Jaguar XF Sportbrake 300 R-Sport 2019 UK first drive

You might reasonably expect Jaguar’s F-Type and XF Sportbrake estate models to share few major mechanicals. You’d be wrong, though, because the two cars already take their eight-speed transmission and steering hardware from the same shelf, and now the same can be said for the engine.

Along with a subtle aesthetic refresh, for 2019 Jaguar has equipped its only estate derivative (the XE remains saloon-only) with the same punchy turbocharged 2.0-litre Ingenium engine you’ll find in the entry-level F-Type.

The principal numbers are identical, with 296bhp at 5500rpm and 295lb ft from 1500rpm. And while it’s still possible for customers in the US to get an XF Sportbrake with Jaguar’s supercharged 3.0-litre V6 and 375bhp, in the UK, because of new WLTP regulations, the downsized option tested here is now the most powerful petrol-powered variant. 

The tractive benefits of four-wheel drive mean the XF Sportbrake really can shift. It rattles off the sprint to 62mph in 5.7sec, which is barely any slower than the F-Type. And if this engine feels a touch flat and asthmatic in the striking body of the coupé, in the Sportbrake its robust, satisfyingly torque-rich delivery better suits the utility brief. Through the all-important mid-range – overtaking territory – performance is just short of being conspicuously quick.  

The eight-speed automatic gearbox isn't ZF's latest but is adequately refined for touring duties and quick enough whether or not you're using the stubby wheel-mounted paddles. Strangely, in this application it can't match the almost undetectable cog-swapping qualities the same hardware achieves in the G30 BMW 5 Series.

And in truth, the XF Sportbrake has never matched the powertrain efficiency of rivals from BMW, Mercedes and Audi – and that, to put it bluntly, is a good reason you don’t see many on the road. In this resepct, an indicated 32mpg on the motorway stretch of our test route is poor, and supports our suspicion the claimed 1763kg kerb weight is optimistic.

Next to the Germans, the Jaguar’s interior also feels antique, even with the 10.0in display of Jaguar’s Touch Pro infotainment system and a suedecloth rooflining now fitted as standard. The reinvented XJ due next year will need to do far better, but equally it will struggle to place its driver as sweetly behind the wheel. The Sportbrake’s seats aren’t much to look at, but so comfortable are they that you could settle into them for a day-long schlep and hardly feel it at the other end.