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Jaguar XJ (2010) spy photos

By Ben Pulman

01 December 2008 16:36

Mad Max has been spotted in the Midlands. Heavily disguised beneath thick black plastic cladding, this futuristic-looking prototype is actually Jaguar’s new XJ mule. Snapped prowling around outside Jaguar’s Whitley R&D base, these pictures show the first XJ mule to wear production-ready bodywork.

This new Jaguar XJ looks very low and swoopy…

Indeed it does, and much more stylish than the X351 codename might suggest. Ignore the disguise above the C-pillars and the very un-Jaguar extra-thick disguise all round, and you’ll be able to take in this prototype’s side view. It’s long and low – as the next XJ is based on the current car’s aluminium platform – with four-door coupe looks.

That ‘four-door coupe’ phrase might be loathsome to some, but when Mercedes designed the mould-breaking CLS it designated the car a Jaguar-beater. At the time Jaguar had no such car, but with a design that is promised to be as forward-thinking as the mule’s post-apocalyptic disguise, the next XJ is set to shed its staid styling.

At the front you’ll find XF-inspired headlights – though hopefully more rakish and C-XF alike – while the rear features hi-tech LED tail lamps including the diagonal indicators visible in our pictures.

And inside the new Jag XJ?

Expect more XF influence, with the rotary dial JaguarDrive replacing the trad J-gate gear selector.  The new XJ should also feature the XF’s rotating air vents on start-up, plus the latest sat-nav and multimedia systems to keep tired execs entertained; and while wood trim will be on the options list, expect a plethora of metal trims to drag the XJ’s interior kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

>> Click 'Next' below to read more about the new Jaguar XJ's powerplants