Next-gen Jaguar XJ spotted in mule form during winter testing

Of course Jaguar Land Rover is using a Range Rover to yank around an electrified Jaguar sedan mule. At least, we think the car sitting on the trailer is a test mule for the recently announced XJ successor. Jaguar has said it’s going to make an all-electric version of the car, but it’s going to use the new MLA platform that will also support a gas engine and hybrid versions.

The body itself most resembles that of the XF, but there are a couple tell-tale signs that this car is destined for a battery-electric powertrain. The clearest sign comes in the form of the abnormally high side sills. This taller floor is a typical EV tipoff for mules in testing, as the body work it’s mated to isn’t necessarily designed to mesh with the requirements of an EV powertrain. There are no “Electric Vehicle” stickers stuck to the car to make this extra easy for us, but plenty of other strange elements let us know that this mule is no normal XF.

We can’t see through it, but the “grille” is covered up by a large piece of camouflage. Some areas on the bottom and top appear to be mesh, allowing air through, but it’s still rather restricting. The hood’s fitment and shape are about as funky as can be. There’s even a hump in the center of the hood, making it look like some kind of high performance muscle car. 

Lending even more credence to this being a next-gen XJ mule is what appears to be a longer wheelbase and wider track. Jaguar extended the fenders outward to accommodate this, but it’s especially apparent in back with the squared-off rear fenders. Since it’s a mule, it’s tough to be certain which powertrain this particular car is hiding. The fuel cap remains on the right rear side of the car, but it appears to be in a different position than the fuel cap on the current XF. Maybe it isn’t a fuel cap, and it’s a covering for the plug outlet instead? There are no other obvious outlets on the car to plug in to, but that’s nothing out of the ordinary for a mule. One suspicious element we spotted in the rear is the side of a chrome tailpipe protruding from the rear bumper. There’s no way to know if it’s a real or a fake tailpipe to throw us off the hunt, but we’ll note its presence nonetheless.

Jaguar has already released a teaser image of the rear taillights on the electric XJ successor, but of course this test mule isn’t supporting production lights. We’ll have to wait for a production-bodied prototype to get a preview of what the car is actually going to look like. A specific date hasn’t been provided, but the sedan is set to be “announced in the near future,” according to previous reports. If it’s still in test mule form, we have a bit of a wait left, but the first sighting of the next XJ in any form has us excited.

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