Jaguar XF Sportbrake Premium Luxury 2.2D 200PS Auto
Jaguar car review: LUKE MADDEN
What is it?
THE Sportbrake: it’s the estate version of the Jaguar XF and it’s been a long time coming – in fact, it’s been four years since the XF saloon was originally introduced. But we have this first company car review.
The Jaguar XF Sportbrake aims to transfer all the luxury, style and sportiness of the saloon into this more practical bodyshape – ideal for business owners who loved the saloon but found its four doors impractical.
Jaguar has chosen to only offer the Sportbrake with diesel engines, meaning SME company car buyers can pick between a 2.2-litre four-cylinder unit with either 161bhp or 197bhp and a 3.0-litre V6 diesel with 237bhp or 271bhp.
What’s hot?
- It’s sometimes difficult to make an estate model look stylish but the Sportbrake manages it. That’s partly down to the classy chrome window line but the subtle roof spoiler and blacked out D-pillars both play their part, too.
- The interior is just as luxurious and classy as the saloon, and that includes the boot. Most trim levels get LED lighting, deep carpets and a stainless steel loading guard, as well as a power-operated tailgate.
Plenty of space in the luxuriously finished boot, though not class beating
- It’s a big boot too, though admittedly not the biggest in this class. It has 550 litres of space, compared to the 695-litre Mercedes E-Class Estate. Fold the rear seats down and there’s 1,675 litres of luggage space.
- Standard fit self-levelling air suspension on all but the entry-level model ensures a very comfortable ride and good balance too.
- We drove the 2.2-litre diesel with 197bhp and it feels as fast as you’ll ever need thanks to the 0-62mph time of 8.8 seconds. The eight-speed automatic is fantastic at making gearshifts almost unnoticeable.
- And it’s a company car buyer-friendly engine too. CO2 emissions of 135g/km mean you’ll be paying £1,660 of tax if you’re a standard-rate tax payer. A similarly powerful 5 Series Touring does sit in a lower company car tax band, though.
What’s not?
- While the 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel does feel quick, it’s not the most refined engine in this class. Pottering around town you won’t notice it but accelerate hard and it sounds harsh and rattly. Not very Jaguar.
- Similarly, the stop-start system shakes the car a little bit on start-up. The same system on a Mercedes works much more smoothly.
- There are some very good rivals in this class. For a company car comparison, the BMW 5 Series Touring is more efficient and better to drive; the Mercedes E-Class Estate is arguably more luxurious and certainly more practical; and the Audi A6 Avant is suitably stylish and understated.
- It might not be a problem for the majority of buyers – especially those in the SME company car market – but it would be nice if Jaguar at least offered a petrol variant to widen choice
