Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
If we're honest - and also a bit above average in height - the cars in Jaguar XE's segment don't offer an awful lot of rear leg room. In fact, the difference from a compact hatchback is usually negligible. If not even negative.
The Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class are all trying to appear larger than they really are by imitating the design of their superior siblings, but once those rear doors are open and those longer than average legs are squeezed in, the illusion quickly disappears. The Jaguar XE makes no exception.
Most people won't complain about these features because they buy the cars to drive them or, at worst, to sit in the front passenger seat. The rear is for the kids, and unless we're dealing with a rare case of gigantism, then we've got nothing to worry about space-wise.
However, there are markets where the kind of people who can afford a car manufactured by these brands like to be chauffeured around. "If they're so wealthy," you'll say, "why don't they buy a Jaguar XJ?" and that's a legitimate question. The only answers we can think of are a). they're not so wealthy, and b). they have one of those, but fancy an XE just as well.
For this kind of people - who, for some reason, seem to all live in China - Jaguar is testing a long wheelbase version of its XE. Since the Chinese market is still a place where good money can be made, Jaguar doesn't want to pass on the opportunity, especially since all its rivals are already selling similar models.
The XE L, as it's going to be called, is expected to grow 5 inches (12.5 cm) in length, with every millimeter going into making extra room for the rear seats. Those lying in there might also get other convenience features such as massage seats, window blinds, displays mounted on the back of the front seats and a better audio system.
Given the minor changes to the vehicle - the mechanical part should remain untouched - the XE L is expected to debut this year, but don't expect it to be available anywhere else but China. In fact, it should even be built over there as well, so you can't even heist the train that transports the cars to the harbor if you really want one so badly.
Most people won't complain about these features because they buy the cars to drive them or, at worst, to sit in the front passenger seat. The rear is for the kids, and unless we're dealing with a rare case of gigantism, then we've got nothing to worry about space-wise.
However, there are markets where the kind of people who can afford a car manufactured by these brands like to be chauffeured around. "If they're so wealthy," you'll say, "why don't they buy a Jaguar XJ?" and that's a legitimate question. The only answers we can think of are a). they're not so wealthy, and b). they have one of those, but fancy an XE just as well.
For this kind of people - who, for some reason, seem to all live in China - Jaguar is testing a long wheelbase version of its XE. Since the Chinese market is still a place where good money can be made, Jaguar doesn't want to pass on the opportunity, especially since all its rivals are already selling similar models.
The XE L, as it's going to be called, is expected to grow 5 inches (12.5 cm) in length, with every millimeter going into making extra room for the rear seats. Those lying in there might also get other convenience features such as massage seats, window blinds, displays mounted on the back of the front seats and a better audio system.
Given the minor changes to the vehicle - the mechanical part should remain untouched - the XE L is expected to debut this year, but don't expect it to be available anywhere else but China. In fact, it should even be built over there as well, so you can't even heist the train that transports the cars to the harbor if you really want one so badly.
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