Jaguar XF

Despite plenty of goodwill from British buyers, Jaguar has never made that final breakthrough to be considered a genuine mainstream rival to the likes of BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

But the XF could be the car to change all that. It won a crucial group test in Issue 998, beating both the 5-Series and E-Class in the process, and there’s precious little wrong with the firm’s dealerships, either.

Since these are owners’ only real contact points with their car’s manufacturer, it’s vital they reflect the company’s aims and create a good impression – and Jaguar’s showrooms scored well in Driver Power 2007 for customer service.

Visit one, and prepare to be blown away by the new XF. Even if an entry-level £33,900 XF is beyond your means, we’d still recommend you go and get a feel for it. No other car available today has a better designed interior.

And it’s not only the gearlever that’s unique – although the twisting knob is the centre of attention. The rotating air vents are pretty special, too, while the highlight for us is the illumination at night. The whole cabin has a soft blue glow, with diffused light on the doors as well as the instruments. If you’re in a showroom, it might be a bit of a tall order to ask the sales staff to throw a cover over the car so you can enjoy it, though!

But the tremendous cabin isn’t the only reason to head to one of Jaguar’s 98 UK outlets. The styling is highly distinctive, too – especially the sleek tail, which gives the XF a coupé stance.

And if you do manage to secure a test drive, we guarantee you’ll be impressed by the car’s superb balance of ride and handling. It’s cosseting, yet rewarding and sporty, and while none of the engines is new, the 2.7-litre diesel – which will account for more than 50 per cent of sales – remains extremely quiet and refined.

Still, plenty of people have been persuaded to sign on the dotted line without even driving Jag’s new saloon. The Coventry-based marque has 3,000 advance orders in the UK. While it’s not publishing any data on how many cars it wants to sell here this year, we reckon that’s at least four months’ supply tied up.

The dealers we spoke to said that a cancelled order was the only way of getting hold of an XF at short notice. And our research backed that up – we couldn’t find a single Internet firm which could commit to quick delivery, nor one that was able to beat the official on-the-road price.

It wasn’t all bad news, though. In fact, the best contract hire offer we spotted was through Jaguar itself: £449 per month (£528 including VAT) for our favourite model, the 2.7D Luxury. Long-term running costs look manageable, too, which suggests the financial leasing companies are convinced not only of the XF’s reliability, but also the brand’s future prospects.