old, but with more svelte poise and attitude than anything that has carried the badge before it. The German Big Three might as well retreat across the Channel because there's never been a better reason to buy British.
The residuals experts agree – EurotaxGlass's predicts that after three years of ownership, the new XJ will have a better residual value than an Audi A8, Mercedes S-class or BMW 7-series, maintaining 40 per cent of its price.
Jason King, head of market intelligence for EurotaxGlass's, says the XJ "is sure to appeal to a wider and much younger audience, building on the fine work of the XF in helping the Jaguar brand redefine itself and appeal to a younger buyer.
We're not surprised to see the Jaguar going head to head with the Mercedes S-class, traditionally the industry leader for these retained values. The XJ offers interiors, levels of equipment and overall quality more familiar to buyers of models offered by the other great British luxury car brands, such as Bentley and Aston Martin."
Ah, that interior design. There's no doubting it: while from the outside some may argue that the XJ looks simply like a stretched XF (it's actually far sleeker and sharper, with an aggressive coupé silhouette), inside you delve into a lap of luxury which sets this saloon apart from not just the XF but also its Teutonic rivals.
It might not feel quite so spacious as the Germans, but it's a lot more stylish and interesting. Jaguar insists "the XJ is a perfect car of choice for every chairman and chief executive in British boardrooms".
Please. This car is far too elegant for businessmen; let them browse their stocks in the back of a 7-series or A8. The XJ deserves an appreciative audience, a passenger who will stroke the glossy wood and cool metal fillets, and slide gracefully along the cream-leather wrapped seats.
The basic trim level, called Luxury, gives you footwell lighting, door puddle lights, American walnut veneer, soft leather-clad seats and chrome circular air vents.
Step up to Portfolio trim and walnut becomes ebony, with beautiful wood and chrome trays that fold out from the front seat backs for executive laptops and papers – there's even a pen slot on the tray for your Montblanc.
The top specification, Supersport, offers you oak or, if you've lost your marbles, the jaw-droppingly awful option of an all-black leather interior (including the roof lining and dubious mottled door linings) and a glove box and centre storage box lined in migraine-inducing purple felt.
Why you'd choose to punk up your ride when Jaguar's gone to such efforts to create a sublime art-deco interior from woods and leathers is beyond me. Maybe it's for the Americans.
German executive barges have a trick up their sleeves, however; they're also fantastic to drive, as long as your idea of fantastic is hours spent seamlessly consuming transcontinental motorway miles. The XJ does not disappoint here, either.
It will be offered with a choice of a three-litre V6 diesel or five-litre petrol engine, with a long-wheelbase option for extra legroom (accounting for 30 per cent of British sales).
We tested the diesel version (85 per cent of British sales), which is an engine we're familiar with from our long-term XF Diesel S. It's almost silent in the XJ, thanks to copious soundproofing work, and the torque it provides is plenty for all British road conditions.
Press the dynamic button and the electronic instrument display in front of you goes red, while your seat belt stiffens and the six-speed auto transmission swiftly drops a couple of cogs.
It's fun, but not needed: in comfort mode the front steel coils do a good job of relaying road conditions while the rear air suspension keeps things dreamy, like Jags of old.
The steering is an instrument of fine precision, and there's very little to quibble with from a driver's perspective. One caveat for the emptor, however: double-check the satnav system which, in our car, played up no end.
Oh, and that blind-spot information system still doesn't work properly. Give up, Jaguar.
Dodgy satnavs aside, this XJ is an astounding step change from its predecessor. It's more powerful, economical, much more stylish inside and dynamic to drive.
We really do struggle to find bad words for Jaguars these days and, seeing as the average age of Telegraph Motoring's staff is 39, that's job done for the Coventry cat.
THE FACTS
TESTED XJ Portfolio 3.0 D LWB
PRICE/AVAILABILITY £67,185/on sale May
POWER/TORQUE 273bhp/443lb ft
TOP SPEED 155mph
ACCELERATION 0-60mph in 6sec
FUEL ECONOMY 29.6mpg (Urban)
CO2 EMISSIONS 189g/km
VED BAND J (£235)
ON THE STEREO Take the Long Way Home by Supertramp
THE VERDICT Stunning to sit in, stunning to drive. Beats the Germans
RATING Five out of five
Don’t buy this yet, save it for the unknown upcoming recession
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