LET'S face it, Jaguars and estate cars hardly go hand-in-glove.

To most of us the Big Cat is either a suave saloon or a racy roadster.

Sure, we had the X-Type estate but that was not exactly a runaway success. Before then the only station wagons - as far as I can recall - were bespoke tailored versions or concepts rather than full-on production models.

But now there's a proper load-carrier from the Coventry maestros that is proving a family favourite among big earners...even if it's called a Sportbrake rather than an estate.

The XF Sportbrake closely follows the XF saloon which hit the bull's-eye from day one, so the omens were good for this version.

Obviously, targeting at the luxury end of the market, the estate Jag aims and succeeds in matching the saloon's refinement within elegant, well balanced proportions.

If anything, the lines are more conservative than the purposeful four door.

And whereas Audi makes a visual point in putting a rakish, sporty emphasis on the A6 Avant, the XF Sportbrake appears more classically styled.

Because the luggage area is relatively shallow carrying capacity is a shade less than obvious rivals, including Audi, BMW 5-Series Touring and the commodious E-Class Mercedes.

The Jag swallows up 500 litres of cargo with rear seats in place and around 920litres when they are folded.

Prices range from  around £32,000 to more than £51,000. It was the 3.0 V6 turbodiesel in top Portfolio spec costing £47,610 that I tried. Three engines - all diesel - are offered and this was the mid range 237bhp 3.0-litre.

Although the Sportbrake may lag slightly behind in the space race on luggage carrying, it is ahead of the game when it comes to driving prowess and nifty handling.

Despite the considerable size it negotiates windy roads with the finesse and poise of a thoroughbred sports car. Steering communication is among the best available and the ride strikes exactly the right compromise between comfort and handling.

Jaguar was late into the diesel sector, but their engines are superb, packing the sort of silkiness that you normally only get in a petrol six.

Performance is pretty good too - a top speed of over 150mph and acceleration to 62mph in 6.8seconds. This is alongside a delicate thirst, the Sportbrake manages a combined figure of 46mpg which equates with real-life economy of around 38mpg in my experience.

Special praise goes to the eight-speed auto gearbox with changes that are so smooth you barely notice them. The cabin is as classy as you would expect if somewhat unexciting visually.

The materials used are top notch and wouldn't look out of place in a Bentley. Standard equipment in the Portfolio version includes bi-xenon headlights, tailgate-wash wipe, heated and cooled leather seats, electric steering wheel adjustment, stop-start and sat nav.

The heavy tailgate needs (and gets) power operation, but I found it a tad slow in closing and opening which was pretty irritating in wet, windy weather.