Whitley, Coventry - These are the first 'official' pictures of the all-new Jaguar XF sedan, which has been test-flying under the radar (mostly) while interest has been focused on the smaller XE and the recently-confirmed F-Pace crossover.
The XF, which will compete with Stuttgart's E-Class and Munich's 5 Series, will make its global motor show debut in New York on 1 April, when the full range and technical details will be released, and it's due for release in South Africa in early 2016.
It's built on a stretched version of the mixed-material (but mostly aluminium) iQ[Al] platform, first seen at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show in the C-X17 Crossover concept, which in due course became the F-Pace.
Jaguar claims the new platform will help make the new XF as much as 100kg lighter than its predecessor, depending on the model.
The architecture also underpins the smaller XE, which rivals the C-Class and 3 Series, and is expected to form the basis of several future models, one of which is thought to be a seriously swanky two-door 2+2 GT fastback to replace the now outdated XK.
CRISP, TIGHT LINES
Jaguar director of design Ian Callum says the new XF will be true to the tradition of sporting Jaguar sedans while being completely of its time.
The bird's-eye view shows a distinct family resemblance to the XE, with crisp, tight lines, a protruding nose and an even more dramatic development of the sexy rear three-quarter line introduced on the current XJ, as confirmed by a number of spy shots we've seen of the new car in light camouflage.
It's also noticeably longer than the current XF, which should translate into impressive rear-passenger stretch room and, presumably, more boot space.
The interior shows even more XE influence, with the steering wheel and centre console (including the rotary gear selector we came to know and love in the original XF) almost identical to its smaller sibling's.
The instrument panel, however, is completely digital, as in the XJ, and there's a big touchscreen for accessing Jaguar's new InControl infotainment system built into the centre stack, rather than protruding from the top of the fascia in the current European fashion.
The XE's hidden centre air-vents give way to more conventional outlets, although it looks as if the side vents still rotate out of sight when not in use.
NUTS AND BOLTS
Jaguar has yet to release any details from under the bonnet, other than a claim that the XF will set new segment benchmarks for weight and efficiency with fuel-consumption figures around four litres per 100km. That means the base models will almost certainly have Jaguar Land Rover's clean-running Ingenium two-litre turbo fours in petrol and diesel format.
Expect to see a (probably slightly detuned) F-Type three-litre V6 in the mid-level variants and a five-litre V8, heavily tweaked to improve fuel-efficiency at the expense of outright performance, in the flag-ship edition, with an eight-speed paddle-shift auto transmission across the range.
But what we're waiting for, of course, are the supercharged, five-litre V8 XFR and XF SVR superloons (expect at least 450kW from the latter!) in both rear and all-wheel drive persuasion.
Before that, however, Jaguar is planning a dramatic stunt for the new XF sedan in London on 24 March, a week ahead of its public premiere.
Stuntman Jim Dowdell, a veteran of action stunts in movies including Bond, Bourne and Indiana Jones, will attempt a high-wire water crossing across two 34mm-diameter wires suspended high above water, to highlight the light weight and agility of the new XF.
The stunt will be streamed globally on the Jaguar website at 7pm GMT (9pm SA time) on 24 March.