Jeremy Something strange has been happening in the XJ. When I pull away from a junction, big cars in the rear-view mirror become small very quickly. What’s odd about this is that I’ve not really been trying that hard – the ZF eight-speed gearbox has remained in ‘Drive’ and so far, I’ve only slipped into ‘Sport’ once.

What’s even more impressive is that the new V6 engine is so smooth. It feels totally unflustered and glides away at pace without a hint of strain. Jaguar has a long history of building performance cars but the XJ encapsulates the company ethos in one slick machine.

There will be purists who bemoan the loss of the 5.0-litre V8 engine in the XJ but the 3.0 makes the saloon a much more sensible prospect in the current age of austerity. Besides, it still produces 335bhp and CO2 emissions have been cut to a more respectable 224g/km.

The XJ is also so very easy to drive. There’s minimum fuss whether you are bumper to bumper in town, or opening up the throttle on a A-road. The sound from the exhaust isn’t quite the rumble of the old V8 but an 825W Meridian sound system more than makes up for that.

Right, I’m off to Milton Keynes to perform chauffeur duties for CarCouture’s celebrity guest. CarCouture will reveal her verdict on the XJ over the weekend.