Jaguar XF S Sportbrake spotted testing ahead of 2017 launch

Estate version of Jaguar’s BMW 5 Series rival will be offered with six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines

A Jaguar XF S Sportbrake development car has been spotted testing ahead of the model’s official reveal in the first quarter of next year.

The S version of Jaguar’s sports estate will sit above the regular XF Sportbrake, which has been confirmed for production, and make use of the same turbocharged petrol and diesel engines as the saloon.

Both the engines are turbocharged 3.0-litre V6s. The petrol’s headline figure is a 375bhp output, while the diesel has a claimed combined economy figure of 51.4mpg .

The units will be unchanged from those found in the XF S saloon and mated to the same eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Expect all of the running gear to be carried over, although the car’s rear suspension may feature adjustable settings in order to cater for its slightly heavier back end.

The rear-wheel-drive estate’s strongest asset compared with its saloon sibling will be increased rear head room and boot space. The additional weight might mean the estate's 0-62mph sprint time is down on that of the XF S saloon, which covers the benchmark sprint in 5.3sec in its petrol-engined form.

While no official date has been mentioned, sources suggest the XF S Sportbrake could have its debut alongside the XF Sportbrake at the 2017 Geneva motor show.

Sales would likely kick-off in the summer, with the Sportbrake's price pushing above that of XF S saloon, which starts at £49,995.