the new XJ Jag

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    Another Callum masterpiece . . . the new XJ Jaguar.

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  Another Callum masterpiece . . . the new XJ Jaguar.

Look no farther than the current super-sleek Jaguar XK sports coupe and the forthcoming new XJ luxury saloon, though that name is debatable because Jag’s new flagship XJ looks more like a GT car.

It was intentional because Callum wanted to get right away from the classical Jaguar look and move the brand into the 21st century.

First impressions would seem to indicate that he has achieved his intention.

The new XJ, due mid next year and priced from $193,800 for the twin turbo 3.0-litre V6, is a stunner from any angle and will undoubtedly spawn styling trends that will be used by other makers.

Scanning the long, svelte lines leaves you in no doubt about the potency of this large saloon car. It starts with the imposing, aggressive looking front with a deep grille, steeply raked screen, glass roof that seems to meld into the top of the screen, large doors with small window openings, fast back roof that ends at the tail of the car and those “Bentley” cats claw tail lights - wow.

And under the bonnet is an arsenal of Jag’s latest power plants ranging from the 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 that’s good for a whopping 600Nm of torque and three versions of Jaguar’s 5.0-litre direct injection petrol V8, one naturally aspirated and two supercharged. The top engine has 375kW/625Nm output and can still return as good as 12.1 litres/100km fuel economy. It is capable of pushing the XJ Supersport model from 0-100km/h in a scant 4.9 seconds - not bad for a car that weighs in at 1915kg and has just about every luxury feature known to man.