New Jaguar XF Sportbrake revealed

The big estate ain't dead yet! First details of the latest XF Sportbrake

With Alfa Romeo recently putting a damper on talk of a much hoped for Giulia Sportwagon, betting instead that buyers would be tempted by its new Stelvio SUV, fans of the premium estate car formula could be forgiven for thinking its days were numbered. Not according to Jaguar though, which, despite the success of its Stelvio-rivalling F-Pace, has now announced the addition of a new XF Sportbrake to its range. So, how does the new car measure up?

Big saloon makes big wagon!

Well, as with all recent Jag products, the focus is very much on driving dynamics. In the quest for near perfect 50:50 weight distribution, Jaguar boasts that this XF is "the most aluminium-intensive model in its class" and also features a new, single-piece polymer tailgate. The EPAS has been optimised with a faster ratio, there is double-wishbone suspension up front, with the option of tunable Adaptive Dynamics dampers, and a choice of RWD or AWD drivetrains.

Despite the new Sportbrake coming in 6mm shorter than the previous model, its wheelbase has been lengthened by 51mm to 2,960mm overall. This aids not only stability but also load space, hardly at a premium before but now up to 565 litres, or a whopping 1,700 litres with the rear seats lowered.

Customers can also opt for a petrol engine, albeit not a V8 as once featured before. Not yet, at least... Jaguar's 2.0-litre, 250hp, four-cylinder Ingenium unit is now available, producing 269lb ft of torque and delivering fuel economy of up to 41.5mpg. This comes mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, as do the 180hp and 240hp four-cylinder diesels. Bookending the range are the only engine with a manual option, unfortunately a miserly 163hp diesel, and the one you'll really be interested in...

With UK buyers missing out on Jaguar's 381hp petrol V6, the most PH appropriate option is the range topping 300hp, 3.0-litre diesel V6. With power up from 275hp previously, it now also produces 516lb ft of torque (up from 442lb ft) and is capable of 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds whilst returning 49.6mpg.

Like an XF, just with more behind you

Inside, Jaguar's Touch Pro infotainment system takes pride of place with a 10-inch touchscreen. This can be customised with things like wallpaper images and shortcuts to favourite features in much the same way as a smartphone. Arrival Mode brings up a 360-degree interactive view of your destination in the final 200m of your journey, even advising on available parking spaces nearby. Of course, all the usual fripperies such as Park Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring and Adaptive Cruise Control are available too.

The tech doesn't end there though - Jaguar's wearable Activity Key, as seen on the F-Pace, lets more adventurous owners secure the car without the hassle of worrying about their key fob. And a new InControl Remote app will let you check things like the fuel level and whether the doors are locked via your smartphone.

If all of that sounds like an appealing package, the new XF Sportbrake is available to order now with prices starting from £34,910, undercutting the Audi A6 Avant by £1,070 and BMW's 5 Series Touring by £3,475. Although, if that's still a little steep for your taste, there are plenty of examples of the previous generation in the classifieds, starting from less than half that...