IN the golden olden days of Jaguar driving the word estate would be treated by dyed-in-the- wool fans with the highest degree of disdain.

Jaguars were sports saloons and that was that.

But the short-lived, Ford-inspired X-Type put paid to all that with a series production estate version upending all the preconceived ideas about the big cat marque.

The truth was that the X-Type estate was not a bad car and its legacy lives on in the ultra smart Sportbrake based on on the phenomenally successful XF model.

This provides a potent competitor to German executive and luxury estates which really dominated the market before the XF Sportbrake drove in.

Based on lines penned by Ian Callum, one of the most significant car designers of the modern age, the Sportbrake comes with a raft of engine options including a highly efficient 2.2 four cylinder diesel.

On noticing the words 'estate' and 'diesel' the old tweed jacketed Jaguar drivers may well have walked away by this time, but a spell behind the wheel of the 2.2 Sportbrake would convince anyone that this is one potent vehicle.

With 134mph on tap and a zero to 60mph sprint factor of 8.2 seconds, this is more than a match for many yesteryear Jags and the cornering capability is astonishing for what is to all intents and purposes a lifestyle estate.

On the road it is a smooth operator with little noise to suggest that it is a diesel or a mere four cylinder.

Aided by an eight-speed auto transmission and stop/start emissions technology, this is an object lesson in what an environmentally-aware large estate should be with a combined economy figure of 55.4mpg and C02 emissions of 130g/km.

Building a versatility factor into the XF design was a masterstroke and it certainly looks good.

Not all saloons are suitable for an estate version but the XF was a natural. And to prove it's not all cosmetic, this 200hp version was equipped with a power-operated tailgate and loadspace track system.

Luggage capacity with the rear seats up is 500 litres and with the seats down an impressive 1,675 litres.

Even when heavily loaded the Sportbrake handles things extremely well with self-levelling air suspension as standard.

But it would not be a Jaguar without bags of bling and the XF Sportbrake is well endowed in this respect with a powerful Meridian audio system, replacing the previous Bowers and Wilkins system, refining yet again the travelling concert hall reputation of the modern Jaguar.

There are also the expected USB and i-Pod connections and a crystal clear DAB radio plus sat nav.

£44,690

2.2 four cylinder 200PS diesel via eight-speed auto transmission driving rear wheels

134mph

8.2secs

55.4

40

: 139g/km

: 21%

3 yrs/unlimited miles