Jaguar XF Sportbrake review

Check out our XF saloon review for the verdict on the P300 and D200 mild-hybrid engines. For the Sportbrake, we’ve sampled the P250: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol with 250bhp and 269lb ft. It’s good for a claimed 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds and 150mph flat out – enough, in other words.

And it feels it. No, you don’t need the P300. And no, the four-pot engine doesn’t have the expensive lusty tone of a straight six. But crucially, it never feels strained or overawed by the Jag’s weight, and doesn’t sound as rough as Jag four-pots of recent history have done. In Dynamic mode the angrier (synthesised) note is pretty convincing.

Less so is the eight-speed gearbox – it’s fine, but not quite as sweetly dialled-in for swift kickdowns as BMW’s equivalent. On the other hand, if you’re interfering with your own inputs, it’s a pleasure. The big metal paddles feel miles more tactile and expensive than those you get in an A6.

Wind and road noise are perhaps a tad more prevalent than other big estates, but you could always peel off the motorway a little sooner and take the windier roads. Here, the big Jag excels like no other car of this size. Even a 5 Series isn’t quite as deft, and doesn’t shrink around you like the XF, which steers, rides and handles quite beautifully.

Pointless, in a big luxo-wagon? Nope – it’s actually one of the XF’s strong selling points. It blesses the car an extra depth of engineering. Someone at Jaguar still cares just as much about how their cars go around corners, steer, stop and ride as back in the company’s heyday when the E-Type and MkII set the standard for the world.