JAGUAR Land Rover's Ingenium engines seem to get ever better and prove that as far as petrol and diesel power is concerned the future is very much about smaller units that improve and evolve.

Considering it was the Midland car maker's first ever attempt at engine-making Ingenium was quite an achievement.

Built at a brand new state-of-the-art engine plant outside Wolverhampton, both petrol and diesel units offered a decent blend of performance and economy.

But, as the old saying goes, there's always room for improvement and Jaguar Land Rover has worked at delivering just that.

Perhaps the best example is with the 2.0-litre diesel, which has benefited from a major power hike through a new version of it being rolled out across the range.

A 240ps diesel is the latest new kid on the block and it offers 60ps more than the most potent of its predecessors.

It's a first for Jaguar Land Rover in that it's a four-cylinder unit which has two turbochargers and, as a result, delivers 500Nm of torque.

It's all done thanks to uprated pistons, crankshaft and fuel injectors.

As if that wasn't enough, it also makes the most of all the car maker's AWD pedigree by coming as four-wheel drive as standard.

Okay, so it's not the first four-wheel drive Jaguar, but if you've been put off by the sight of those Big Cats sliding all over the place when the severe snow hits it represents a very tempting - and affordable - option.

A smooth and slick eight-speed automatic gearbox also comes as standard.

The second generation XF looks very like its predecessor, the car that reinvented the Jaguar brand more than ten years ago.

Moving away from the tried and tested Jaguar design lines developed by William Lyons, it forged a genuinely new direction which has been built on since then.

While the original, as well as looking good, was a great car - its successor is even better.

Having hit on what seemed to be a winning design formula with the XF, Jaguar decided not to make its replacement look too different.

One of the big changes is the XF's structure, with aluminium used extensively in its construction to shed around 190kg.

As a result it feels very light, nimble and agile for an executive saloon. Always a decent drive, the latest XF is even better and with this souped-up diesel under the bonnet and all-wheel drive capability it's hard to imagine wanting or expecting anything better of a car in this class.

Another big bonus in the second generation XF is an expanded interior.

It is noticeably and comfortably bigger, manifested most distinctly in a lot more legroom for rear seat passengers.

The cabin still has that familiar Jaguar Land Rover group feel to it, with fast evolving technology that by and large is pretty user-friendly and easy to use.