Still a great car to drive and ride in, but we're not sure about the facelift.

What is it?

It's the recently uglified Jaguar XJ in long-wheelbase form. It's 125mm longer than standard, all of which has gone into the wheelbase and, hence, rear legroom.

We've tested the 4.2-litre V8 petrol Sovereign which, at £59,390, is only £1760 more than the standard-wheelbase model.

The XJ LWB can also be had with the brilliant 2.7-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel, which you'd see a lot more of at Departures were it not for the XJ's shallow boot.

What's it like?

Pretty fabulous. The regular XJ has a beautiful ride that suffers seemingly not at all from the extension to the wheelbase: it's still pillowy without being spongy.

The V8 engine's lovely and the six-speed auto's clever.

This is still one of the nicest luxury cars to drive, but it's not at its finest in the back: legroom is generous but headroom less so, the seats are a touch short in the base and – though the rear chairs recline – they do it over a short range.

Should I buy one?

This one's pretty simple: if you regularly travel in the back, absolutely: the XJ LWB is a lovely car. If you don't, get the XJ SWB, which is also a lovely car.

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes. 

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