Jaguar XF S Sportbrake Diesel

Brisk estate’s speed and refinement make up for E-pace let-down

T HE LAST JAGUAR I DROVE – THE new E-pace crossover in rangetopping petrol trim ( evo 243) – was one of the most disapponting cars I’ve driven in this job. That it struggles to shine in a class not known for its diamonds is unfortunate; that it’s not even as appealing as the sevenyear-old Range Rover Evoque with which it shares its platform is unacceptable.

Whoever signed it off can’t have had much to do with the XF Sportbrake, which is, in contrast, one of the better cars in a significantly more competitive sector, particularly in 3-litre V6 diesel form as here. It succeeds in all the areas where the E-pace failed. It is, unlike that car, a proper Jaguar.

Proper Jaguars should ride and handle with fluidity and insouciance for the surface below, and the £51,510 S Sportbrake Diesel does both, even on optional 20-inch wheels. Satisfying off-centre steering weight sets you in ideal stead for the precision and grip that follow, allowing you to carve through turns, while the double-wishbone front suspension and selflevelling, air-suspended rear absorb the road surface without isolating you from it.

The result is a car that, despite a 1924kg kerb weight (and that despite the XF’S aluminium construction), feels fleet of foot, and its 296bhp and 516lb ft of torque are able to exploit this. In corners the car’s line tightens pleasingly as the driven rear wheels overrotate, and you’re thrust down the road with ample pace and refinement. The 0-62mph dash takes 6.6 seconds.

The V6 isn’t as sonorous as some rivals, and at low speeds it works unhappily (and noisily) with the eight-speed auto, but regardless of this – and the rather dreary, if comfortable, cabin – the XF remains one of the most engaging cars in its class.