How do I sum up a car that is the size of Manhattan, costs a hundred grand and can’t quite fit a family’s road trip luggage into the trunk? Well, there is plenty that the XJ L gets right. Starting with first impressions. It makes one, and it’s a big one. It says you’ve arrived, and you’ve done so in style. Nobody will miss your entrance in this thing. And you’ll have arrived in supreme comfort. Sitting in the front or the back, it makes no difference. You’ll have been coddled on your journey and you’ll have enjoyed your trip. It’s nice to drive and it’s very nice to get a ride in. There’s enough power to do most anything, and you won’t want for anything during the journey, whether it’s a half-hour commute or a couple of weeks on the open road.

Warranty:
4 years/100,000 km; 6 years/110,000 km powertrain; 7 years/unlimited distance corrosion perforation; 4 years/100,000 km roadside assistance

Competitors:
Audi A8
BMW 7-series
Mercedes-Benz S-class

WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) was high. She didn’t drive it but she loved the swanky looks and how comfortable it was on our road trip. She said she couldn’t stop turning around to look at it one more time when we’d walk away from it. I wish Jaguar would kick this awful ICE system to the curb (why don’t they put the much-improved new Land Rover one in?) and if it was my money, I’d upgrade to the mid-level supercharged V8 trim. Yes, it might feel a little old when stacked up against the new S-class or 7-series, but a slightly lower-tech, slightly more old-world feeling car is exactly what some buyers are after. If you’ve got a hundred grand and the XJ L checks off all the boxes on your needs-and-wants list, this luxo-cruiser actually seems like a good value compared to zee German competition.

Pricing: 2015 Jaguar XJ L
Base price (XJ LWB AWD Portfolio): $96,490
Options: $550 19-inch Toba wheels; $850 visibility package; $300 heated front windscreen
Freight: $1,375
A/C tax: $100
Price as tested: $99,665

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