I'm currently running a Jaguar XF Sportbrake V6 Diesel S Portfolio. Aside from the XFR and XFR-S Jaguar doesn't seem to be able to come up with snappy names for its XFs.
This car is the top of the XF Sportbrake range and costs £51,000 which is a couple of thousand below the equivalent Mercedes CLS Shooting Brake. The cheapest XF Sportbrake is £31k which prices it alongside Fords, Hondas and Volvos, whereas the cheapest CLS is a mahoosive £49k and comes with the tractor-like 2.2 diesel.
Odd isn't it that the Germans call their car Shooting Brake, which is an English term, whereas Jaguar calls its sporty estate the Sportsbrake. More a homage to the moniker than Mercedes' lifting of the actual name.
The 3 litre V6 engine is a diesel (ugh) but it's a peach (huzza!) with 275bhp and 442 lb ft of torque. Aligned to the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission the car has plenty of grunt.
The stats look good - 0-60mph in 6.1 seconds, top speed 155mph, 46.3mpg, 163 g/km CO2. The mpg and CO2 figures are helped by the stop/start system which is the most eager of any I've come across. It stops instantly the moment you come to a halt, and starts with equal alacrity.
The interior of the car is sublime. Only Volvo comes close in terms of making the inhabitants feel cosseted. Mercedes, Audi and BMW's use of the occasional cheapo bit of fabric and trim leaves ze Germans trailing behind in the comfort oeuvre.
It drives well too. The steering is just so Jaguar as Jaguar has done through the ages - oily smooth - and the engine gives you a nice kick in the back with its oomph.
My only complaint is that you are slightly over insulated from the road which means you can easily reach inappropriate speed without realising it (aside from keeping an eye on the speedo!).
I'll come back with a full review soon.
Article by Matt Hubbard
