The XF has always faced a bit of an uphill battle to impose itself. It’s competing against some of the finest saloons in the world from the behemoths that are BMW, Mercedes and Audi.

The styling is typically Jaguar. To these slightly impaired eyes the front end is reminiscent of the larger XJ – no bad thing in my opinion – while round the back the F-Type’s influence can be seen in the light clusters’ curved elements.

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The seats are comfortable and supportive, and it's easy to find just the right driving position, particularly as the steering wheel also adjusts - electrically of course - for height and reach which means that there are no protestations from the lumbar region after long periods behind the wheel.

There's plenty of legroom in the front – it’s probably what an estate agent might describe as deceptively spacious - it's just a shame that the same can't be said for the rear. I don’t doubt there would be stiff competition for that front seat among passengers over six feet. Headroom isn't overly generous either, but then that's the price you pay for such a svelte, sweeping profile and, in my opinion, it's a bargain.

The cabin is a seamless blend of modern thinking with traditional Jaguar values, with brushed metal, carbon fibre and wood veneers all available to give the interior just the right ambience whether you’re 25 or 65. The dashboard curves elegantly around you, creating an intimate space that helps make the car feel much smaller than its five-metre length.

The analogue dials in the instrument binnacle have been replaced with a 12.3in digital display that can be configured to show either driving data or sat nav info.

The 10.2in Dual View touchscreen (£615) mounted in the centre of the dashboard suffers from the same lag that has plagued Jaguar’s multimedia efforts over the last few years. There has undoubtedly been a marked improvement – and the company’s Touch Pro duo system that is slowly filtering down into new models from the Velar is by far the most promising upgrade to date – but it is still some way behind the competition.

Of course, one major issue with touchscreen operation, as opposed to physical knobs, buttons and switches, is that you have to look at it to operate it. This means that adjusting the climate control, for example, is impossible to do (safely) while on the move. The sat nav – which I found to be both reliable and idiosyncratic – as well as the excellent audio system and Bluetooth are all accessed via the touchscreen.

Although there’s no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay the XF does offer some connectivity via the suite of InControl apps, which includes phone contacts, maps, calendar and a music player. InControl Remote Premium lets you configure the climate control using your smartphone while InControl Secure Tracker can trace your car if it’s stolen but these services come at a price.

You do get a wifi hotspot as standard which allows passengers to connect up to eight devices to the internet.

Ignition is keyless, as is entry to the vehicle, so put your foot on the clutch, press the start button and the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine starts almost silently and that theme continues, regardless of how much strain you place on the power plant, there’s rarely anything more than a distant thrum permeating the passenger space.

When you start the car the outer air vents in the dashboard rotate – there might be some who recall that all four vents used to perform this trick – and the drive selector rises smoothly out of the transmission tunnel. It's a real piece of theatre that alone very nearly makes the admission price worth paying.

According to official figures, the sprint to 60mph takes 6.2 seconds and the XF feels every bit as quick as those figures suggest. In-gear acceleration feels particularly impressive, inspiring confidence when overtaking. The eight-speed auto box is ideal for cruising, the gear changes smooth and unobtrusive. That changes, of course, when the driving becomes more demanding, but it remains assured and predictable.

The XF feels is wonderfully agile and the suspension keeps the car planted during cornering, there’s little body roll to complain about. The deliciously quick steering and strong front end grip means that the car is eager to tackle bends. Even with drive sent to all four wheels there’s a nice balance between retaining the tidy rear-wheel drive feeling to the handling and the benefits of adding grip in slipperier conditions.

Safety features include the obligatory airbags, front and side, as well as rather clever warning lights mounted in the door mirrors. They’re designed to alert the driver to vehicles entering the blind spot and, I have to say, they’re rather effective. I also enjoyed the benefits of intelligent high beam which, as its name suggests, automatically switches the headlights to high beam and dips them again when the system detects an approaching vehicle. Cruise control with automatic speed limiter comes as standard which means, essentially, that there’s little else for me to do other than turning the steering wheel, at the appropriate time, of course.

The boot provides 540 litres of space for your luggage (500 with a space saver fitted) or 963 litres with the rear seats folded (923) although, because of the steeply raked rear windscreen, the boot opening does restrict the size of the items you can actually carry.

As tough a battle as the XF faces imposing itself on its German rivals – and making a lasting impression in the collective conscience of the car-buying public – it makes a strong case for a place at the top table.

It lags behind a little on interior quality and its Teutonic rivals also offer slicker and cleverer in-car technology but its engaging chassis and compliant ride are as good as anything else it its class.

Jaguar XF Portfolio 2.0-litre Turbocharged Petrol 250PS AWD Automatic

Price: £44,035

As tested: £58,600

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged

Max power: 250PS

Max torque: 269Nm

Max speed: 147mph

Acceleration (0-60mph): 6.2sec

Urban: 33mpg

Extra urban: 47.4mpg

Combined: 40.9mpg

Emissions (CO2): 159g/km

For more information visit www.jaguar.co.uk