E-Class, 5-Series—some of the best luxury cars in the world are mid-size sedans. But the battle for hearts and minds, and roads, isn't just between those epic four-doors. We'd put the vaunted Audi A6 and the excellent Cadillac CTS on the list, too.

Is there room for one more truly great luxury sedan in the world? Is it Jaguar's turn to join that elite group?

You can't really answer that without a few hundred kilometers behind the wheel, so we flew to Spain for our first drive of the 2016 Jaguar XF—in turbodiesel and supercharged six-cylinder-powered versions, on uncluttered roads and a near-virgin track.

Lighter lines

The first-generation XF was a lovely car with a striking interior, but it was also heavy and had a small back seat. No surprise, since it's now the oldest car in the British automaker's lineup. Jaguar has some catching up to do.

It doesn't just catch up, it moves a smart step ahead. With the new XF, Jaguar has switched its body from steel to aluminum, save for a steel trunk lid and doors. The switch has brought huge changes in how it looks, how it performs, and how it works.

Striking and straightforward all at once, the 2016 XF is an attractively proportioned and detailed car. It wears its rectangular-framed grille more proudly than before; the grille is flanked by big air intakes below and slim headlamps that arc upward as they wrap around the front end.

It shares about a quarter of its content with the compact 2017 Jaguar XE coming next year, and the styling differences really emerge in the side view, where the XF has an extra window that elongates the roofline. At the rear, the XF's taillamps have twin circular insets—where the XE and the F-Type sports car have just one per side. 

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

The XF's cabin has an elegant, airy feel, with a lovely clarity to the design below the midline. Above that, there's a "riva" line, a cue adopted from the boating industry; it bows around the whole cockpit to draw in occupants more closely. It's a visual trick that works subtly in everything from Bernini's Vatican colonnades to a Samsung curved-screen LED TV, and in the XF it creates some relaxing visual space up top.

Below that horizon, the cabin's clear, concise layout is dominated by a touchscreen interface front and center. On some versions it's an eight-inch screen featuring Jaguar's new InTouch interface; Beneath the central screen, there are strips of small buttons for core functions, thankfully marked in big, clear letters and graphics. But on top models it's a larger 10.3-inch screen paired with another 12.3-inch screen that replaces the gauges, governed by InTouch Pro. Those buttons get subsumed into the touchscreen on Pro.

With trim and color options, the XF can seem as sober as a big German sedan, in black-on-black tones—or lively and lush, with a red-and-black pairing. For a paler environment, there's a whitewashed-wood treatment that doesn't do the XF dash many favors—especially on the console, where it floats the rotary shift controller in a sea of wan-looking trim.

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF: performance stats

At launch this fall, the U.S. versions of the XF will come with a choice between a supercharged V-6 engine in two power ratings, with either 340 horsepower or 380 horsepower, both turning in an identical 332 pound-feet of torque.

In calendar-year 2016, a turbodiesel four-cylinder with 178 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque will go on sale, with mileage estimates offered by Jaguar of more than 40 miles per gallon on the EPA highway cycle. Even gas models will post up to a 9-percent mileage gain, Jaguar says, with EPA estimates for rear-drive models at 20/30 mpg, or 24 mpg combined.

We drove those three versions on lovely, glassy Spanish roads and on the Circuito de Navarra, a pristine racetrack in Basque country, halfway to nowhere between Bilbao and Pamplona. Diesels on the winding roads to the track, all-wheel-drive XF S sedans on the track, and rear-drive XF S sedans on the route back to Pamplona. When asked if there were XF R sedans with 500-plus horsepower, Jaguar officials smiled and shooed us along patiently.

An eight-speed paddle-shifted automatic is the sole transmission at launch, though Jaguar has a manual shifter in its parts bin now. The automatic has a pendulum damper for better low-speed shift quality, and the V-6 gets a balance shaft for smoother operation.

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

Jaguar pegs 0-60 mph times for the 380-horsepower, all-wheel-drive XF S at 5.0 seconds, and top speed hits a limited 155 mph. Rear-drive cars take a tick longer to launch to 60 mph; the turbodiesel takes 7.7 seconds.

A lighter-weight, chain-driven all-wheel-drive system will be an option, but the XF is a rear-wheel-driver at heart. Power steering is driven by electric motors, and the XF's stability control system incorporates a torque-vectoring function which brakes an inside wheel in corners for better responsiveness.

The suspension is made up of twin wishbones at the front wheels and an integral-link setup at the rear. A set of adaptive dampers are available, and a set of driver-selectable programs can tailor the XF's ride quality, electric power-steering assist, throttle, and shift timing and speed. The drive modes are accessed by keying through a horizontal switch, the same as it's done in the Range Rover Evoque, but the modes are different: eco, normal, sport, and track are joined by an adaptive-traction mode that uses information on the road surface to set those driving parameters. There's also a low-speed launch mode that pre-loads light throttle for crisp launches in slippery conditions.

The spec sheet cues up all the correct feels—but how does the XF gel? Is it competent, credible, or should we add "in" to either of those? After nearly 200 miles, we came up with some answers.

Fleet street

Credit some of it to near-perfect roads and conditions, to premium adaptive suspensions and to grippy summer tires, but the Jaguar XF obviously has some hardcore talent wrought into its aluminum bits.

Our first hundred miles spent in the diesel gave the first glimpse into the XF's promise. After driving Range Rover diesels the day before, the newer and smaller turbodiesel made itself more obvious, with more low-rpm noise. The narrow powerband (redline suggested at 4500 rpm on early-build cars) didn't promise much in the way of entertaining driving. But pushed into Sport mode, the XF's light weight, deft handling and ironman strength won us over. Max torque shows up between 1750 and 2500 rpm, where the diesel noise profile mellows out and the XF's composed, clear-headed handling starts to take shape. It's loafing on the long highway stretches connecting mountain passes, barely turning 1500 rpm at 70 mph, but it's one of those cars that immediately feels familiar, and reassuring, when you hustle.

The question is whether the idea of a diesel itself is too foreign to Jaguar's U.S. buyers. We found ourselves digging deeply into its long-twitch-muscle powertrain, even picking off some uphill passes, but we missed the ability to paddle down through a crackling V-8 exhaust and letting overrun rule the cabin.

If the diesel is slow-twitch muscles in action, the gas-powered, all-wheel-drive XF S is the opposite. Fleet, responsive, and exhilarating, the supercharged cars rise to the high-water marks set by sport versions of the German trio and the CTS.

Balance is what comes through with every turn at the Circuito de Navarra. It's a challenging place to get to learn the XF, much less to do it all in about three laps, with clouds hovering nearby. All you can do is pile in, and let the car show off how it's been developed.

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

Out on the track, the all-wheel-drive versions of the XF handle themselves extremely well. The car turns in neatly, and shifts power around to maximize traction without drama, even through a pair of corners you're guaranteed to overcook on the first lap out. 

A few laps around the crazy off-camber, uphill runs and pinball-machine apexes at Navarra, the XF settles into a supple rhythm. It's more softly set up on its adaptive dampers than I expected, but that's entirely welcome—this will be the mid-line version of the car, after all. It bends gently and precisely into corners, with a fair amount of compliance that suits its size class, its sub-R tuning.

The steering's set with lighter weight than, say, a Cadillac CTS VSport, but it dials into corners accurately, making the tough curves that much easier to learn. The ZF automatic? It's as solid as ever, shuffling off immediate shifts at the click of a paddle switch. I'm not sure I'd ever miss a manual in something so well sorted-out.

While the V-8 power from the last XF is on pause, the new one's supercharged six-cylinder makes up most of the difference—especially now that it's toting around a couple hundred pounds less than the previous car. It's still saddled with the groan that really wants to be a lush V-8 rumble, but there's less of it, and more of the sensory pleasures of induction noise funneled into cabin.

Back out on the roads linking us to reliable WiFi and wakeup calls, the XF crystallizes opinions. There's a magnitude of progress here in virtually every dimension—and the old XF wasn't a laggard in many. The new car is really a talented, sporty sedan verging on a great sports sedan. There's plenty left in the tank here for the inevitable XF R in the pipeline.

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

At last, real rear-seat room, real infotainment

So you don't have to back out of this browser page, we'll remind you of the first XF's biggest shortcomings: back-seat space and cryptic, outdated touch controls. Consider both user cases solved.

Aluminum let designers free up more interior space in essentially the same footprint. The new XF is one WWE wrestler lighter—curb weight is quoted at 3,770 to 3,880 pounds—but it's also two inches longer between the wheels. Headroom and knee room are up one inch, and rear-seat leg room is up one-half inch, too. Overall length is down a quarter-inch, and overall height is down by an eighth of an inch. 

Inside, the XF's sport seats are plainly shaped, with low bolsters on sides that could rise higher and more firmly. The center tunnel is wide, and though the XF itself is relatively wide too, it staggers some of that extra width to the left of the driver and steering column; inboard, the console sits right on the driver's knee. Little storage pockets are molded into the doors; they have squared-off slots for water bottles, but aren't quite big enough for a Fiji. USB ports are tucked into the console if you want to stream and charge in privacy.

In back, the XF is cured of its fastback-roofline blues: the gains in interior volume give the XF a real rear seat. Six-foot adults can fit, finally, in the back and they won't be complaining about head or leg room. Their baggage is welcome, too: the squared-off trunk is immense, at a Taurus-like 19.1 cubic feet.

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

2016 Jaguar XF V6 S AWD

No crash-test scores are available yet, but the new XF will offer myriad accident-avoidance technologies, such as a laser-projected head-up display; surround-view cameras; full LED headlights; adaptive cruise; blind-spot monitors; parking assist; and an autonomous braking system that uses stereo cameras to detect obstacles and to trigger the car to stop on its own.

User-interface design and technology is also a calling card in new XF. Wave goodbye (with all fingers please) to the antique Jaguar touchscreens of the recent past. Now, there's a choice between systems. The base setup is a new InControl Touch smartphone-connectivity interface, run via an 8.0-inch touchscreen, augmented by steering-wheel controls and voice commands. Honestly, we'd wait for InControl Touch Pro, a more advanced version with a 10.2-inch touchscreen, faster processing speeds, and a coordinating 12.3-inch instrument panel like the one found in the Range Rover. Pro offers pinch and zoom control, a customizable home screen, gesture controls, and four skins—visual themes from graphic to journey—but it doesn't show up in the XF until the middle of the 2016 model year, as a running change. 

The 2016 XF hits showrooms this fall, more attractively priced than last year, and equipped with a longer warranty and service plan. Sold in Premium, Prestige, and R-Sport trims, the supercharged V-6 starts at $52,895 including destination—a price that pits it directly against its rivals. Prices will rise to $66,695 for an all-wheel-drive XF S.

A turbodiesel engine will be available for a $1,500 premium on some trim levels, starting next summer. A turbocharged four-cylinder model with a base price "well under $50,000" will go on sale at a later date.

So what's the bottom line with the 2016 Jaguar XF? As if the CTS wasn't enough, the Germans have even more to worry about now. It may be made of aluminum, but the new 2016 Jaguar XF is clearly no lightweight.

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