But times have changed in estate-land. Estates are no longer about Margot and Jerry, Labradors, suburban stagnation and trips to the recycling centre (formerly called The Tip). Market analysts have identified that estate cars are now increasingly bought by younger, richer people with active 'lifestyles' who have often not yet produced offspring and therefore have more money and time to squander on hedonistic pursuits.

Jaguar, understandably, is keenly in pursuit of this lifestyle pound and a younger constituency of buyers, so the appearance of a load-hauling version of its X-type saloon shouldn't come as much of a surprise. But it's a late arrival in a sector dominated by the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3-Series Touring and Mercedes C-class Estate.

Jaguar has been getting us used to the idea of an X-Type wagon by promoting the car long before the first ones appear on the roads. Visually it is new from the B-pillar rearwards and is the first Jaguar production car styled under the guidance of Ian Callum, who was on hand during the launch to explain his handiwork. Within the constraints he's done a good job because there can be little doubt that the Estate is a far more cohesive piece of work than dumpy X-Type saloon, which has had the most tepid reception of any Jaguar since the, er, S-Type.

The contrived haunches are abandoned for a cleaner waistline and somehow the Estate manages to look like it was designed as an estate from the start, always a good sign. It avoids the 'rucksack look', as Callum puts it. On the other hand, viewed from the rear, there is nothing especially Jaguar-like about the shape.

As with the saloon, the Estate comes in Classic, SE and Sport trim levels, so you can have your choice of cloth, leather or Alcantara trim combined with carbonfibre, piano-black or traditional Arthur Daley wood according to taste. All the interiors felt solid and rattle-free to Germanic standards but not especially inspiring to be in with that high, chunky blob of a facia.

Front-drive 2-litre diesel estates (I never thought I'd use that combination of words to describe a Jaguar) were on hand, but we focused on the 3-litre all-wheel-drive petrol versions, which were five-speed manuals.

The quad-cam V6 is creamy, remote and docile and surges enthusiastically for its red line with just a faint sizzle of off-beat harshness. Jaguar claims 144mph and 0-60 in 6.9 seconds but the drag of four-wheel drive and the extra bulk can't help but tell in a straight line, where the car feels solidly quick rather than scintillating. The gearchange is smooth enough but the clutch travel on our car seemed rather long and there was a clunk from the drivetrain as power was taken up.

There have been some well-considered but subtle modifications to spring and damper rates for the estate's rear suspension but you'd be hard- pressed to tell the difference. The X-type is as poised and fluid in estate form as it is as a four-door notchback. The Sport has a firmer ride and marginally quicker steering response than the SE (and, we thought, sharper throttle response, though Jaguar says they are identical) but the SE flowed better if anything through a series of curves at the expense of a shade more roll. Crucially, it felt like a Jaguar - refined and quiet and with a wonderfully compliant but controlled ride. A lot of effort has been put into making the shell at least as stiff and quiet as its very stiff saloon counterpart without adding too much weight (an extra 65kg) which is quite an achievement with that big rear hatch opening.

The split tailgate (the glass lifts-up separately if you need it to) has echoes of the big American and Japanese stationwagons of the '70s - ideal if you just want to load your snowboards. Inside there are side storage bays, a luggage blind and, cunningly, a secret compartment under the floor where you can charge-up your laptop. Neatly trimmed and free of suspension intrusions, the 'class leading' luggage area looked competitive rather than lavish in size (the 60/40 split rear seats don't fold entirely flat) but sporty estates in the C/D premium sector are more about transporting skis than taking fridges down the tip.

No time for that when you're enjoying your 'lifestyle'.