Jaguar continues its return to high-performance form started with the 2008 Jaguar XF.  The company just revealed the 2010 Jaguar XJ, a worthy successor to the original XJ.

The car features an attractive front, with a wider upright grill, which Jaguar's chief designer Ian Callum calls a "very deliberate statement".  The chrome "leaper" hood ornament is also available.  The front end draws inspiration from the 2007 C-XF concept.

The side features a widening tapered chrome surround (the chrome above the window glass), considered a slightly controversial or edgy design.  The fender vents are minimal and unobtrusive.  The car comes standard with a panoramic moonroof, rounding of its attractive design.

The car is extremely aerodynamic, with a 0.29 drag coefficient -- just shy of the Toyota Prius' industry leading 0.26 (and arguably in a much more attractive package).  The car uses aluminum to reduce its weight to at least 300 lbs lighter than competitive offerings -- the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8.  The aluminum is very environmentally friendly as 50 percent comes from recycled stock and the car itself is 85 percent recyclable.

The interior features a gorgeous cockpit with an increased number of leather, wood and trim options (including eight veneers, carbon fiber or piano black).  The gauge cluster is a massive 12.3-inch TFT screen, and many functions are controlled by an improved touchscreen setup.  The car is loaded with perhaps the best manufacturer-installed audio system on the market, with a 1200-watt, 20-speaker, Bowers & Wilkens 7.1 channel surround system.  The car does voice commands with ease.

The car also features pre-charged braking, a blind-spot monitoring system, and adaptive cornering headlamps (Xenons are standard).

Turning to the performance, the car comes with six-speed paddle-shift automatic gearbox.  The rear differential is electronically governed and the car also comes with three-mode JaguarDrive Control with Normal, Dynamic and Winter detents, which maps the throttle and shift to the electronic differential, stability control thresholds, suspension firmness (coil springs up front, air out back) and even seatbelt tightness.  The car also features Jaguar's Adaptive Dynamics system.

The vehicle features a 5.0-liter direct-injected AJ-III V8.  Three variants are available, two of which feature forced induction.  A base natural aspirated mill engine produces 385 horsepower @ 6,500 rpm and 380 pound-feet @ 3,500 rpm.  A medium-level supercharged variant produces 470 horsepower @ 6,000-6,500 rpm and 424 lb-ft (between 2,500-5,000 rpm).  These engines represent a 28 and 18 percent performance gain over the 2009 model.

The top engine is a 510 horsepower SuperSport monster that delivers 6,000-6,500 rpm and 461 lb-ft of torque from 2,500-5,500.  Europeans get a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 option as well.  The top model can do 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds, reportedly. 

The MSRP for the base engine model is $72,500 USD.  The Supercharged edition comes in at $87,500 USD and the SuperSport is $112,500 USD.  Extended wheel-base versions (XJL) are available for $79,500, $90,500, and $115,500 USD respectively.