Few car-makers have a history as distinguished as that of Jaguar, but for recent custodians of the brand that glorious past has been a burden rather than an asset.
Faced with the impossibility of bettering the perfect curves of the Mark 2 and XJ saloons from the 1960s, for example, Jaguar timidly chose, with the fuddy-duddy mid-sized S-Type and compact X-Type, simply to copy them - although not very successfully, as the underlying proportions of the donor cars provided by Jaguar's then parent company, Ford, didn't conform to the "long, low and wide" look traditionally associated with Jags.
But now Jaguar's found the courage to break free of its past and present a modern face to the world with the S-Type's successor, the XF, and the result is a triumph.
If the XF's sleek exterior styling has a hint of Mondeo about it, it has a much more generous helping, especially at the rear, of Aston Martin.
The interior is impressive, too, making effective use of the materials traditionally associated with British luxury cars but in a thoroughly modern way - wood and leather without the pipe and slippers.
The XF's road performance lives up to the promise held out by its sharp new clothes. Our test car's 2.7-litre diesel engine is the cheapest and most economical option available.
Most of the time it can scarcely be heard. When it is working hard, it makes an agreeably deep but very muted roar; the standard, six-speed, automatic gearbox is perfectly matched to it.
The XF's road manners match those of its German rivals, while, for the most part, its levels of comfort are probably even higher. However, while the XF is an outstanding product, I suspect that, once the excitement that greeted its introduction has died down, it may not be quite enough.
At the moment, the XF range starts at a lofty R499 000 and offers no equivalent to the entry-level emitting BMW 520d and Mercedes E220 CDI, its obvious competitors.
That probably needs to be fixed within a year if Jaguar is to maintain the momentum it has achieved since launching the XF. An estate is essential, too, if only as a means of hanging on to customers deserting the 4x4's made by Jaguar's sister company Land Rover.
Those are all worries for the future. For the time being, Jaguar should be allowed, however briefly, to bask in the glory of a job well done. - The Independent, London