The One; Jaguar's new midsize sedan is `make it or break it' for the brand.(News)

Byline: MIKE DUFF

Make no mistake, Jaguar is one sick cat. Sales are sliding around the globe, but the situation in the States is particularly dire. Salvation isn't going to come from any of the existing lineup. The X-Type and the XJ are both looking old and tired before their time, victims of Jaguar's ill-advised foray into excessively retro styling. And although the XK coupe has proved a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, it's never going to sell in volumes high enough to make a difference. If that's not enough, parent company Ford has put Jaguar up for sale, with or without Land Rover. This would be a very good time to introduce a smash-hit new model.

Which is what Jaguar hopes the XF is. The retro styling introduced by former design director Geoff Lawson is gone; instead, the XF shares many design cues with the far more modern XK coupe.

This isn't just a new car from Jaguar; it's also meant to mark a generational shift, a Jaguar that will appeal to people younger than the tail end of the boomer generation. The average age of the design and engineering team was just 34, and, said project chief Mick Mohan, "we built a car to appeal to ourselves.''

The XF sticks close to the S-Type, with the same double-wishbone front suspension and subframe-mounted multilink rear axle. Both cars share a 113.5-inch wheelbase. There will be a 3.0-liter V6 with 235 hp, a 4.2-liter V8 with 298 hp and a supercharged V8 with 416 hp. A six-speed automatic transmission with override paddles on the steering wheel will be standard on all cars.

Jaguar's design director, Ian Callum, wants there to be no doubt that the XF marks a new departure for the brand.

"We're going back to the values of William Lyons: Make it straightforward, and make it simple,'' said Callum. "It would be fair to say that the XK was the start of a design journey and that this is the next phase.''