Two years ago, Jaguar left the car world asking a fair question: had the brand turned into a fashion house and quietly stopped making cars? It was one of the most heated conversations in the industry, and well beyond it. Now, with the Type 01 revealed in New York on 6 October, we finally have an answer in the metal. This is the first production car of Jaguar’s reinvention, and for the first time we can judge a car rather than an advert.

It lands in a year of questionable decisions from other brands, with Ferrari’s Luce and Mercedes’ strange four-door GT among them. Against that backdrop the Jaguar doesn’t look too bad, though it is by far not the dream car of an 11-year-old.

Under the skin, the hardware is serious. A new electric architecture runs an 850-volt system and three motors, one at the front and two at the rear, making over 1,000hp and making this the most powerful Jaguar ever built. Jaguar claims 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds and roughly 400 miles of range, with around 200 miles added in 13 minutes on a 350kW charger. It is also the most aerodynamic Jaguar in the brand’s history, and it was designed, developed and built in the UK, which is worth celebrating after so much doubt.

Prices start at £130,000, with deliveries due in 2027. It is a powerful statement and a questionable one, and we will need to see whether it earns the success it promises.

Then there is the size. At 5.2 metres long, the Type 01 is longer than an average UK parking space, which is around 4.8 metres, so it will stick out like a sore thumb in a car park. I think that tells you where Jaguar is looking: this car’s main market will be the United States.

Despite looking huge in pictures, it is only 1.4 metres tall, with 23-inch wheels making up more than half of that height. To be fair, that long, low stance is also what gives it presence. A 3.2-metre wheelbase and those big wheels keep the slammed-down look of the Type 00 concept, and it looks like nothing else on the road.

On the front end, Jaguar has done well to hide the sensors a modern car needs. As far as I can see, most of the forward facing hardware is tucked behind the brand badge and into the darker areas of the bumper. Even the model name appears in just one place, on the slats on top of the bonnet.

The low roof comes at a cost inside, and when I step into the cabin one word comes to mind: claustrophobic. The ceiling sits low like a GT’s, and the back simply doesn’t have enough space. Don’t get me wrong, the interior is very refined, and it is a great welcome from a luxury standpoint.

The material choices are fantastic and fit the goal Jaguar has set for this new era. That is because the car is built around its two front passengers, which leaves rear leg room tight for taller people. If you are above 6ft 4, good luck. The rear seats sit very low, creating an almost cocoon effect, and with no rear window they can lie at a slightly steeper angle. A camera-based ClearSight display at the base of the windscreen replaces the mirror.

The boot is fine for commuting and can be piled up to the brim, since there is no glass to worry about. But like most EVs, the motors and batteries take up a large volume, so I think a ski trip might be a struggle.

Up front, the controls are very accessible. The centre console is a solid piece running front to back, with small phone-like screens holding the controls you might need. One thing I really like is that the main controls sit on the main screen rather than behind a settings panel. The Type 00 concept had gold-bronze accents, and Jaguar has kept as many as it could on the door panels. It didn’t do quite so well with the cupholders in the central tunnel. The base looks more yellow than gold, which I noticed straight away, and it looks like a prototype part they forgot to develop in detail.

Charging is easier than on most EVs. There are ports on both sides of the car, a really useful feature even though only one side takes DC fast charging. On a car the size of a cruise ship, easy access means less stress swinging it into the space.

At the rear, the metallic radiator-style slats stay, and the tail lights vanish when the car is switched off, so nobody around can tell where the lights are. In my opinion it is a lovely detail that makes the car feel more like a design study than anything else. It is also exactly what critics will point at.

The thing many people get wrong about this car, including me originally, is who it is for. It is not aimed at someone with an XJS or an F-Type but at a completely new market and user base, and a lot of the people saying it is not a real Jag haven’t driven similar models.

Launching a bold concept with a very unrealistic interior did get the world talking and made people more excited for what was to come, and it is great to see how close Jaguar has stayed to that original concept.

The money side is interesting too. Set against a Rolls-Royce Spectre, which is renowned for costing too much for what it is, the Jaguar looks like a good deal. I will be curious to see what the options add as there are £30,000 worth available. Pearl seats, maybe? Wouldn’t surprise me.

Jaguar’s bosses say the early backlash to the rebrand has turned into a positive, and the company deserves credit for committing so fully to a clean sheet idea when playing safe would have been far easier. So, will Jaguar survive with this car? Only time will tell, but I think it will bring in the new customer base it is aiming for. Whatever you think of the styling, this is a car people will be talking about.