Just had my first ride in Jaguar’s XFR. That’s the headline grabbing 503bhp, M5 killing goliath that’s been getting the motoring press all excited this year if some of the recent rave reviews are anything to go by. In case it wasn’t already clear I’ve always been a bit of a Jaguar fan, so hopefully you’ll understand why it’s one of the cars I’ve been anxious to get my paws on these last few months.

Obviously I can’t tell you much about the little intricacies of driving the thing from the passenger seat, but what I can tell you is that it’s rather fast. Really? No sh*t Sherlock! If anything, what surprises is the way in which the XFR presses on without the slightest hint of drama so that you’re being conveyed at a frankly rather naughty pace while the scenery glides by as though it were a gentle Sunday afternoon stroll. The soundtrack from the supercharged 5-litre V8 is best described as a kind of muted bellow. It certainly doesn’t disappoint but if it were my money, I’d want it to be just a little bit more tuneful.

In essence though, they’ve got it just about right. This is a Jaguar. It’s not a sports car, but it is an incredibly refined sporting saloon. And it doesn’t need to shout about it. In fact, the only obvious giveaway is those bonnet vents.

Inside it’s the pleasing little highlights that set this car apart from others in its class; the details you’ll still be discovering a couple of years down the line like the tiny Jaguar logos embossed into the rear air vent adjusters. The silver drive selector knob wouldn’t look out of place on a 1970s record player, but it sits comfortably enough among the other switchgear on the XF’s wide centre console. Big, ungainly levers are so last century.

I’d have liked to have seen how the car dealt with a few fast B roads rather than just hoofing along some dual carriageways near Solihull, but there wasn’t time. We’ve all seen the figures and it’s proven to be a refined cruiser too, but is it really as agile as reports suggest? I’ve no reason to doubt them so far.

It’s reassuring that Jaguar seem to have got so much right with the XFR. There are few current cars I’ve felt such a strong desire to own were it not for the small issue of £60,000. It deserves every success.

Over the last decade or so I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time reading about other people being paid to drive various cars that don’t belong to them, so on the very rare occasion someone chucks me the keys to something I haven’t driven before and asks me what I think I can only jump at the chance. It doesn’t happen very often, but today I drove a friend’s original XJ40 based XJR. Welcome back to the world of the ‘80s city stockbroker.

Four miles isn’t enough to form much of a bond, but it’s just enough to get a few first impressions together. The first thing you notice the instant you begin to move is the steering, which is heavy. The small wheel jigs all over the place in response to every tiny imperfection in the road surface which those wide tyres seem to be so good at finding. If that’s what it’s like at low speeds, I got the impression that keeping this leviathan pointing where I wanted it with a few more horses unleashed would be a bit of a struggle, but thankfully that wasn’t the case on my short drive. The engine’s the standard 4-litre AJ6 used elsewhere in the range, and as I’d expected it’s all very serene at lower speeds. Kickdown from 30 didn’t initially result in any fireworks but it does seem to come to life more and more the faster you get – most of the power seemingly emerging once beyond about 3500rpm.

And beyond that I’ll have to reserve judgment. It will be interesting to find out how the later supercharged XJR compares, and I’ve a feeling I’m going to have ample chance to do that.

I’ll start with an admission. I’m a Jaguar nut. There’s something about every single one of those cars that hits the spot for me. Pedigree is probably the word I’m looking for. It’s therefore with a heavy heart that I’m parting with the X300 Sovereign I’ve been running for the last nine months. Quite simply, it’s been brilliant.

The first thing that strikes you is the ride and a general air of quality, all of which have contributed to making it one of the most satisfying used car buys ever. You could drive into a six-foot wide crater and, thanks to the suspension setup, never even notice. The Jag’s party trick, of course, is to dial up the instant fuel consumption display on the trip computer, select a low gear and accelerate hard. Minus figures are almost possible. But in all honesty, would you want to? It’s not that sort of car, and I’ve only really used it for the long motorway journeys which have been an absolute treat. Back in the summer Don Palmer kindly demonstrated a lap of Millbrook’s famous alpine circuit in it (my attempts being rather grandad-like), and what ensued was probably the wackiest thing I’ve ever seen. Various exotica were eaten alive one after another by the golden pipe-and-slippers mobile. And that’s the Jag ethos summed up, really. Regal yet sporting, it’s all there in one package.

You might think that the cost of all this and the sensible old school image would make it one best left to the likes of retired company directors and wedding hire companies, but you’d be wrong. The very best thing about the Sovereign is that it’s just sold for £100 less than I paid for it, and discounting petrol for a moment it’s barely cost me anything to run this once £40k luxobarge. That’s my kind of budget motoring. And yet amazingly there are still people who’ll go out next week and pay more than twice as much for a brand new Perodua Kelisa. Noooooo!