This is the car John Steed would be driving today were the television series The Avengers still in production. Like the blower Bentley driven by Patrick MacNee in the original series, the Jaguar S-Type R has a certain dignified “Britishness” about it, and a quick turn of speed. It’s better without all of the electronics (navigation system, voice activation, etc.) though by no means perfect, and surprisingly supple for so sporting a sedan.

On the R, the 4.2-liter V8 gets an Eaton supercharger, intercooler, Brembo disc brakes – which look very nice behind the 18-in. five-spoke wheels – dynamic stability control, computer active technology suspension ( better known by its corny CATS initials), xenon headlamps, 16-way power front seats, and 320-watt Alpine stereo with six CD changer. Horsepower is 390, with 0-60 mph in a claimed 5.3 seconds, and a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph. Impressive credentials, and right in line with what you’d expect from a car fit for a British secret agent.

Frequent readers may notice from the list above that, compared to other cats in this litter, the S-Type R comes with a number of standard features the others don’t. It also comes with a hefty price: $62,400, which includes the $645 destination charge. If you need a navigation system, you’ve missed the point of this car. Getting there is half the fun, even when you don’t know exactly where “there” is. Unfortunately, the absence of these items means you’ll stare at a small in-dash LCD display that tries mightily to mimic black letters on a cream background, but misses completely. Even more odd is the fact that the gauges are not black-on-cream, but the opposite.

The real kicker with this car, however, is the fuel economy. If they weren’t busy scolding humanity about its SUV fixation, I’m sure the “What Would Jesus Drive?” brigade would be picketing Jaguar dealers over this car. After all, it has all this horsepower, all this torque (399 lb-ft), warp-drive speed and it’s less than modest. But they’d be off base, because fuel economy is surprisingly good. In real-world use where short, quick blasts of power are summoned to merge onto freeways, get out of trouble, or pass safely, the S-Type R proved surprisingly frugal. Rated at 16 mpg city/23 mpg highway, the R returned 18 mpg in combined driving and a surprising 24 mpg in a sustained highway run. And it does it with a style and grace few cars can match.