2017 Jaguar XF vs 2018

What's the difference?

The Jaguar XF is the modern take on a classic four-door, five seat sports sedan, combining a beguiling touch of nostalgia with just the right amount of modern sophistication. 

The coupe-esque rear lines and the bulging bonnet hark back to a time when Jaguar was at the peak of its powers, while the restrained balance of the design points to a wider audience for a reborn brand.

The latest XF has finally been graced with one of the brand’s feistier engines; a 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 that also sees duty in the F-Type and F-Pace. Can it still compete against its rivals like the Audi A6, Mercedes-Benz E-Class and BMW 5 Series?

If a Jaguar owner fell through a wormhole from 2003, the company they bought their car from would be   almost unrecognisable. Back then, it was a bewildering mess making an odd assortment of cars, yet to emerge into the light after Ford's confused and debilitating period of ownership. 

Why 2003? Fifteen years is a nice round number and pre-dates the arrival of the brand-saving XF.

Today, Jaguar has three SUVs, and the gorgeous F-Type, the XE, its second-generation XF and the big XJ. It has three SUVs (the F-Pace, E-Pace and I-Pace) because without them Jaguar would be a niche manufacturer before long, because big sedans, formerly the brand's trademark, are continuing their gentle decline. Oddly enough, one of the market segments contracting even faster than sedans is wagons. 

So what better time to launch into a draining pool from the three-metre board than now? Jaguar has bravely taken that risk and brought us the puzzlingly named XF Sportbrake.