Released in November 09, the Jag has quickly made its presence felt. Other luxury car makers beware, Jag are on a roll.

The XJ Series has been reinvented, to the absolute horror of the traditionalists, but the laws of evolution are immutable and Jaguar had to pull the XJ into the 21st century. To be frank, they've done a good job at compromising between cutting edge design without losing the classic lines the marque is famous for. With fancy styling to the lights both front and aft, it is no surprise that the traditionalists are unhappy.

But Jaguar haven't limited the changes to the bodywork. This is a car which has been gone over with a fine toothed comb to see where improvements and refinements could be made. The lightest car in its class, the new XJ series has excellent fuel economy and improved handling.

With the range of engines developed for the XF series, with 3.0l V6 or 5.0l V8 there is plenty of power available. Jaguar are keen to point out that their new generation of engines already conform to the new EU regulations on emissions not due to come into force until 2011.

The 5.0l AJ-V8 supercharged 510PS engine available on the XJ Supersport model take a blisteringly fast 4.7 seconds from 0 to 60 mph putting out 385 bhp. The top speed is limited to 155 mph in all models, but all of the engines deliver the performance which you would expect from a Jaguar.

The interior has had a going over by the engineers and designers. The most obvious difference is the new JaguariTech which brings a new benchmark in ease-of-use for in-car systems. The instrumentation is displayed in crystal clarity on a high definition screen. With sumptuous leather trim, amazing veneers and panoramic roof mean that in the front or back, you are sat in luxury.