What is a Sportbrake?
Sportbrake is play on shooting-brake, a car or horse-drawn wagon used to carry hunting parties and their gear to the shoot. Shooting might sound a little violent, or be offensive to PETA-type folk, but everyone likes the word sport—hence, Sportbrake.
This isn’t Jaguar’s first wagon. Jaguar must be hoping that people forgot about the X-Type Sportwagon. After all, they sold only 1,602 in the States while it was on sale from 2002 to 2008. The compact X-Type wasn’t one of Jaguar’s more memorable models, although the wagon was a nice addition to the line.
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The Sportbrake might have a better chance of success than did the X-Type Sportwagon. The Sportbrake is a well-styled conversion of the XF sedan—a much better starting point than was the X-Type. Consumer Guide said this of the XF sedan: “XF offers a fine balance of ride and handling along with impressive powertrain performance. For those wanting distinctive style and fresh, ‘gee-whiz’ technological features, this Best Buy premium-midsize sedan should be near the top of your shopping list.” Jaguar promises that the Sportbrake will ride and handle as well as the sedan.
Sportbrake would be a good choice for those who need to carry extra cargo but don’t want a tall, heavy SUV. With the back seat folded, the Sportbrake Concept boasts 59 cubic feet of cargo room. The vehicle includes a load-leveling rear suspension so that the bumper won’t scrape if you fill all that space.
Don’t get your hopes up, though; currently there are no plans to bring the Sportbrake to America. The U.S. is a tough wagon market, with wagons accounting for a much smaller percentage of overall sales than in Europe. The theory is that Boomers have a negative image of the wagons of their childhood. Even drivers who grew up riding in minivans and SUVs seem to have a prejudice against wagons. We must have a hard time forgetting the Family Truckster in National Lampoon’s Vacation.
However, an optimist can hope that if the Sportbrake is a hit overseas, Jaguar might give it a shot over here. We’re still waiting…