Jaguar head designer Ian Callum has confirmed the company is thinking of releasing a Jaguar XF Estate onto the market. There’s been no shortage of new metal from the Coventry-based firm of late, with hot R versions of both the XF and XK breaking cover, as well as the new high-performance XF Diesel S. And the family is set to grow further when the wagon joins the fray.

In an interview with Autovisie in the Netherlands, Mr Callum said the design of the XF Estate started after the new XF sedan layout was finalised. Due to the compromises that had to be made in coming up with a sleek estate shape, Callum suspects the XF wagon won’t be the most spacious in its class, but says the aesthetics will more than make up for this. Bringing out a wagon version of the already great-looking Jaguar XF could give Jag a competitive edge over its usual German rivals like the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6 wagons.

Engine choices are likely to mirror those offered on the saloon. That means the new 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel will be available in two guises: the S, with 202 kW and 600 Nm of torque, or a toned-down version delivering 177 kW and 500 Nm. The more powerful car should complete the 0 – 100km/h sprint in around six seconds. The real fireworks come in the petrol line-up, though. Customers will be able to pick from a 175 kW 3.0-litre V6 or the all-new 5.0 V8. The latter delivers 283 kW in naturally aspirated form or an incredible 375 kW when fitted with a supercharger in the XFR.

According to Jaguar, the four-door XF is selling extremely well. Dealers worldwide are shifting around nine per cent more than they did at the same time last year, bucking the trend for the market as a whole. So company bosses are clearly keen to capitalise on this showroom success.