SPY PICS: Benz mimics Jaguar mimics Benz

If comments from Jaguar's styling chief Ian Callum are to be taken seriously -- and there seems no reason why they shouldn't -- irony plays a major part in Jaguar's forthcoming new XJ model.

This comes from a swag of comments from within and without the car industry suggesting the Mercedes-Benz CLS saloon/coupe was almost a German interpretation of traditional Jaguar styling themes.

This view was given even more substance when Callum himself said he was an admirer of the CLS's styling.

And now we have Carparazzi spy shots of an XJ test mule which, while they don't tell much of a story about the actual styling, do indicate the next-generation big Jag will be wider-tracked and maybe no taller than the existing model.

This should give it the hunkered-down look that is a prerequisite of a saloon that wants to look a lot like a coupe.

Rumours say the next car will make do with a reworked version of the current suspension system and it could be assumed the body will remain all-aluminium.

As for the powerplants, we could reasonably expect a continuation of the new-to-XJ 2.7-litre turbodiesel V6, along with revised versions of today's normally aspirated or supercharged 4.2-litre V8s.

The current XJ has scored accolades for its slinky style, even if its proportions didn't mimic the squat, lithe original that started its run as far back as the late 1960s.

Callum says the new XJ will feature even more out-there looks than the recently revealed C-XF show car, which would be a welcome advance from today's car which, for all the positive comments it has drawn, is still a carefully conservative design from a company once known for its bold and influential approach to car styling.

The new XJ is expected to make its debut in the spring of 2011.

-- with Carparazzi

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