Jaguar is proud to announce that the new XF has won the most prestigious award in the automotive calendar, What Car? 'Car of the Year 2008', as well as 'Best Executive Car'.  We are also pleased to be category winners, with the XJ winning 'Luxury Cars Under £50,000' with the XKR winning 'Coupes Over £40,000'.

XF fuses sports car styling and performance with the refinement, features and space of a luxury saloon.  It is one of the most visually striking, technically sophisticated and driver-orientated saloon cars that Jaguar has ever produced. 

The new XF is the first sporting saloon to deliver Jaguar's stunning new design language.  Its profile is unique – athletic and assertive, the dramatic lines of a coupe envelope a spacious cabin with four doors and seating for five adults.  Its detailing is exquisite and subtle, from the woven mesh of the grille to the dramatically sculpted light clusters, from the side power vents to the jewel-like alloy wheels.

The interior ambience is enriched by crafted, luxurious materials, sophisticated instruments and calm interior mood lighting. Engineering excellence and attention to detail mean the XF's interior matches the best-in-class for refinement, while Jaguar's intelligent use of technology and driver-friendly touch-screen controls add new layers of comfort and ease of use.

What Car? stated: 'There is one constant when we come to choose our Car of the Year. The winner must have done more than anything else from the past 12 months to move things on. Sometimes progress is modest – hardly surprising given the high standard of most cars today. At other times it is a leap of huge proportions – think Bob Beaman breaking the long-jump record by 21 inches in the 1968 Olympics and you're close. From 3985 contenders and 17 class winners, one car blew all competition away — the Jaguar XF'.

Commenting on our much-anticipated, unique driver 'handshake' What Car? remarked 'The pièce de résistance is the choreographed start-up procedure. A rotary gear selector and fresh-air vents merge from their resting places, to the accompaniment of a pulsing red starter button and the glow of blue mood lighting on the instruments, in the doors and around the controls. This really has the feeling of a concept car become production reality.'

From launch the XF will be available with a choice of six models, and a range of four engines from the 2.7 litre V6 turbo diesel, one of the most refined diesels in its class, to a range of petrol engines culminating in the supercharged 4.2-litre V8 petrol with 416hp, that give refinement, flexibility and outstanding performance. All models feature Jaguar's proven six-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted 'paddles' for manual gear selection.

What Car? applauded Jaguar, stating: 'Jaguar has not forgotten that its cars must always be lusciously refined and calmly sporty. The XF more than meets the brief. It out-drives the previously unbeatable BMW 5 Series'

To quote What Car?: 'It takes real talent to beat BMW, Mercedes and Audi at their own game, but the XF has it in spades. Make no mistake Jaguar's achievement in taking on and beating the big guns in this elite class is staggering. Effectively, the XF is a distillation of all the qualities of Audi, BMW and Mercedes, plus a healthy dose of Jaguar sparkle.'