Jaguar XJ 2013

What’s New Inside

Aimed at satisfying a champagne-sipping workaholic that may not exist, Jaguar’s efforts on the XJ Ultimate were mostly carried out in the XJ’s rear compartment. The XJ’s rear bench seat has been yanked out, and in its place, automotive curators installed two individual seats. Each is heated and cooled, has a power recline function, and can deliver a cyborg massage to occupants. Between the rear seats, a center console stores a motorized pop-up tray table made of machined aluminum, two bespoke champagne flutes, and a bottle-sized cooler.

Five screens bedeck the rear of the XJ Ultimate. Two are iPads, which are docked in the rear seatbacks. (Wireless keyboards are also included, saving XJ buyers $138 and a Dom-Pérignon-fueled trip to the Apple Store.) Jaguar’s Rear Seat Entertainment system, available on other XJs, is standard in the Ultimate. It packs an eight-inch screen into each headrest, and is controlled by a touchscreen remote control.

The Ultimate’s 20-speaker audio system has been designed by a British company called Meridian, which engineered the stereos in the Range Rover Evoque and McLaren MP4-12C. (Other Jaguar models use a Bowers & Wilkins–branded sound system.)

What’s New on the Outside

Mechanically, the only difference between an XJ Ultimate and lesser XJs is that the rear air suspension has been tuned for “optimized ride comfort.” So perhaps it’s a bit more forgiving, then.

The exterior of the XJ Ultimate gets chrome finishing for the lower air intakes on the front fascia, and some “Ultimate” badging. Unique 20-inch aluminum wheels have been designed, with the inside of the spokes getting a darker finish than does the rest of the rim.

Even though you see a white car in the image above, the XJ Ultimate will be imported to the U.S. in just one color: Black Amethyst. Ironically, Ultimate Black Metallic—which is part of the standard palate for regular XJs—is not available on this car.

What’s Actually New About the XJ Ultimate

Not a whole lot. Jaguar and Land Rover have been rolling out extra-posh versions of their cars for the past few years. (See last year’s $170,000Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate for more iPad-laden transportation.) More broadly, it’s a boring cliché to furnish the back seat of a luxury car with video screens and a fridge, and then call it a private jet for the road. Bentley did the same on the Mulsanne earlier this year—albeit with space in the fridge for two bottles of champagne—and it was for a decade the calling card of the recently deceased Maybach.

Instead of appealing to ultra-wealthy CEOs who like to watch movies while working in the car, the thirty examples might, instead, find owners who need to shuttle VIPs in style. Indeed, the XJ Ultimate seems like a perfect transporter for high-end casino hosts, five-star hotels, and yes, even the companies that operate private jets for hire.