New cat on the block

THE new Jaguar XF looks so big and so buff that it is hard to believe it is actually slightly shorter than the car it replaces. In fact, 7mm was cut off the latest version of this mid-sized sedan. Yet at 4.95 metres in length, the XF has a much longer wheelbase, one that has been stretched by 51 mm to a whopping 2,960 mm.

This, as well as the enlarged greenhouse, are some reasons for the upsized impression. The XF gets more glass, with a new window before the rear pillar, or what Jaguar designers call the sixth light.

Overall, it has a body that is less rounded than before, with a boot that is higher and which sticks out farther with a raised lip.