Jaguar XF Sportbrake (2012 – 2015) Review

It’s a testament to the designers that the Jaguar XF Sportbrake looked even sleeker than the saloon model. The estate was a big hit from the get-go, helped by a good range of engines and large load area that put it right into contention with the Audi A6 Avant, and its German rival, the BMW 5 Series Touring, as well as the likes of the Volvo V70. Read on for our full Jaguar XF Sportbrake review.

You can forgive Jaguar for the rather elaborate Sportbrake name, as it evokes just the right image for a wagon from the firm.

It’s certainly a good looking car, with a low and aerodynamic shape, while the rear itself is one of the neatest around.

It has a great stance and is more than simply a Jaguar XF saloon with an extra bit grafted on the back. In fact you could argue that it’s better looking than the saloon.

The updated look, introduced when the model was facelifted early in mid-2011, means the Jaguar XF Sportbrake has plenty of road presence.

Inside, it shares the same high quality and boutique-inspired interior as the saloon, with plenty of intriguing touches, such as the metal gear selector dial that rises out of the dash, and the air vents that rotate open when you start the car.

Even firing up the engine is memorable, thanks to a start button that pulses red like a heartbeat.

Practical features include remote fold levers mounted in the boot to lower the rear seats, so you don’t need to stretch from the side doors, tailgate-mounted LEDs that illuminate the ground, plus a panel set into the boot floor that splits into three sections to allow smaller items to be neatly wedged.

There were no petrol engines in the Jagur XF Sportbrake range. Instead, it got the 2.2-litre diesel with either 163PS or 200PS, plus the impressive 3.0-litre V6 diesel.

Launching an estate was an obvious move for Jaguar, given the popularity of cars like the Audi A6 Avant and Mercedes E-Class Estate.

The brand managed to create a sleek and stylish car that’s still practical, comfortable, and good to drive now as a used buy.

The only letdown is the 2.2-litre diesel engine, which doesn’t quite deliver what it promises on paper.

Fancy a new Jaguar XF Sportbrake? Read our Jaguar XF Sportbrake review here.

While the Jaguar XF Sportbrake may look sleek, this isn’t a case of style over substance.

It has a usefully large boot with 550 litres of space and, although this is slightly down on the BMW 5 Series Touring, the wide boot area is user-friendly, with vertical sides and no load lip.

There is also a handy floor rail system, similar to Audi’s set-up, which comes with adjustable straps and bars. Jaguar pointed out that you can get a set of golf clubs in sideways.

The rear seats can be folded 60-40 via levers in the boot, so you don’t have to lean in through the side doors, plus once down they create a level load area almost two metres long.

The tailgate opening is wide, too, so it’s genuinely possible to actually use that space for boxy or large items such as furniture or fridges.

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake features one of our favourite interiors, with a simple yet elegant design and easy-to-use controls.

Crucially, it doesn’t try and copy its German rivals. Instead, the Jaguar has a sense of British-ness that’s a refreshing change.

That’s not to say it’s old-fashioned, though. Of course, you can get traditional wood veneer finishes, but there are also aluminium and piano black trims.

One neat touch is the soft-close tailgate, so you don’t need to slam it shut. Plus there was the option of electric opening and closing.

The central seven-inch touchscreen controls the main functions including the navigation, radio and climate.

It’s not the best system around, but is at least easy to use and clearly laid out.

The British company has generally provided keener value for money than its main rivals, and this applies just as much when buying a used Jaguar XF Sportbrake as it did when the car was new.

You can find cheaper examples, but we’d look to spend £8500 for a 2.2d in Premium Luxury trim with around 70,000 miles on the clock.

Should you want the all-singing Portfolio trim in a car with lower mileage, you’ll be looking at paying around £17,000 for a 3.0-litre V6 S with 35,000 miles under its wheels.

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake was only offered with diesel engines, which means you have a choice of 2.2-litre and 3.0-litre diesels.

The 2.2 can deliver an official 57.7mpg in 163PS form, although we’d go for the 200PS version and its claimed 52.0mpg, which works out to 41mpg in mixed driving.

The V6 provides similar consumption in daily use, so it could be the one to go for if you enjoy driving for the sake of it.

As an exception to the ‘diesel-only’ rule, there was a Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake with the 550PS petrol engine, but sub-20mpg in daily use makes this the choice of committed enthusiasts only.

The lower-powered 3.0 V6 diesel attracts road tax of £180 per year compared to £240 for the S version. Go for the 2.2d, and you’ll pay the same as for the lower-power V6 diesel.

Servicing is needed every 12 months or 15,000 miles, and independent specialists will help to keep costs down.

Insuring a Jaguar XF Sportbrake will be comparable to its key rivals, as the model ranges from group 33 for the base 2.2d all the way to group 50 for the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake.

A 3.0 V6 Premium Luxury model sits in group 42, the same as its saloon counterpart.

All Jaguar XF Sportbrake models come with self-levelling rear air-suspension, instead of the coil springs of the saloon.

As a result the car is always level, even if it’s fully laden or towing a trailer.

It feels as impressive as the standard Jaguar XF when it comes to handling.

The estate is as confident in corners and equally as agile, although like the saloon, the ride is fairly firm and not as smooth as you’d expect.

That said, overall refinement is mightily impressive and at motorway speeds, there’s very little wind or road noise.

There are no petrols in the Jaguar XF Sportbrake range (aside from the mighty Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake with its supercharged V8).

The entry-level model is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel, which came in two states of tune.

The base 163PS model was aimed primarily at company car drivers, while the more powerful version was tweaked to 200PS (up from 190PS when it was first introduced in the Jaguar XF).

With 450Nm of torque, it looks ideal on paper.

However, the engine isn’t particularly impressive and lacks the pulling power you’d expect given the torque available.

It’s fine for pottering about in, and acceleration in a straight line seems pretty good. But it’s the combination of the four-cylinder diesel and standard eight-speed automatic gearbox which doesn’t quite work.

While the gearbox is well suited to the larger engines in the Jaguar range, it doesn’t get the best from the smaller 2.2-litre diesel, and seems to be constantly hunting for the right gear.

As a result, the engine spends a lot of time at high revs, where it’s intrusively noisy – hardly in keeping with Jaguar’s refined image.

It often kicks down when you’d expect it to just pull from low revs, which makes progress far from smooth.

The 3.0-litre V6 diesel is the model to go for if you want performance. There are two versions – the standard 240PS model and the 3.0 D S with 275PS.

It’s the perfect engine for the Jaguar XF Sportbrake, with effortless acceleration and huge reserves of pulling power. Plus, it even manages to sound good. It’s genuinely quick, too, with the S managing 0-62mph in just 6.6 seconds.

Like its key rivals, the Jaguar XF of this generation scored a full five stars when tested by Euro NCAP. All models come with six airbags and a pop-up bonnet to better protect pedestrians in the event of a collision.

You also get ESP traction and stability control, ABS anti-lock brakes, and Isofix child seats in the two outer back seats.

However, there’s no lane keep assistance or automatic emergency braking due to the age of the Jaguar XF.

Options when new included blind spot assist, a rear parking camera, adaptive cruise control and a tyre pressure monitor.

Recognising that owners of an estate might want to tow, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake was rated to pull an unbraked trailer of up to 750kg.

With a braked trailer, the car can tow up to a maximum of 1850kg.

The entry-level Jaguar XF Sportbrake Luxury has eight-way adjustable leather-trimmed seats, a seven-inch colour touchscreen display, satellite navigation system and Bluetooth.

There’s also a six-disc in-dash CD changer, rear parking aid, interior mood lighting, heated exterior mirrors with electric adjustment, 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control plus cruise control.

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake Premium Luxury trim adds 10-way heated Softgrain leather seats with lumbar adjustment, 18-inch alloy wheels, Jaguar’s 320W premium sound system with eight speakers and sub-woofer, driver’s seat memory function, a heated windscreen and Softgrain leather stitched and tailored instrument panel and door tops.

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake Portfolio is the top trim and is distinguished by 19-inch Artura alloy wheels, 16-way ventilated heated and cooled front seats, Suedecloth premium headlining and premium carpet mats.

There’s also a wider choice of veneers and five interior colour combinations that included two unique to the Portfolio, all of them featuring distinctive contrast stitching.