Gentle, Hannah,” he warns me. “Gentle, gentle, gentle… now harder. Harder! HARDER! FASTEEERRRR!”

Good lord, who thought hurling a fast car around a sun-scorched race track could be so, well, shouty. It’s not just any old race track either, but northern Spain’s Circuito de Navarra, 4km of twisting tarmac – six left-handers and nine right-handers, to be precise. No wonder my instructor Mick is throwing driving commands at me with such boundless excitement/urgency/terror.

Settling back in the leather-draped seat of the new Jaguar XF S, Mick gives me the specifics – 3.0 supercharged V6 petrol; 380hp; 0-60mph in 5.1secs; 155mph top speed – before encouraging me simply to “trust the technology”. He jabs the ‘sport’ button with his left hand and points forward with his right, signalling the start of our second loop. “GOOOOOOOO!” he urges. So I do just that.

It sounds good; it looks good; even I look good. This car’s working hard for me.

Starting at £49,950 a pop this petrol V6 version isn’t for everyone, of course. Fortunately, there are several new XF models on the market, including three diesel options. Entry level is the XF Prestige – starting at £32,000, it borrows the ultra-efficient new Ingenium engine from the XE – and is ideal for the more eco-wise and penny-conscious.

Once the track fun is over, it’s time to head out into northern Spain’s countryside and try the XF’s 3L diesel option. Although it has the same top speed as the V6 petrol, it does have a slightly longer 0-60mph time of 5.8 seconds. But considering most of us are limited to the M4, this is hardly a deal breaker. Put your foot down and you’ll feel its instant, torquey response. It’s taut enough for a sporty feel, even at lower speeds, yet it still has that classic Jag waft you’d hope for. Push it a little and you’ll also realise it’s more than competent on wiggly Spanish roads, especially considering its size. At nearly five metres long, this four-door saloon isn’t exactly a tiddler.

The Jaguar XF S is taut enough for a sporty feel, yet still has that classic Jag waft you’d hope for

But that doesn’t mean it’s chunky – far from it. Pulling off the road for some ‘rolling hill’ photographs, I have the chance to appreciate its handsome looks. This is an elegant, eye-catching car that the Italian design manager tells me is a nod to the brand’s heritage; a car that’s supposed to create a sense of calm yet still bring emotion to drivers. I’ll admit, it doesn’t leave me on the brink of tears, although I’m not sure any car should. But I do see what they’re trying to achieve – you want to adore your car, right? Swagger up to it and think to yourself, ‘Yup – that’s mine.’ It’ll manage that, and throw in some geeky number pleasers, too: the crew at Jaguar have spent some time tinkering with the aerodynamics to reduce the drag coefficient from 0.29 to 0.26. Put simply, that means it cuts through the air better, so as well as it being faster, it’s also more efficient.

You want to adore your car, right? Swagger up to it and think to yourself, ‘Yup – that’s mine’

Practicality isn’t an issue, either; the new XF is 7mm shorter than the previous model, yet it still offers 15mm more legroom, 24mm more kneeroom and 27mm more headroom – handy for long-legged big heads, then. The boot is 540 litres – ideal for a set of golf clubs, children’s skis, picnic hampers, lilos, baby elephants and dead bodies. It can also be upgraded to close electronically, if you’re feeling lazy. Which I am.

I needn’t fret, this car caters to that. The XF is the first Jag model to feature the new InControl Touch Pro premium, such an exciting addition that the previously straight-laced Jag tech rep I speak to is practically quivering in his brown-leather seat (there’s black, and grey, too). He’s a fan of the navigation system, which guides you seamlessly to your destination and offers a ‘junction view’ feature that Jaguar says means you’ll never miss a motorway junction again.

Of course, I still manage to. This is technology, not magic. But the InControl Touch Pro premium comes to my rescue, getting me back on route while also offering to communicate my error to my mobile contacts via the in-built text-to-voice technology. Although I won’t be taking it up on its kind offer in this instance, I can see this feature being helpful in real London life – along with allowing me to dictate off-the-cuff messages that’ll be delivered to people’s phones, you can input a number of pre-determined words that you’re likely to use in the future: “Traffic’s a ‘mare, I’ll be ten mins late; get the dinner ready, love; Can we have sex tonight, it’s been six months?” That kinda thing.

It’s not just in the car that you can make the most of this all-new tech, either. At the press of a smartphone button you’ll be able to bring the cabin to a pre-set temperature by remotely starting the engine from the cosiness of your bed (although you’ll need the automatic for that). The InControl Remote App also enables you to interact with the new XF from anywhere using your smartphone, allowing you to check how much fuel is left in the tank or determine whether you locked the doors (well, it is easy to forget).

And if you are the scatty type, you may also like the map feature that’ll lead you straight to where you parked your car in a multistory. Other geography-loving features will flag up empty parking spaces on city streets, while the Commute Mode learns your daily drive so that it can use real-time traffic information to automatically offer alternative routes to avoid congestion. It’s all very clever stuff.

Once you’ve finished sending people comedy text messages you might consider listening to some music. With the XF there’s the option of a 17-speaker, 825W digital surround system developed with renowned British audio experts Meridian. You can of course select your own tracks at the swipe of the 10.2-inch touchscreen, or you can also instruct it to ‘play more like this’ – and let it do the work for you. Again.

Indeed, that’s the real hook, here: the XF is – simply put – effortless. The tech, the speed, the style: it all just works.

For more info, visit jaguar.com