Has the cat finally woken up again?

Twenty-first century Jaguar: here to stay? I certainly hope so!

Jaguar has struggled through hard times of late. The company has been passed from owner to owner, budgets have been tighter than a Glaswegian's sporran, and the product range has been seriously lacking character and flair. Until recently. Under the new ownership of Indian company Tata (though Jag will always be British to me!), the cat is waking up and stretching its legs...


With the new XK, codenamed the X150, back in 2006, Jaguar revealed it had not forgotten what it meant to produce a great car. Not only that, but it managed to conceive, design and produce this car on a budget of about £2.75*, which makes it an incredible feat. While the car had its shortfalls, the world quickly sat up and took notice of this new fast cat, which was a big step forward over its predecessor, and the other cars in the Jaguar range.



On the back of the XK's success, Jaguar pushed onwards, displaying the stunning C-XF concept car in January 2007. Following development of the concept, this effectively became the production XF, although the styling of the latter was somewhat toned down in comparison with the beautiful features of the C-XF. However, the XF marked another giant leap in Jaguar's product portfolio, truly being a car for the 21st century, unlike its widely-unloved predecessor, the S-Type. Taking the lauded chassis of the older car, and wrapping it in sensual, modern new design had the desired effect of further raising Jaguar's profile and popularity. The addition in 2009 of the XFR model, with a 503hp V8, and the ability to compete with, and even beat the very best in the industry (namely, the BMW M5), secured Jaguar's ongoing place on the world map of great car manufacturers.

(Not an actual advert; created by Sniff Petrol)

2009 has also seen the release of the even-more daring new Jag XJ. The previous model had soldiered on with few aesthetic changes for decades, and while still a popular, luxurious and competent cruiser, and having an advantage over the competition because of its lightweight aluminium construction, it was not really a 21st century competitor. The new car addresses that, and then some, proving that design meister Ian Callum is not afraid to push design to heady levels. While most car manufacturers would initially risk a bold and daring new design only on one of their lesser models, Jaguar put its money where its mouth is, and saved its most radical design for its flagship model.

In many ways, the front of the XJ actually retains more of the original design of the C-XF concept, and is truly a thing of beauty. The side profile is made to look especially long by the low glasshouse and long chrome detailing around the edge. The C panel is painted gloss black, to create the sensation of one single window curving around the back of the car and up each side. Opinion is divided on how well this has worked, but it is certainly a striking feature, and to this blogger's eyes, it is highly successful. The overall rear design of the car has also split opinion, being possibly the most radical part of the car, with its LED taillights snaking their way up and over the boot, and leaving a wide expanse of sheet metal in between, broken only by the leaping Jaguar.

The interior of the XJ, while perhaps more 'conventional' in some ways than that of the XF, is also a thing of beauty, exquisitely crafted and magnificent to behold. It also features the kind of advanced technology that would have been virtually unthinkable on Jaguars of old, such as the split-view screen for the satellite navigation system, which allows driver and passenger to see two different images on the one screen. While the passenger watches a DVD, on the same screen, the driver can only see vehicle information, or the route to Edinburgh. The displays directly in front of the driver are also unusual, in that the entire area is a digital display, on which is shown the speedometer, rev counter and so on, but which can be moved aside to display other information. Impressive.

To realease a design of this kind on the flagship model of the range is a bold move, and only time will tell the extent of its success, but it displays Jaguar's utter determination to come out punching, and to start the new millennium the way it intends to go on. There is no doubting the scale of the turnaround that has taken place in the space of just a few short years, advancing from a staid marque producing dated designs that fell short of the competition, to a dynamic and thoroughly modern, (even cool?) brand displaying some of the most daring design in the industry.

I think Jaguar's drive and creativity is to be applauded, and they deserve to see great success in the coming years, with more exciting product in the pipeline.

*Not actual budget. Work with me here...