New Jaguar XJ revealed - Under the skin

Overall, the new XJ – which will again be offered with standard and long wheelbases – is a few millimetres longer, wider and lower than the model it replaces. 'Our aim was to make it leaner and more sleek,' says Callum.

The new car is based on the mostly-aluminium riveted underbody structure of its predecessor, but with greater use of magnesium to help trim weight. Jaguar claims the XJ is between 160 and 250 kilos lighter than the competition.

The chassis is largely the same as that on the recently-uprated XK, but with air suspension at the rear to keep the car level regardless of load. The Jaguar Control rotary gear selector makes it across from the XF, and there are shift programmes for performance and winter driving.

All models will have continuously variable damping, while supercharged versions have an active diff to give them a handling edge.