Jaguar has redesigned its flagship XJ from time to time, but has not deviated from the basic lines of the classic Series III sedan. Until now. Though structurally based on the previous generation sedan, the redesigned 2010 XJ looks nothing like its predecessors. In addition, Jaguar has loaded the new car with high-tech features, some of them not yet available anywhere else.

So what will the swoopy new sheetmetal and gee-whiz features cost you? Use TrueDelta’s Car Price Comparison Tool to compare the new XJL (the L for the extended length variant) with a comparably equipped Mercedes-Benz S550, and you’ll find that the British sedan is about $21,000 less–a huge difference.

The BMW 750Li runs a couple grand less than the Mercedes–so it’s “only” about $19,000 more than the new XJL. And only about $12,000 more ($14,000 more after adjusting for remaining feature differences) if you can forego the “Individual Composition” with its Jag-matching leather-upholstered instrument panel.

Lexus offers stiffer price competition. The LS 460 with Comfort and Sport Packages lists for $1,275 more than the XJ. Compare invoice to invoice, and the Lexus is lower by about $1,000. Adjusting for remaining feature differences shifts both about $1,000 in the Lexus’s favor.

So, compared to the German competition at least, the new Jaguar XJ seems to be a bargain.