Nine lives

This new cat could land Jaguar on its feet.

The wait is finally over. No, Jaguar hasn't found a new suitor yet (yes, our very own Tata Motors is in the fray), but its possible saviour has descended. The Jaguar XF saloon based on the concept first seen at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this year will grace the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in a week's time. And boy, does it do justice to the concept, the kind that might force Ford to reconsider plans to sell the company.

Ford retreating from its plans might be a far-fetched idea, but then the car has a lot going for it. For starters, it replaces the S-Type, one of Jaguar's successful premium saloons and a very good one at that. When it was launched at the 1998 British Motor Show in Birmingham, the S-Type was touted as the saviour of the ailing luxury car manufacturer.

For all its Britishness, the S-Type's success was overshadowed by Jaguar's inability to convert fantastic concepts like the F-Type into production reality and was instead brought down by ill-thought out cars like the X-Type and the never-ending XJ. With the XF, Jaguar hopes to change its image once and for all, and by sticking close to the lines of the concept, round one seems to be in Jaguar's court.

The Ian Callum designed saloon retains much of the concept's sharp yet muscular lines, including that huge bulge on the bonnet. There are certain hints of Aston Martin in its stance, especially those tail lamps, but yes, its German rivals like the E-Class, A6 and 5 Series might just start to appear rather boring. On the inside, Jaguar have gone from 19th century classic to Star Wars in no time.

The knob above the transmission tunnel might look like iDrive, but it doesn't control the stereo or sat-nav. Instead, it is the transmission. What's more, it twirls and sits flush in the tunnel... now that's cool. Uber cool?

The infotainment console is touchscreen, making it quite a complement to the owner's iPhone. There's more silver garnishing on the inside than there's ever been, though owners can opt for a wood finish on the centre console that looks like it's off a Riva boat.

Motive power arrives via three engines. A 2700cc twin-turbo diesel with 204 bhp and a massive 43.5 kgm of torque should keep nearly half of the XF's future owners happy. For the other half, Jaguar have called in the services of a 3000cc V6 petrol with 240 bhp and a 4200cc V8 with either 300 bhp or 400 bhp, supercharged.

There's even talk of a 500 bhp sports variant, one that'd give the likes of the BMW M5 and Mercedes E65 AMG a run for their money. Even in pure monetary terms, the XF is priced in line with its German rivals.

The wait to buy it is just a little longer, with first European deliveries bound only for early next year. India bound? Better pray Tata Motors wins the contest.