What’s the Jaguar XF Sportbrake like inside?
The Jag’s interior is wide, spacious and well-built – just what you’d expect from a premium estate car. There’s plenty of room for those up front to sit comfortably, with a wide windscreen helping to give the front of the cabin a light and airy feeling.
Likewise, there’s a decent amount of space for those sitting in the back. Six-footers will be comfortable in the rearmost seats and, even when sitting three abreast, there is plenty of space.
When it comes to the boot, the XF Sportbrake is edged by rivals. It may have 550 litres with the seats up, rising to 1,675 with seats folded flat – still a decent size, but some way behind the cavernous 1,950 litres you’ll find in the Mercedes E-Class estate.
What’s under the bonnet?
Power is generated by a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine producing 237bhp and 500Nm of torque. In this all-wheel-drive version, all four wheels are driven via an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Jaguar claims that it’ll send the Sportbrake from 0-60mph in 6.7 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 150mph.
Economy-wise, Jaguar says that the XF Sportbrake will return 46.3mpg combined, while emitting 160g/km of CO2. And just to clarify, those emissions figures are only around 20g/km of CO2 heavier than an equivalent petrol rival.
As this is the all-wheel-drive version, it makes for a decent choice for those after a little more traction in poorer conditions. You can, of course, have it in rear-wheel-drive instead – where diesel emission outputs drop to as low as 136g/km.
What’s the Jaguar XF Sportbrake like to drive?
We always liked the way the regular XF handled, and it’s pleasing to report that this positive trait has been transplanted into the Sportbrake. Its steering is well-weighted and accurate, and it handles corners without fuss or too much body roll.
Grip levels are good too – particularly in this all-wheel-drive model – resulting in a lot of confidence in the bends. Our test route took in some snowy mountain passes too, and even here the Sportbrake remained assured.
The eight-speed ZF gearbox does a good job of slushing through the gears in full automatic mode, and should you want to take control via the steering wheel-mounted paddles, then its response isn’t too bad here either.
One thing we will add is that there is a fair amount of wind and tyre noise generated at speed, which does impact the car’s overall feeling of refinement somewhat.
Verdict
The Jaguar XF Sportbrake is a genuine alternative to German rivals. It looks good, drives well and will be spacious enough for most, too. As we’ve mentioned, despite the negativity being sent diesel’s way, it still makes sense in cars like this – cars designed to slog it up and down motorway without any fuss whatsoever.
Though some cabin elements do let it down a touch, it’s still an all-in premium machine, and it benefits from a surprisingly involving drive, too.
Though it may be tempting to opt for rivals from other manufacturers, we doubt you’d be disappointed in walking away with the keys to the Jaguar XF Sportbrake instead.
Similar cars
Audi A6 Avant, BMW 5 Series Touring, Mercedes-Benz E-Class estate
Key specifications
Model as tested: Jaguar XF Sportbrake R-Sport AWD
Price (on-road): £43,810
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 240 hp
Torque: 500 Nm
Top speed: 150 mph
0-60mph: 6.7 seconds
Fuel economy (combined): 46.3 mpg
CO2 emissions: 160 g/km
