Once again we trek toward a sport wagon renaissance.

by Wallace Wyss –

A few years ago I remember Cadillac had a station wagon that was downright sexy–the CTS-V with over 500 hp. But they dropped it, in favor of taller bulkier SUVs.

But I think that they will reconsider because various foreign automakers are bringing back the sexy wagon. Their success could make Cadillac and other American automakers change their mind. The new Jaguar XF is the newest to be announced. It comes out against the equally sexy Volvo wagon.

Of course Porsche beat them both, announcing some months ago their sexy wagon for 2018 the Sport Turisimo.

Are These Shooting Brakes?

Allow me to go back in time to the origins of the sports car wagon. Decades ago some wealthy Aston Martin owners had wagon versions built of their DB sports cars, calling them “shooting brakes.”

It took me years to find out what “shooting brake” meant but I found out “brake” is a heavy wagon you tie to a rambunctious horse to tame him down (wear him out so he will slow down) and the “shooting” part was you drove this car out on the vast reaches of your estate to hunt quail or partridges or whatever. I have also seen Rolls Royce and Bentley “shooting brakes.

Jaguar XF Sportbrake

When Cadillac came out with their wagon, I thought this was cutting edge design because it had all the style and panache of the then current design of the coupes and sedans but a low roofline.

Now you might wonder who I envision as the customer for the Jaguar XF Sportbrake; I say an architect, an interior decorator, a fine artist, someone who makes their living carrying around samples and artworks but doesn’t want anything so boring as a van, or SUV or pickup truck to carry it in. They want to arrive in something sporty, with style as if to say; “True, I work but I work in style…”.

In the rest of the world you’ll be able to buy that Jag with a gas or diesel four-cylinder but the U.S. spec version of the XF S Sportbrake will have one engine, the 380 horsepower 3.0-liter supercharged V6.

This is going to be a pricey car, with a lot of gadgets wealthy car customers insist on, such as electronic automatic braking, and semi-automated park assist. It also features some new tech that actually will make the act of driving more enjoyable, such as what they call “Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD),” which they claim will improve steering agility.

Oh, I warned you Jag’s entry will be pricey. Try a starting price of over $71,000 USD which is quite a bit under Porsche’s projected price of $96,200 for the Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, $104,000 for the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, $109,200 for the Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, and $154,000 for the Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, not including delivery, processing, and handling fees.

Now the question is: will Cadillac follow suit? And what about Lincoln? And then what about a Camaro wagon or Mustang wagon? Both have been built as customs before and who is to say there isn’t a hidden market there for owners who need the space but don’t want to give up the performance and sexy styling.

We’ll be waiting to see how Jaguar does….

Let us know what you think of the Jaguar XF Sportbrake in the Comments.

 
 
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is a copywriter who won an award in Detroit for a GM ad. He currently is writing the Incredible Barn Finds series for Enthusiast Books (for prices and availability see Enthusiastbooks.com).

 
 
 
 

Summary

Article Name

The 2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Description

The Jaguar XF Sportbrake is going to be a pricey car, with a lot of gadgets wealthy car customers insist on, such as electronic automatic braking, and semi-automated park assist.

Author

Wallace Wyss