I know it is a moot point for spdbydesign and I wish him and wife well with their BMW. But for others who have not pulled the plug, don't miss Automobile Magazine's current issue. They review the newest XJL 6 cyl turbo and have great things to say. The bottom line is that they only rank the Mercedes S higher and they cherish the British design inside and out. The negatives are the oft stated awkward screen, turning radius of the L and the fact that there is not a pass through from the trunk.

Ya Jaguar!

 

If you live or travel up North I'd get a '13 V-6 AWD, and the 2013 gets a better infotainment upgrade, a ZF 8 speed, too.
I got a Killer deal on a 2013 XJ 5.0 Supercharged leftover, and I looked at all the competition, BMW/Audi/Merc, but I just loved the unique styling..where I live it's either E-350's, 5 series, A-6's or F-150's. Yes, many 7's, S-550's, and A-8's too. ECU tuner reflash and pulley upgrade will kick out 620HP..and they can't tell it's been done, so no worries about the warranty (I got the 7 yr extended for 2K)

XJL rear seat room is important for the kids car seat, or just so the kids wont ruin the leather up front. The upgrade stereo is awesome, would compare to others any day! Vented cooled seats really are a great option (I'm in Florida)
All Jags come standard with sun roof's, not so the competition.
For family purposes, stay with the smallest 18 or 19" wheels..best ride.

 

Where did you go for the ECU upgrade and pulley system? How much did it cost.
Also, the stereo upgrade, who did you go to?
Can you provide more detail please. Interesting post.
Thanks,
Joe

 

I know, I work in Tampa. BMW , MB , and Audis are everywhere, second only to Camaros, Mustangs, and Corvettes. They are like belly buttons everyone has one. I drive over 400 miles to/from work every week and i hardly ever see more than one XJL on the road. But that is not unique to the Tampa Bay area. I recently visited CA and I was surprised by the absence of newer generation Jags. I drove over 700 miles from Roseville to Los Angeles and back and I did not see one single XJ or F type. Not one, just a couple of new XFs and a fair amount of all previous gen jags.

Now, about the ECU tuner reflash and pulley upgrade...... can you please elaborate? Not that the car needs more power, I am happy with the 470 but 620HP sounds very interesting.

 

Not sure what part of LA you visited, but I see them all the time. I know of 1/2 dozen XJs in my neighborhood alone, not including mine, plus a few of my co-workers also have XJs and F-types. XFs are a dime a dozen around here too.

 

I haven't heard of the term "battleship gray" since my father "hand painted' our 1940 Oldsmobile Custom Land Cruiser that "color" in the early fifties, and then gave it "gratis" to his younger brother. It was the same car he picked me (newly born in March of that year) and my mother up in at the hospital, a rather impressive car of the day.

I can't believe how today virtually 90% of cars in our neighborhood are either grey, silver, white or black. Some years ago, visiting in Japan, I looked out on the parking lot and saw nothing but white cars. I asked one of my Japanese business compatriots: "are these all company cars?" he said, "no, why do you ask?".

I just chalked it up to the Japaneses culture which requires everyone to conform to the "norm", or be ostracized. In retrospect, I now see the same thing in our society.

I'm obviously an "outlaw" in our neighborhood because my '09 Corvette is Chrystal Red Metallic, and my 2011 Jaguar is " Metallic Caviar" (Burgundy red).

So I leave our silver-grey Mustang parked on our driveway so we are not stoned to death.

 

I have an 11 XKR and live in Tampa. What are you driving? I thought we might connect? Dennis

 

A friend of mine recently got a 2016 XJL for his wife. He told me that was the best trade he ever made!

 

We love ours. Leased it originally and liked it so much we bought it at lease end. No issues at all and happy wife.

 

I wonder what the OP eventually did. He joined the group, here, asked a few questions, and then disappeared.....

 

See Post #11, above. His wife preferred the Beemer, so he bought that instead of the XJ. She knows how to spend his money better than he does.

 

Each time I read the four first words of the title of this thread I get a little shock and ask myself if I’m connected to the right forum...🙃

 

I had the same experience this morning!

"hey my wife is dead, any advice on what XJ i should get?"

 

I, purposefully, did not read any of the comments to the OP. Here is my un-influenced answer: ALWAYS go with the Extended Wheelbase.

I am an enthusiastic owner of a 2017 XJL. I love it for all the reasons that everyone here understands. It is a Saloon...embrace the extra room in the passenger compartment. The XJ should ONLY be offered in "L", IMHO. Can't think of anything else to say...

 

agreed. if you're going to go in, might as well commit! plus the car actually looks better in LWB form

 

OK, I guess I missed that comment......

 

Yes we have been told Jaguar designed the XJ as a LWB initially then modified that for the SWB while all the other high end car manufactures did it the other way around.
I only have the lowly SWB version which has plenty of rear leg room so the LWB would be huge!
.
.
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"...plus the car actually looks better in LWB form" Indeed it does! Well said.

 

It's hard to judge, since there are so few of the short wheelbase cars around, to be able to judge.

 

Mine is the standard wheelbase and I like it as it looks more sporty to my eye.