The sensational new Jaguar C-XF has been unleashed by Auto Express in an exclusive test drive. We took the wheel of the S-Type replacement to see if the executive has what it takes to leap to the top of the class.

Pull the futuristic door handles and you can slip into the equally forward-looking cabin. While it’s officially a concept, Jaguar is making no secret of the fact that the C-XF is only a thinly veiled version of the production-ready XF, scooped last week (Issue 947).

With the wraps expected to be pulled off the final model at September’s Frankfurt Motor Show, it’s clear that Jaguar fans have something very special to look forward to.

The concept borrows from the Mercedes-Benz CLS in that it is a so-called four-door coupe, and it comes with a low roof, raked windshield, high beltline, small greenhouse, and seats for four. Mechanically, the concept gets the S-type R model’s supercharged 4.2-liter V-8, making 400 horsepower.

The Jaguar C-XF is officially a concept car, but it is actually a thinly disguised preview of the XF, the replacement for the S-type that goes on sale in early 2008. Jaguar says the name was chosen to build on name recognition from the XJ and XK models. The concept features a radically raked coupe roof line that will be toned down in production, mainly to give rear-seat passengers some headroom. The cool scorched wood interior trim—done with a blowtorch, which Jaguar design chief Ian Callum said is “very liberating”—won’t be carried over into production, either.