2009 Jaguar XJ

2009 Jaguar XJ

In keeping with Ian Callum’s new design direction for Jaguar, it is an all-new exterior design and a break from the XJ series mould carried over on all previous generations.

It is a longer, wider car that looks much bigger than its predecessor.The front has clear links with the executive car XF, although with slimmer, sleeker lights and a larger, squarer grille and more aggressive appearance.

The rear is the contentious part, like nothing Jaguar has shown before.

The upright, swooping taillights, nicknamed ‘cat’s claws’, and black roof panels each side of the rear screen, which aim to hide the XJ’s width, are the most striking aspects.

There is also a standard full, length sunroof, that extends all the way back with just a single body-coloured roof panel that the designer likens to bridges on yachts.