From the front there's little change. The car still has four smallish round headlights and the hood has the characteristic curves that flow back from the top edges of these headlamps. The wide grille protrudes forward slightly and the leaping jaguar, called the Leaper, sits on top of the hood.

Yet if you place the new Jag alongside the previous-generation model it's immediately apparent there are a lot of subtle changes.

If we start at the back it's easy to see that the trunk lid is much higher than ever before. That's good as it means the trunk is bigger: an amazing 30-percent bigger in capacity. Yet the rear end is uncluttered and the iconic stylish triangular taillight clusters remain.

Viewed from the side it's notable that the roof line is 4 inches higher than before. Keeping the proportions correct means there is a much higher belt line. Higher beltlines are the trend nowadays at least partly because people feel safer with taller doors. This makes the side windows appear a lot shallower. In reality they are not much smaller, but it has taken away the open greenhouse feel of earlier models in the XJ line. To offset this the windshield is set at a more raked angle than before.

Individually these subtle changes in styling might well have upset the overall Jaguar-ness of the XJ, but the car has a longer wheelbase and the front wheels are set further forward than before. Because of this, and the subtle way in which the belt line edges up as it goes to the back, the car has a purposefully crouched look. Indeed the XJ looks as though it's ready to pounce even when it's standing still.

Yes, the new car stands taller than ever before but Jaguar's designers have managed to keep all those feline curves in the right places.

There are varying amounts of chrome exterior trim depending on the model. Naturally the luxurious Vanden Plas gets the most brightwork including the grille insert. The XJ8 has a gray grille insert while the XJR gets a bright mesh insert and black window surrounds. All models have big chrome door handles.

Each model gets different size alloy wheels. The XJ8 comes with 17-inch light forged alloy wheels. Vanden Plas gets 18-inch cast alloy wheels, and the XJR is fitted with 19-inch cast alloys. Optional 20-inch BBS two-piece wheels are available for the XJR for an even more aggressive look.