First Shots of New Jaguar XJ Surface

We've been talking quite a bit about the upcoming new XJ here on CarThrottle. It's our sort of car: a big, sexy luxury sedan rendered in ultralight aluminum, keeping it's weight considerably below it's like-sized competition (Merc S-class, BMW 7-series, Quattroporte, etc.)  It seems like the new XJ's been "just around the corner" for an enternity, but it's official unveiling is tomorrow - and wouldn't you know, some photos of the new range-topping Jaguar have surfaced!

Please excuse the low-quality, low-resolution images - I suspect we'll be seeing some better ones tomorrow, along with a whole slew of details.  For now, we can squint and kinda see what the XJ's going to look like, which is to say a mixture of Jaguar in the front and Lancia Thesis in the back.  Or something like that.

Don't those tail lights look like they were taken directly from a Kia Amanti?  Or a Lexus SC430?  I'm really confused.  I just don't see a whole lot of Jaguar in this design, except for the front bumper.

Actually, to be honest, the front end resembles the highly-acclaimed C-XF concept that the mid-size XF sedan was derived from.  It's aggressive and modern but still has "Jag" written all over it.  Still, it's nice to see Jaguar taking a stylistic step forward, even if it's making their full-size Halo car seem a little... well, let's say "less distinct."

Now, I'm no Nostradamus, but I'd guess that you'll be able to get the XJ with 5.0L direct-injected V8's with and without a supercharger, as well as a superb twin-turbo 3.0L diesel V6.  There'll also probably be short and long wheelbase models, and lots of tech gadgets for the nerds to drool over.  We'll give you more details as they surface tomorrow. Stay tuned.