It's a smart auto company that changes direction when it's clear it's time to do so.

	Jaguar's X-Type station wagon is based on the X-Type sedan, and features all-wheel drive, a tailgate with an independently operating rear window and spring-loaded D-ring luggage tie-downs.

For quite some time, Jaguar has been denying that it would ever produce anything that looks like a station wagon -- and it certainly would not be sent to the U.S. market even if it would do so, or so the word came down.

But the gathering heat -- and sales -- in the station wagon market here were too much for Jaguar to ignore. No longer are station wagons considered prosaic, boring transportation. They are now seen as chic, desirable autos, and many people who are tiring of minivans are now shifting out of them and into wagons.

High performance also is getting to be a trait in the station wagon market. Look at such torrid offerings as the Dodge Magnum SRT8, the Mercedes Benz E Class AMG wagon, the Volvo V70 R Wagon and a host of others. These are not slowpokes. These are hot, sexy performers that would look great in anybody's driveway.

So it should come as no surprise that Jaguar should turn its attention to this field, introducing the X-Type 3.0 station wagon. It's a sharp looking, all-wheel drive design based on the X-Type sedan, and it has been redesigned from the B-pillars of the car rearward, with new rear doors and rear body structure.

It comes right off the showroom floor with a lot of good items such as 17-inch "Cayman" wheels with all-season tires, all-wheel drive, a tailgate with independently operating rear window, four spring-loaded D-ring luggage tie-downs in the rear load area, silver rails that are fitted for adjustable carrying systems, a luggage cover, cargo compartment net and a hidden storage compartment with 12-volt power supply.

The biggest challenge for Jaguar's X-Type Sportwagon will be space. Jaguar's cars tend to have tighter accommodations in the interiors, and the cargo space for the wagon is also a bit less than what you would find elsewhere.

As a result, I think the company would be wise to get consumers to focus on the car's glamorous image, its attractiveness and its powertrain.

Power for the wagon comes from a 3.0-liter, 227-horsepower V-6 that has a five-speed automatic transmission. Fuel mileage for this car is estimated at 18 city and 24 highway. Prices for the X-Type Sportwagon start at $36,995.