Chock full with luxury features, Ed Stephens enjoys this beast of a supercar.

At well over 17ft in length, Jaguar’s long wheelbase XJ Supersport is definitely the big car on the block.

But it’s not just the dimensions that are big about this Birmingham-built sporting supercar.

Look under the bonnet and there’s a giant 510bhp, 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine which makes light work of whisking this luxury limousine to its limited top speed of 155 miles per hour.

But if you want to buy one you will need a big bank balance too for a car priced at just over £94,000.

And while that’s big money by any standards it does buy a lot of car.

Inside it’s pure luxury, with the finest class leather seats and legroom for rear seat passengers which allows them to stretch out fully while watching the televisions set in each of the two front headrests and – if the driver doesn’t want to hear the programme – listening through their cordless headphones. If they find the journey a little tedious they can adjust the rake of the backrest at the touch of a button and then switch on the back massager to ease away the stress.

There are even beautifully crafted high gloss wood veneer business trays which fold down from the backs of the front seats to allow them to work should they need to.

Things look pretty good in the front too, with a leather covered dashboard fringed with carbon-fibre inserts and chrome finished switches exuding a quality, yet sporting touch.

Carbon fibre is also used for the door interiors, with Bowes and Wilkins speakers set into it while a dual-view screen set in the dashboard allows the front seat passenger to watch television while the driver looking at exactly the same screen can only see the satellite navigation system in operation. Clever stuff.

Heavily tinted windows on the rear passenger doors make it impossible to see in, adding an air of mystery to the car. But thanks to twin glass sunroofs there is no shortage of light. At £94,000 you wouldn’t expect to have to take the keys out of your pocket to unlock the door and with this XJ you don’t. If you have the keys in your pocket the door unlocks as soon as you touch the exterior handle.

The same applies to the boot. Touch the exterior button and it unlocks and then opens automatically and closes the same way at the touch of a button.

As you sit inside the car the round gearshift rises automatically from the centre console and a touch of the starter buttons fires the mighty V8 into life.

On the road you can just about hear the burble of the engine when you put your foot down hard but most of the time it’s an interior of silence.

The six-speed automatic gearbox is superbly seamless, ensuring passengers have no sense of gear changes.

And because all of the dials are virtual they can change their image as you switch between normal drive and sport on the gearshift.

If you really want to get to grips with this beast you – or your chauffeur – can even drive it manually with the paddles set behind the steering wheel.

If you do use them the big car gives an entraining blip of the engine as you change down at speed.

But whether you use the gearbox as an automatic or manual the AJ-V8 is a real powerhouse which rockets the car to the legal limit and beyond in the blink of an eye as it was a small family hatchback.

And what is surprising is that at the end of a week with the car I had averaged 23 miles per gallon, which is pretty good for a gentleman’s club on wheels with such a dramatic powerhouse for an engine.

Fast Facts

Jaguar XJL Supersport

Price: £94,050

Mechanical: 5000cc, 8 cyl petrol engine driving rear wheels via 6spd automatic gearbox.

Max speed: 155 mph

0-62mph: 4.7 secs

Combined mpg: 23.4

Insurance group: 50

CO2 emissions: 289 g/km

Warranty: Three years/unlimited mileage