CAR REVIEW; Jaguar XF Sportbrake

With the F-Pace officially becoming the fastest-selling car in Jaguar’s 94-year history, it was inevitable that the company’s relentless product expansion would focus primarily on SUVs. In fact, not a day goes by where there’s not some form of JLR specific news gracing the web, focusing on either the new mid-sized E-Pace or sci-fi tastic i-Pace.

But just when you thought a company famed for its iconic and timeless designs had sold its soul to buy a ticket on the increasingly lucrative SUV gravy train, we get this: the Jaguar XF Sportbrake, or XF estate for lovers of plain English.

The first generation Sportbrake wasn’t all that successful, accounting for only 20% of XFs sold. It also didn’t help that the estate version was something of a European preoccupation, with the Sportbrake failing to find a market in both the US and Asia.


Unlike the saloon, the Sportbrake comes with self-levelling air suspension at the rear as standard. It doesn’t upset the XF’s wonderfully innate sense of balance and composure, even on the roughest of surfaces, so threading the Sportbrake down a twisty road is a really engrossing experience.
It keeps you comfortable as well, with expansion joints and larger road scars passing beneath with minimal fuss, while the XF's body stays well tied down over dips and crests. On models with adaptive suspension, switching to Dynamic mode makes the ride a bit firm, so it's best avoided unless the road is super-smooth.
For those of you who live in the country, the XF Sportbrake can be optioned with four-wheel drive. The great thing is that in most day-to-day driving environments you’ll be completely unaware of its presence, but when accelerating out of damp roundabouts or driving on muddy roads, you’ll be grateful for that extra traction. It could also come in handy if you are planning on using your XF Sportbrake for towing.
So far, we’ve only been able to try one of the Sportbrake’s engines: Jaguar’s 237bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel. It’s smooth enough, but acceleration isn’t at urgent as you’d expect and the eight-speed automatic gearbox can be hesitant when pulling away. From our experience of the XF saloon, the pick of the range is still likely to be the cheaper 2.0-litre 180 diesel, while the range-topping 3.0-litre V6 diesel is available for those that want a lot more grunt combined with added smoothness.



And yet, despite all the odds, here we are, staring at Jaguar’s response to the latest BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate. It’s a handsome-looking package, which isn’t all that surprising seeing that – unlike the first generation of the XF Sportbrake – an estate variant was part of the design plan from the very beginning. Yet despite the handsome styling, rear load space has actually increased over the previous model.

nside, the Sportbrake is typical XF, with its peak-a-boo revolving air vents, retractable rotary gear selector and phosphor blue ambient lighting. Small touches such as an optional gesture-control-operated blind for the panoramic roof add some opulence to the interior, but as with the saloon, perceived quality is still disappointingly far behind that of Audi and BMW.
An 8.0in touchscreen, DAB radio, Bluetooth and satellite navigation come as standard, as does a multifunction steering wheel. However, we would advise you to upgrade to the optional 10.2in InControl Touch Pro system. The standard unit is slow to respond and the graphics are dull, although even the upgraded system isn’t as well resolved nor as easy to use as BMW’s iDrive or Audi’s MMI systems.
It’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel of the XF Sportbrake. The pedals line up neatly with the driver's seat, and if you go for the R Sport model, the sports seats are particularly comfortable, although the absence of adjustable lumbar support is disappointing.
The two entry-level trims (Prestige and aforementioned R Sport) come with an eight-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, although the seatback is electrically operated. Meanwhile, the two top trims (Portfolio and S) have a 10-way, fully electrically adjustable driver’s seat, with adjustable lumbar support as standard.
Aas with the saloon, interior space is one of the XF Sportbrake’s strongest assets. Up front, two tall adults are able to stretch out thanks to copious amounts of leg and head room – slightly more than you’d find in a Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate or BMW 5 Series Touring.

In the rear, both head and leg room are good enough for 6ft adults to sit behind similar-sized folk up front, even with the optional panoramic roof fitted. If you want even more space, the Volvo V90 is more capacious, but the Jaguar offers a touch more knee room and foot space under the front seats than the 5 Series Touring.
In terms of boot space, the XF Sportbrake loses out to the class-leading E-Class Estate by quite some margin. However, it is comparable to the 5 Series Touring and larger than both the A6 Avant and V90. The XF’s rear seats have also been re-engineered for the Sportbrake in order to allow for a flat load bay when they are folded. The result is a long, well-shaped boot that Jaguar claims can take a decent-sized fridge-freezer.
Unlike the saloon, the XF Sportbrake’s rear seats come as standard with a 40/20/40 split, and the rear audio speakers have been moved from the parcel shelf (where they’re located in the saloon) to the roof lining to further increase load space.


The 2.0-litre diesel engines have impressively low CO2 emissions, so they make excellent choices for company car drivers. In fact, the entry-level rear-wheel-drive 2.0d 163 is one of the cleanest estates of this size. From our experience of the saloon, we’d still suggest the 2.0d 180 will be the pick of the range for the best blend of performance and running costs.
The V6 diesel is competitively efficient but costs a lot to buy, because it's available only in range-topping Portfolio and S trims. Meanwhile, the only petrol engine, a 247bhp 2.0-litre turbo, is surprisingly frugal – officially, at least.
In terms of equipment, entry-level Prestige comes with plenty of kit. However, we’d opt for R Sport, since you also get front parking sensors and more aggressive styling – the latter including black detailing, bigger alloy wheels and a unique bodykit.
A more luxurious choice is Portfolio, which features all the R Sport kit (minus the bodykit and sports seats), but adds a reversing camera, keyless entry and an upgraded 380W sound system. Range-topping S is available exclusively with the six-cylinder diesel engine and isn’t really worth the extra outlay unless performance is a priority.
Every XF Sportbrake gets a host of safety equipment as standard, including automatic emergency braking, a lane departure warning system and six airbags. There’s also an optional Active Safety Pack, which adds driver attention monitoring and a feature that warns you if another vehicle is about to cross your path while you’re reversing. The XF saloon received a maximum five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, scoring solidly in all four test categories.
An alarm and engine immobiliser are on hand to deter thieves. Indeed, security firm Thatcham has run its security test and awarded the XF full marks for its resistance to being driven away and four stars (out of five) for its ability to resist a break-in in the first place.