Estate of the art: 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake revealed
Jaguar's high-performance estate can be ordered with a waterproof, shockproof wearable key
JAGUAR has revealed the estate version of its XF. Known as the Sportbrake, the big-booted variant of the company’s mid-size saloon is on sale now, priced £34,910, and competes with the BMW 5-series Touring, Mercedes E-class estate and Volvo V90.
The sleek-looking Sportbrake boasts a 565-litre boot, which can be expanded to 1,700 litres with the back seats folded down. That puts it on a par with the 5-series Touring and the V90 for load-lugging, though it trails a little way behind the E-class estate.
With the key in the driver’s pocket, the tailgate can be opened by waving a foot beneath the rear bumper, and the opening height can be set — a handy feature for garages and multistorey car parks.
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Drivers with a thirst for adventure can specify an “active key”, which is a wearable, watch-like device that is waterproof and shockproof — perfect for a day of kayaking or mountain biking.
The rear seats fold from buttons in the boot, or within the seat backs, and split 40-20-40.
As standard, all XF Sportbrakes have self-levelling suspension. As any antiques dealer or horsebox owner will know, this helps keeps the car on an even keel even when it’s fully laden.
It can be ordered with all-wheel drive, and has a 2,000kg towing load limit as well as technology that helps stop trailers swaying and unsettling the car.
But before thoughts turn to towing caravans, Jaguar is at pains to stress that the new XF Sportbrake rides and handles like a sports car.
The engine range mirrors that of the XF saloon: four and six-cylinder diesel and petrol units with rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox.
