• Big boot with practical load area
• Lots of interior passenger space
• Vast array of towing and storage accessories

How much space is there?

The Jaguar XF Sportback shares the XF saloon’s wheelbase so you get the same generous interior space in the front and back, with loads of leg and shoulder room. Those in the back have a bit more headroom than in the saloon, thanks to the Sportbrake’s longer roof.

There’s space for feet beneath the front seats, but those sat in the middle have to contend with a wide centre transmission tunnel that’s also quite tall. It robs foot space and makes clambering in more difficult. 

The BMW 5 Series Touring just pips the XF for rear legroom but it’s more than spacious enough for most families and four adults should be comfortable on a long journey.

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Boot space and storage

Practicality is the name of the game in the Jaguar XF Sportbrake and the boot is suitably huge. Depending on exactly which model you get, there’s 563 to 582 litres of load capacity – a couple of shopping bags more than in the BMW 5 Series Touring and Audi A6 Avant. Though the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate is still the champion.

Fold the rear seats down and space extends to as much as 1,700 litres. It’s a big, square space with a flat floor and no loading lip that’s quite close to the ground, so heaving in heavy objects is relatively easy. Self-levelling rear air suspension compensates for the weight in the boot, keeping the car level and composed on the road when loaded.

The rear seats split 40:20:40 so you can fold the middle portion down to carry loads up to two metres long, plus a couple of passengers.

Then there’s the vast range of carrying accessories. The roof has a payload of 100kg, allowing you to attach a 320-litre luggage box, ski and snow board holder, cycle rack or watersports carriers. You can also fix up to three bikes to a tow bar-mounted cycle carrier, and the XF Sportbrake has a towing capacity of 1,900kg to 2,000kg – enough for a substantial two-axle caravan. Trailer assist is added with a tow bar.

Interior storage up front includes a large cubby box under the centre armrest, a pair of cupholders, large door bins, glovebox and a sunglasses holder by the rear-view mirror (in models without a sunroof). In the back, there’s a pair of cupholders on the fold-down centre armrest, storage nets on the front seatbacks, a small storage tray beneath the centre air vents and door bins shaped to hold a drinks bottle.

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Is it easy to park?

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake is a very big car at a smidgen under five metres long and over two metres wide (including the door mirrors), so you have to pick a parking space carefully and take up as much of it as you can.

Thankfully, the view out is good, with large windows and mirrors. Plus front and rear parking sensors are fitted as standard on all models; many also have a reversing camera and some display a 360-degree view of the car on the dashboard display.

Safety

• Jaguar XF Saloon has five Euro NCAP stars
• No separate rating for the Sportbrake though
• Lots of autonomous tech to help avoid crashes

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake itself doesn’t have a Euro NCAP safety rating, however the XF saloon was given the full five stars – according to NCAP, that rating can also be applied to the Sportbrake. Note that Euro NCAP tested the XF in 2015 and its standards have been updated several times since then, so the car’s performance isn’t directly comparable with rivals that were tested more recently.

However, the XF remains a safe, strong car that comes with loads of safety tech. Autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist and rear cross-traffic alert are just some of the systems that help avoid or mitigate the effects of a crash.

In addition, a driver condition monitor spots fatigue, traffic sign recognition keeps an eye on speed limits and adaptive cruise control with queue assist takes the sting out of traffic jams.