2008 Jaguar XF - A Breakthrough for Jaguar?

With Jaguar on the brink of extinction, they needed to do something to stimulate the buyers in the 30-50 age group.
I think the S Type was a great idea but poorly executed.
My parents had a MK Saloon back in the sixties and I remember the Rolls Royce like styling and that fantastic leather smell inside the car. The S Type just didn't measure up in terms of styling, quality and performance.
Enter the XF sport sedan. I am in the market for a new sedan. I currently drive a 2005 Jetta for use during the week and I recently sold my beloved Carrera which was a weekend car. I decided to treat myself to one nice sedan to drive all the time. I had narrowed my choices down to the Audi A6 and the BMW 535i. I knew the XF was coming in March so I figured I would throw that into the mix. I pulled up in front of Heritage Jaguar in Freeport, NY and they had several cars displayed in front in various colors. The styling of the car is very clean and solid. The front is aggressive and the rear is Aston-Martin like in it's swoopy lines. The XF comes in 3 trim levels;Premium, Premium Luxury, and Supercharged. Jaguar has done a good job pricing this car and in base premium level it is basically a loaded car. The premium luxury adds bigger wheels, nav, a leather dash, perforated leather seats, and a few other bits. I drove the Premium Luxury as the price point was closest to the BMW which I have resigned myself to getting. The interior is a work of art. Fit and finish is perfect and it is very clean in design. All cars come with keyless go, so as long as you have the fob with you, you just get in and start the car. When the car starts the techno fun begins. The covered air vent slots magically open and the gear selecter knob which recesses into the center console rises up to great you. Turn the knob to D or S and off you go. Pick up is fast and smooth, equal to that of the 535i. Both cars have the same 300hp. It is fuel injected in the Jag and the BMW has a twin turbo. The car is a little more softly sprung than the BMW, even with the 19" wheels and tires. It rolls a little more in the turns but overall the car drives beautifully. The center dash screen houses all the in car utilities, like BMW's i-drive, but uses touch rather than a joy stick. There are secondary audio and climate control areas on the dash as well. The only complaint I had while driving was the glare created off of the chrome gear selector and the chrome trim in the center console was annoying. Jaguar has done a fantastic job with this car. The $56,300 price included the navigation, sonar parking assist and all the other niceties. The BMW, at $56,420 does not include navigation or the parking assist and these additional items adds $2,600 to the cost of the BMW.
Unfortunately for me, I am leasing not buying. Because the XF is so new, the leasing program is horrendous. The BMW is leasing for more than $150 less per month than the Jaguar. If you are buying, I would run to your local Jaguar dealer and snatch one of these babies up. For the money, Jaguar has built themselves a winner inside and out.