Jaguar releases the first images of its new estate the XF Sportbrake ahead of the car’s debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

This gorgeous wagon promises to be the most versatile Jaguar ever with a maximum load volume of 1,675 liters. That is with the rear seats folded. But even when they are up the car offers 550 liters of cargo space, which is pretty good.

Styling-wise, the car has the same front-end as the XF saloon, but from the B-Pillar rearwards everything is new. Good news is, the XF has not lost any of its charm in the transition to the station wagon. If anything, it looks even cooler with the curvy roof line and the gloss black C-Pillar, which is derived from the XJ luxury saloon.

The real beauty of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is the attention to details. For instance, the tailgate can be specified with power struts, remote fold levers are mounted within the boot area to lower the rear seats, and there are powerful LED lights illuminate the ground when the boot is open while the tailgate itself features a soft close function, so you don’t have to slam it.

The practicality is further boosted with three sections into the boot floor to allow smaller loads to be neatly wedged, while a tray mounted under the boot floor helps protect valuable items.

The Sportbrake also features a self-leveling air suspension to help with the dynamics when the car is loaded. As for the engines, The XF wagon will launch with a range of efficient yet powerful diesel engines in 2.2-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder form. The power is sent to the rear wheels via an eight-speed transmission.

At-a-glance

* The XF Sportbrake is the most versatile derivative of the Jaguar XF
* It represents a compelling combination of elegance and capability – both practical and dynamic
* It extends Jaguar’s design leadership in a new direction to create a desirable, premium estate
* Remote-fold levers drop the 60:40 split rear seats (with integral ski-hatch) to create up to 1675 litres of load-space
* A full five-seater with an additional 48mm of rear headroom
* New rear air suspension allows for self-levelling while load carrying with no dynamic penalty
* Jaguar’s Adaptive Dynamics System – which continuously monitors the suspension and can adjust damping rates accordingly up to 500 times a second – is available on all XF Sportbrake derivatives
* Tailgate features ‘soft-close’ as standard, and can be specified with fully powered open/close functionality
* Acclaimed premium-quality interior materials used in the cabin are also a feature of the load-space
* Available with both Aero and Black styling packs from launch for additional on-the-road presence
* Driven by Jaguar’s refined, powerful and efficient range of four- and six-cylinder turbo-diesel engines
* Matches the XF saloon for both aerodynamics, torsional stiffness and dynamic handling ability
* A range of accessories – both internally mounted by floor rails and externally by roof rails – extends the versatility of the XF Sportbrake still further