Jaguar has made no secret that it wants to find a niche in fleets. The XF is a sporty, dynamic step in the right direction.

I recently had the opportunity to drive the XF in its S configuration for a few days in both optimal and not-so-optimal conditions (in other words, typical L.A. freeway conditions). The XF performed flawlessly, responsive, and easy to handle, and despite the fact that it was equipped with the 3.0L V-6 supercharged engine, which produces 380 hp, the XF didn’t feel overpowered. In fact, when I was able to bring it up to highway speeds (a lucky break that I thanked the auto gods for), the XF really came into its graceful own, delivering power and speed, but not at the expense of performance.

With a combined fuel economy of 24 mpg, the XF may not be the top of the list for sustainability conscious fleets and the executives they serve, but with features such as intelligent stop-start and adaptive cruise control, fuel consumption can be managed. Frankly, I expected to be shocked by the amount of fuel the XF consumed, but was pleasantly surprised by how little fuel the XF actually consumed.

The XF is clearly an executive-level vehicle, and it lived up to that intention. The seats were comfortable, the interior elegant, but not ostentatious. The infotainment system was easy to use, and the seat was comfortable, and there was a good amount of storage in the front cabin. In other words, it felt like a Jaguar, but with a sleek refresh. There’s nothing stodgy about this Jaguar, particularly with the updated body styling, which veers to the muscular and dynamic. This is a vehicle designed for the executive on the move.

The XF that I test drove had a number of additional amenities and features that would appeal to that executive and the fleet manager overseeing the vehicle. These included the Driver Assistance Pack, which featured adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking with queue assist, proximity camera system, traffic sign recognition, and park assist (parallel and perpendicular). The XF I tested also included a head-up display, which helped to keep my eyes trained on the road ahead. Other safety features, which are standard on the XF include driver and front passenger front and side air bags, side curtain air bags, active front head restraints, LED headlights with adaptive auto high beam, anti-theft engine immobilizer, and tire pressure monitoring system.

Perhaps my favorite feature of the XF was the trunk. As with earlier models I’ve had the pleasure to drive, it had the kind of capacity that would serve for the work week and the weekend alike, able to store virtually anything a productive, active executive would need to carry.