BIG posh estate cars seem to have survived the relentless SUV onslaught with products from Volvo, BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar all remaining popular and still selling in decent numbers.

Estate cars sell to people who want all the space and practicality of an SUV without having to sacrifice style and handling.

I have recently spent some time with Jaguar's XF Sportbrake - it is too classy to be called an estate - which was the subject of a revamp earlier this year.

The XF is a handsome saloon and it is possibly even better looking in estate form.

The improvements for this year consist mainly of comfort and safety upgrades as well as much-needed updates to Jaguar's TouchPro infotainment system.

The latter has certainly boosted the Sportbrake's appeal although the system is still sadly not as good as those of its German rivals.

Inside the Sportbrake is much the same as the saloon with its smart revolving air vents, retractable rotary gear selector and nice ambient lighting. The quality is as good as anything else in the class and the high-resolution screen dominates the dash but still is not as responsive as the best although it is a huge improvement.

There is room for four to travel in comfort and it is easy to select a good driving position. The sports seats in this model are particularly good and keep you nicely in position if you decide to have fun on twisting roads.

Visibility is good although the rear window is quite small but you have sensors and a parking camera to keep you from scraping your pride and joy.

Boot space is huge and if you collapse the 40:20:40 rear seats the flat loadspace on offer is good enough to swallow a family fridge freezer.

A variety of petrol and diesel engines are offered and the Sportbrake also comes with self-levelling air suspension and can also be ordered with four-wheel-drive and adaptive suspension.

The Jag is one of the best-handling estates money can buy and the eight-speed automatic gearbox takes the stress out of being in heavy traffic but you can use the paddles to have fun if you are in the mood.