Jaguar are aiming to definitively put themselves at the top of the luxury market with the 2016 Jaguar XJ. The aluminium luxury saloon has received minor exterior changes, most notably the full LED headlights, which sharpens up the design. There is also a new infotainment system and redesigned engines to compete with the Mercedes S Class and the BMW 7 Series.

The new Jaguar XJ range consists of the XJ Luxury, XJ Premium Luxury, XJ Portfolio, XJ R-Sport, XJR and XJ Autobiography. Prices start at £58,690 for the Short Wheel-base 3.0D Luxury and go all the way up to £100,000 for the Long Wheel-base 5.0-litre petrol Autobiography. The Luxury, Premium Luxury and Portfolio models are all available in both short and long wheel base formats and costs around £3,000 more to upgrade to the LWB layout.

The engines on offer are a 296bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine with automatic transmission, a 335bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol automatic available in rear and all-wheel drive and a 503bhp or 543bhp 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine which also uses the ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The biggest change for the engines is the 3.0-litre diesel engine which has received advancements to make it more efficient and faster. It is now compliant with Euro 6 regulations but produces a huge 700Nm of torque which is enough to get the XJ from 0-62mph in just 5.9 seconds. Jaguar also claim this altered V6 diesel is smoother and quieter than the old one, but it is more powerful and returns better economy.

On the inside, the interior is bathed which luxury which is sure to keep the Germans on their toes. Unlike many, Jaguar have decided to do their own in-house infotainment system and not sought help from Android or adopted Apple’s CarPlay. Jaguar do however claim that their InControl Touch Pro system is state-of-the-art, noting it is a very powerful tool but remains simple and intuitive. The eight-inch touchscreen is completely customisable with wallpapers, widgets and so on. Whilst gestures such as pinch to zoom make it simple to use. The maps system can determine the cars location even when GPS signal is lost and features door-to-door route planning, which gives public transport options, for example. The Approach Mode feature displays a 360 degree interactive view of your destination when within 200 metres and can even help you find a car park space. Wi-Fi and Meridian audio systems are also used in the XJ for the best possible journey.

For the back, customers are able to opt for a rear seat entertainment system, including two 10.2-inch HD monitors which are able to watch separate digital TV channels if specified.

There is also a wide array of driver assistance systems to keep the drive as safe as possible. These include All-Surface Progress Control (ASPC), allowing a safe getaway on low friction surfaces, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control, closing vehicle sensing (blindspot monitoring) and a semi-autonomous park assist.

The new Jaguar XJ does seem to be the complete package then. It looks good, it’s quick, quiet, smooth and filled to the brim with opulence. It is also well priced in comparison to competitors, which firmly puts Jaguar in a very good position in the luxury saloon market.