Going against the grain. Hard to do in a sea of BMW, Audi and Mercedes executive sedans. Every where you look you see the blue and black roundel, 4 rings, or 3 pointed star. To think that these marques carry any sort of exclusivity when every second car you see on the road is one of the above aforementioned is no longer viable. But what if there was another way. What if you wanted something… Unique.

Enter the 2016 Jaguar XJR. Best described as the vehicular Pierce Brosnan. Stomp on the accelerator, and the back end squiggles about, catching itself without a drop of sweat. This “cool as a cucumber” amidst havoc attitude is the XJRs party piece. While other cars of this size and stature may try to isolate you from the road, this car eases you into accepting your fate with its blighty charm. With 550 HP being routed to its rear wheels via a Supercharged 5 liter direct injection V8, 0-60 takes only 3.8 seconds, with the quarter mile flashing by at 12.1 seconds at 120 Mph. This, from a vehicle that not only provides a heated massage, but legroom and comfort for 5 that no sports car could ever provide.

Add aluminum bodywork and frame, and this supposed heavyweight is surprisingly light on its feet. Throw it into a corner, and turn in is as crisp as spring waves crashing into a rocky escarpment. Any whiff of oversteer, and the electronic differential calculates exactly which wheel to send power to. Dab the throttle a bit, and you are back on track, with a mighty assault of direct injection force.

You can go for a BMW 7 Series, a Mercedes S63 or an Audi S8, but that would be the choice that everyone else makes. Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another day, The Thomas Crown Affair. That is what you are driving when you plop down into an XJR.  A car, like the actor, that goes against the grain. A legend that combines sharpness with charm. That is the 2016 XJR.