Warning! The new Jaguar XJ contains highly illicit automotive extravagance. If you’re an eco-mentalist, wanting news of a R100k-hatchback made from samp-and-beans, turn away now.

In the already excessive world of executive sedans, the Germans have always reigned supreme. The BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S Class, Audi A8, are all cold, Teutonic and as excessive as a G8 leader’s overdraft. Until now that is, with Jaguar’s biggest, most modern and most sophisticated car ever, penned by whom else but the quixotic Ian Callum of XK, XF and Aston Martin fame.

Although it shares the XJ (for ‘Experimental Jaguar’) nameplate with the original XJ6 from 1968 it is more a design ‘re-imagining’, using cinematic parlance, than a retro-modern rehash of the original. The original XJ6 was a uniquely spirited, characterful car, recognised by many as the last true Jaguar before the company befell several decades of ‘value engineering’ (a euphemism for cost cutting) and numerous failed industrial marriages.

The recreation of the XJ, in 1994 was Jaguars first vehicle under new Ford ownership and was yet another example of the industrial rationalisation that no modern Jaguar seems able to exist without. It borrowed the elegant prow of the original and was a great sales success particularly in the UK, but never shook its status as a Ford based product.

Enter the stunningly indulgent, 21st century iteration of the Jaguar XJ, whose distinctive architecture shares very little visually with its original, 60′s granddaddy. And before you leap to the assumption (just as I wanted to) that because of Tata’s much publicised buyout of Jaguar, that this is some caddish, tanzanite inspired vehicle… think again. The XJ was in development for three and a half years to complete a Jaguar full house of XK and XF, and reputedly, Mr. Tata’s only job since taking over, has been handing out healthy endowments from his swelling chequebook.

The consequence of this unlikely industrial marriage is the most appealing executive sedan on the road today. Fact. I can tell you that this Jaguar XJ can be mentioned in the same hushed whispers as ‘Phantom’ and ‘Flying Spur. Even the most lavish BMW 7’s and Merc S’s all but vanish from view when the XJ crests the horizon with its distinctive, elegant gait.

It’s not just all crystal chandeliers and diamond tiaras either, Jaguar wanted the XJ to have the feral sportiness the marques emblem (it’s called ‘the leaper’) is famous for. The chassis is lightweight aluminium and even the heaviest, long wheel base (LWB) version doesn’t even tip the scales at two tons. This is the XJ’s party piece. Anyone stepping into the XJ, expecting a typically barge-like limousine experience is not going to find it here. To say it drives like a sports car doesn’t even do the experience justice. It’s far more remarkable than that. For a car this long, big and luxurious to feel and perform so dynamically must make it one of the best cars ever made. Yes, that’s how good it is to drive.

At this point I should say I was in the ‘Premium Luxury’ spec, normally aspirated, 5.0-litre V8 with its saucy exhaust note and linear, unshakable power delivery. But you can also get Jaguars award winning V6 twin-turbo diesel and a supercharged V8. The super-cad, top of the range XJ ‘Supersport’ also gets the volcanic, supercharged motor, but remapped to give even more fire power. The ‘Supersport’, sits on a wider track and is shod with massive 20-inch rubber, and if you like your baked Alaska with a polar ice cap on top it’s the one to have.

The XJ has an adaptive dynamics setting that supposedly sharpens all the driver interfaces, bathes the dials in a red, checkered flag motif and says Dynamic Mode ‘confirmed,’ like you’re an MI5 agent in spy thriller, when you select it. How cool is that? Except of course, it doesn’t make any discernible difference to the drive other than dropping the ratios on the automatic gearbox.

Purely as a drive, the Jaguar trounces its German rivals. The BMW 7-Series is very composed but I’ve always thought it too business like. Like a good receptionist going about its work dispassionately. And the Mercedes Benz S-Class the most barge-like. But I will admit that the Jaguar XJ’s want for comfort vs. a sporty ‘duality’ is somewhat compromised by woolly steering and a ride that is not refined enough on an everyday basis. I can’t quite see how the cars extreme dynamics (I’m talking cornering at very high speeds – which it does remarkably) could be of such a high priority over conventional limousine comfort. But it is.

It’s the interior however, that’s the jewel atop the XJ’s lavish crown, and also at the same time, its downfall. It’s packed with technology like the 614 x 400 pixel thin film transistor (TFT) screen with sat-nav, gear selector, speed, vehicle settings and rev counter all illuminated in a ‘torch-light’ fashion. And the 8-inch, dual view, touch screen instead of a BMW-like I-drive system that would fight for space with Jaguars gear selector in the centre console. Fantastic stuff, and yet it’s not fully harmonised or intuitive to use. Buttons on the steering wheel operate one screen, but not the other, and the ‘home’ touch screen operates in Neolithic time.

But to worry about these issues is to miss the point completely. What I love about the big XJ is that it looks and feels like a modern Jaguar product, but most of all, is that it has pure driving indulgence right to its core. A fact illustrated in that being sat in the back, was nowhere near as much of a thrill as driving it oneself.

What we like…

• Lightweight aluminium bodywork and V8 power makes for unbelievable mid range pull and cornering.
• Extravagant interior lighting, detailing and ambiance.
• The Jaguar XJ must be the coolest limousine you can buy right now.

What we would like…

• More solidity and comfort on the highway cruise.
• More integration between its clever technologies.
• More steering feel with Dynamic Mode engaged.

Ray Leathern has been test driving and critiquing cars for four years now. You’ll find his work at autocirca.com, the Mail & Guardian and of course, right here on SACarFan.