Not to be left out of one of the most rarified segments in the U.S., the next-generation Jaguar XF Sportbrake is set to cross the pond for the first time.
Hot on the heels of Volvo’s premium wagon resurgence, the XF Sportbrake will finally be available in the U.S. once the new version based on the latest XF sedan is introduced, Jaguar Land Rover North America head Joe Eberhardt told Motor Trend last week.
Eberhardt says the Sportbrake won’t be a roughed-up wagon like the recently revealed Volvo V90 Cross Country and Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain, but a traditional long-roofed model and available with the latest JLR Ingenium family of engines. It’s likely the Sportbrake engine lineup will mirror that of the XF sedan’s.
The last Jaguar wagon to make it to the States was the unloved X-Type Wagon, sold from 2005 until 2007 and in minuscule numbers. And the current XF Sportbrake that’s been on sale in Europe since its 2012 unveil has long been denied entry into North America by JLR execs.
This news comes after rumors earlier this year Jaguar would pull back on the wagon segment, which is predominantly German and sold in Europe. But with Audi and BMW only fielding compact luxury wagons in the U.S. (and Audi only selling the jacked-up A4 Allroad), Jaguar thinks it can go after buyers who don’t want an SUV and don’t want the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon or the upcoming Volvo V90 and V90 Cross Country.
For Jaguar, it will be interesting to see if the XF Sportbrake will step on the toes of the F-Pace crossover, which would probably be fine with Jaguar since they already can’t make enough of them to satisfy demand. I, for one, would advocate the purchase of a Jaguar wagon over a Jaguar crossover.
There are going to be a lot of good-looking high-end wagons on sale next year. What a time to be alive.
Top photo: 2017 Jaguar XF Sportbrake prototype. Below: 2015 Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake
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