Such accessories are needed for the new customers the XF Sportbrake will bring to Jaguar. The company’s Global Brand Manager for XF, James Towle, says: ‘The XF Sportbrake is the most important car Jaguar has launched in a number of years. It will bring people to Jaguar who previously would not have considered us. The Sportbrake is critical in taking Jaguar to the next level of sales.’

With 30% of sales in the executive sector going to estates, there is innate sense in Jaguar offering an estate version of the XF. It also makes a strong case for itself as the better car over its saloon sister. There is noticeably more passenger head room in the back seat thanks to the Sportbrake’s re-profiled roof line, which is down to the estate being all new from the B-pillar back.

The Sportbrake also uses the revised 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine, which persists in 160bhp form but also now offers 197bhp, a useful 10bhp increase over the previous unit. Jaguar has also lowered the carbon dioxide emissions of this engine so it now emits 135g/km and also records an improved 55.4mpg in both power outputs.

We tried the 197bhp 2.2 XF Sportbrake and it feels brisk, covering 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds compared to the 160bhp model’s 10.8 second time. It’s not as brawny as the 3.0 V6 turbodiesel, which is offered in 236- and 271bhp forms, but the four-cylinder 2.2 will be by far the more popular choice. The eight-speed automatic gearbox that’s standard in all XF Sportbrakes is as smooth as ever and combines with the 2.2-litre engine to offer plenty of low-down pulling power when the car is fully laden.

The rest of the driving experience is very much as the saloon, though the Sportbrake arguably has an even plusher ride quality thanks to its standard self-levelling rear air suspension. It has a svelte feel on bumpy roads that shows the Jaguar has been developed in the UK rather than on German autobahns. Even so, the Sportbrake deals with corners with polished ease.

The XF Sportbrake is offered in the same trim levels as the saloon. For most versions of the Sportbrake, there’s a £2500 premium over the saloon version, which is a little steeper than Audi or BMW asks to go from saloon to equivalent estate.

Even so, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is priced head-on with these two direct rivals and the Jag matches them for space and practicality, and the Brit is also supremely comfortable and quiet to travel in. Jaguar may not have been present in the executive estate sector for some time, but the XF Sportbrake is a fine return.

Author: Alisdair Suttie