The new XK arrives with the burden of great expectations. As one pundit said: it's the eagerly anticipated scion of fading aristocrats.
Jaguar has the blue blood of luxury lineage, though now wedded to the commoner Ford family. But as with all the aristocratic households, the cold winds of commercialism are cutting it to the quick.
These days the burden of privilege weighs greatly on the shoulders of the brand, and cashflow-obsessed commoners at Ford are watching every penny. What's more, the offspring have not fared as well as hoped.
The XJ is brimming with new technology, but the old world styling makes it too hard to tell the generations apart. Sales have been far from stellar. Similar poor results are recorded for the entry-level X-Type. The one success in the family was the previous XK, Jaguar's best-selling sports model of all time. (In fairness, it did have a lifespan of nine years.)
The good news for Jaguar is that on looks alone this new version will keep the family flag flying high. Out goes any thought of old world styling in favour of truly alluring lines. While it comes in two distinct formats - coupé and soft-top convertible - it's the coupé that is the real jawdropper.
There are some quirky features, of course. The oval mouth grille and hatchback rear-end - who'd have thought it possible on a Jaguar? - leaves you initially wondering if Ford bullied their way on to the design plans. Yet both features have their origins in historic Jaguars: indeed the liftback is taken from the iconic E-Type.
While it might carry its grandfather's nose, it also sports the latest in car fashion: bejewelled side vents. These are quickly becoming the gleaming symbols of valour in the car world, and in particular amongst the Ford family of brands.
Whatever about the side vents, oval mouths or even power bulges, it's the rear haunches that really set the look of the car. It has the appearance of movement even when perfectly still - and that's the greatest trick of any car design.
While the new XK is only slightly longer than the old version, by moving the wheels right out to the edges, designers gained 54mm more front leg room, up to 31mm more front head room and 32mm more shoulder room.
Then there's the weight. Despite the increased size, the new coupé is 90kg lighter than the old version. That's like shedding a fully-grown adult off the roof. In a car this size, it's an amazing feat.
The trick is that the entire chassis is made of aluminium, so it is very light - for a grand touring coupé, at least.
With the lower weight and a 6-horsepower increase, there is a 10 per cent improvement in the power-to-weight ratio. This results in a faster 0-60mph time: 5.9 seconds compared to 6.2 seconds with the old model.
Under the bonnet is Jaguar's tried and trusted 4.2-litre V8 with 300bhp, a slight tweaking on the engine that features in the current XJ range.
One of the most pleasant aspects of this engine is its sound. There are, of course, a few engineering tricks to creating the throaty growl that licks through the cabin like an Elgarian march. For example the engineers came up with what's called a "bark tube" that takes intake noise from the manifold and pipes it using a plastic tube into a little diaphragm behind the radio controls.
It's never deafening and you don't have to retune the radio every time you put your foot down, but it's a subtle touch to remind you that you're in a sports car. And you just can't help blipping the throttle at traffic lights. It becomes addictive.
The cabin itself is exquisitely well designed, but perhaps the best feature is the touchscreen system, superior to anything else on the market. As intuitive as the system on the XJ, this time they've let the designers improve the graphics and it looks fantastic.
Sadly, the old bugbear of British electrics raised its head during our test and on a trip to Waterford the screen froze up. It did rectify itself after a quick stop and start but it's not what you expect from a €120,000 car.
Back to more positive features and Jaguar's long-awaited change from its outdated J-gate automatic transmission shift pattern. The timing could not have been better, for the XK features a new silky smooth six-speed ZF automatic gearbox; and it's one of this car's finest attributes.
There's no manual option, but well-positioned paddles on the steering wheel allow you to change gear, with the added bonus of a "throttle blip" between gears to avoid any drop in torque levels (it also sounds great).
The previous XK was well mannered on the road and there are significant improvements with this model. Most notably the XK has a new version of Jaguar's Computer Active Technology Suspension (CATS) system. In the previous XK, the system adjusted front and rear dampers in pairs to control rolling in corners. The new system now controls all four dampers separately and is standard in Ireland.
The beauty of the XK is that understeer simply isn't part of the package and if you excuse the feline puns, this cat digs in its claws and hurls you round the corner.
If there is an issue with handling it is that during an earlier test abroad we found that at much higher autobahn speeds the car seemed to get a little light at the front. Admittedly owners here are never going to experience such issues.
Similarly the turning circle is surprisingly sharp, all the more so as the driver stares out along the bonnet turning into tight spaces more in hope than expectation.
More good news came earlier this month when the British experts on resale values, Glass's Guide, predicted the new XK will only depreciate at levels similar to those like BMW 3-Series diesels. In layman's terms, that's pretty rock solid residuals.
This Jaguar is phenomenally well engineered. If it has a flaw - and it does - then responsibility lies squarely with its parent Ford.
While it's understandable that the bean counters are keen on keeping down the costs in these eras of red ink, the end result is a fine car that's lacking the requisite horsepower to reach its true potential. It's incredible that something that sounds so good would fail to deliver as much as you'd expect.
The car is the perfect grand tourer. The problem is that Jaguar wanted it to be the perfect sports car as well. Somehow 300bhp just isn't enough to make it a real rival for the Porsche 911. If only Ford had let the engineers get a little more out of the engine. Hopes are now resting on the supercharged 420bhp XKR tol take up the 911 challenge. For now Jaguar must settle for having a fantastic grand tourer on its forecourts.