The Jaguar XF 2.2D saloon may have been outpointed by the brilliant Sportbrake, but it’s still quite a car.

Although the 2.2-litre diesel may not be as urbane or powerful as the 3.0-litre, it’s less expensive to buy and to run. Official combined economy of 55.4mpg is very frugal for a car with this kind of performance.

And make no mistake: the Jag can really shift, taking just 13.3 seconds to go from 30-60mph when towing. The XF stops as well as it goes, needing just 10.2m to brake from 30mph in the dry.

Although some drivers found that the XF saloon moved around a little more in strong winds than the XF Sportbrake, the four-door was superb in the lane-change test – smooth, easily controllable and totally predictable.

As a solo drive, the XF remains one of the most rewarding executive cars on sale, with precise steering, grippy cornering and great poise on rough roads. It pulls off that difficult balance of being comfortable around town but in control at high speeds.

Our practicality judges were impressed that, despite the saloon body style, they could find room for almost all our typical holiday luggage. Further marks were earned by the fitting of trailer-stability control.