Jaguar XF Sportbrake D200 2021 UK first drive

The XF’s new Pivi Pro infotainment screen - some 11.4in on the diagonal, a lot squarer of aspect than the old car’s set-up, and with a slightly convex display that makes it appear to hug the curve of the dashboard quite nicely - is also a huge improvement on what went before it. It’s standard on even entry-level S-grade cars (although the new widescreen digital instrument pack, which is also very good, isn’t), and it’s easy to use and - as far as we could tell on a two-hour test drive - reliable and robust with its software. The line of shortcut buttons on the left of the display and the easy configurability of the home screen to suit the functions you access most often are as key to this as the system’s responsiveness.

Seat comfort up front is very good. If you’re taller, there’s a chance you might notice a slight shortage of telescopic steering column adjustment range, or the closeness of the car’s roofline, because the XF has never been the biggest or most accommodating of executive options. Compared with the latest BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, its back seats in particular do feel relatively small, although they’re still usable and comfortable for all but the tallest adults. 

Boot space is a very useful 550-odd litres up to the window line, although you lose the car’s underfloor storage if you go for mild-hybrid diesel (which carries its 48V battery and power inverter under there) whereas you’ll keep it if you have a P250 or P300 petrol version instead.

Not that I’d let that put me off. This new gently hybridised Ingenium diesel does have the occasional funny driveline engagement when you’re just tipping into the throttle pedal, as it juggles that transient blending of its electric and combustive power sources. They’re pretty rare, though. Most of the time, it just offers usefully stout-feeling mid-range torque, paired with good refinement and equally good economy for a car of its size. During mixed-speed touring, I suspect an indicated 50mpg would be achievable with a fairly light load on board.

Jaguar’s Ingenium four-pot diesel engines seemed a bit vocal and meek, teamed with what could feel like dull-witted transmissions, when they were introduced five years ago. This phase of mild hybridisation has made a perceptible difference to how torquey they feel on the road, though, and mechanical isolation has been incrementally improving over the years in parallel. (The new XF has an active noise cancellation system that works to dampen the effect of its various sources of noise on your senses.) 

The car’s eight-speed gearbox may be the last piece of the puzzle for Jaguar to sort. It still seems to hesitate at times, but also to rush its engagements and actuations at lower speeds and at other times. It isn’t the sharpest-feeling thing, either, when you start to flick the nicely chunky, metallic shift paddles the XF now has, but that shortcoming isn’t enough to take the shine off what is a very rounded and increasingly well-polished powertrain.

This diesel, and Jaguar’s lower-level P250 turbo petrol, are now the only XFs that can be had with a rear-driven mechanical layout. (The diesel can be had in four-wheel-drive form, too.) If you’re attracted to this car for the reasons we’ve always rated it as pretty consistently the best-handling and most rewarding mid-sized executive option on the market, it’s certainly worth seeking out one of the rear-driven options.

Our test car (on optional 20in alloy wheels and adaptive dampers) rode with the suppleness and fluency you’d expect of a mid-range Jaguar, but also handled with fine cornering balance and a clear but progressive sort of incisiveness that made it an easy pleasure to simply guide along. Steering isn’t overly direct but it’s accurate, intuitive and perfectly weighted, with no perceptible spongy or elastic feel, so you can place the car with confidence and judge grip levels similarly. 

There’s enough torque to momentarily animate the chassis into gently positive attitudes around slower bends, and generally to engage with a rear-driven executive car with a sensible but not overwhelming grip level and a healthy dose of natural handling poise the way that a keener driver might like to. The XF has modern driver aids and electronic convenience features, but they’re fully switchable ones and, by and large, they don’t come between you and the enjoyment of the driving experience.

The one mechanical difference between an XF saloon and Sportbrake remains the wagon’s fitment of self-levelling rear suspension, which is there to compensate when hauling heavy loads or towing. It doesn’t impose any undesirable dynamic tolls on the car, though. Ride isolation seems equally good at the back as it is at the front axle, and the car’s ride frequency is very well balanced over longer-wave inputs.