Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake estate revealed

The Jagaur XFR-S Sportbrake can reach 0-60mph in just 4.8 seconds, has a top speed of 186mph, but also has a bigger boot and more rear-passenger headroom than the Jaguar XF saloon. The car is the third model in Jaguar’s ultra-high performance R-S range, and gets aggressive new looks, plus a sporty interior – and will make its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The car is powered by a huge 5.0-litre engine that produces 543bhp – or 40bhp more than the standard Jaguar XFR saloon. The performance does come at the cost of fuel economy, though, and the Jaguar can only manage 22.2mpg – meaning road tax is steep at £490 annaully.

All Jag XFR-S models come fitted with an eight-speed automatic transmission which – combined with the performance on offer –will allow the car to overtake quickly without even changing gear.

Jaguar has also worked on the XFR-S to make sure it is fun in the corners. That means the car’s suspension has been uprated to cut out body lean even during hard cornering. The company also spent lots of time testing the car at Germany’s challenging Nurburgring race track and the high-speed testing facility in Nardo, Italy. Jaguar paid special attention to making the heavy estate car handle just as well as the lighter saloon on which it is based. The car also gets 20-inch alloy wheels – with massive tyres for high levels of grip and super-fast cornering – and Jaguar’s High Performance Braking System for quick stopping.

The Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake looks more aggressive than the standard car thanks to revised front and rear bumpers, side mouldings that pump up the looks of the car and ‘aeroblade’ mouldings behind the front wheels. To add to the car’s menacing appearance, much of the standard model’s chrome has made way for black trim, and the XFR-S also gets a mesh front grille. The Jaguar can be had in a choice of five colours - Ultra Blue, Ultimate Black, Stratus Grey, Polaris White and Italian Racing Red.

The sporty looks continue inside and the car gets Charcoal leather seats – which also feature carbon-effect leather for the seat bolsters and armrests. The seats also get ‘R-S’ logos and can be finished in a choice of contrasting edging and different coloured stitching. The interior is also more spacious than you’ll get in the Jaguar XF saloon, with 48mm of extra headroom for rear seats passengers, and 60:40 split rear seats, which reveal a 1675-litre boot.

As you would expect from a top-of-the-range Jaguar, the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake comes loaded with kit including Bluetooth phone connection and active cruise control, which can sense and match the speed of the car in front and keep a safe distance from it. The XFR-S Sportbrake is also fitted as standard with an 18-speaker Meridan sound system.

The Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake will go on sale in April and will cost from £82,495. To read all the latest reviews of the Jaguar range, visit the Carbuyer Jaguar reviews pages.