Jaguar XEL – Jaguar’s Long Wheelbase XE – REVEALED

The Jaguar XE L – a long wheelbase take on Jaguar’s smallest saloon car – has been revealed at the Guangzhou Motor Show in China.

Last year, Jaguar stretched the XF by 140mm to create the China-only Jaguar XFL and create a car more suited to a market that loves a chunk of space in the back. And now it’s the turn of the XE to stretch.

At the Guangzhou Motor Show, Jaguar has revealed the new XEL, a standard Jaguar XE but with an extra 100mm slipped in to the wheelbase to create an XE which is substantially more commodious in the back.

Just like the XFL, the XEL is a car created for, and built in, China, with no plans to make it available in the UK, although we’d have thought it wouldn’t be a bad shout for UK Chauffeur firms.

Built in partnership with Chery, the XEL joins the Jaguar XFL, Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery as the fourth ‘Built in China’ model, and it does offer a bit more than just extra wriggle room for your legs.

As suits those who prefer to be chauffeured, the XEL gets improved infotainment, massage function for the rear seats (although it’s an option), window blinds and more to make the XEL a proper mini limo.

Available with Jaguar’s 2.0 litre Ingenium diesel engine – with either 197bhp or 247bhp – the XEL aims to take market share from cars like Mercedes LWB C-Class in a market which seems to have healthy demand.