This, my friends, is the Golf SportWagen TDI (Sportwagon in Canada) currently taking residence in my driveway this week. It’s a brilliant little car, even if it isn’t manual, brown, or all-wheel drive.
Even though it’s wonderfully good – the DSG is sharp and smooth, the ride is firm yet svelte, and the torque, oh the torque! – I still wouldn’t buy one.
This past week, I’ve been inundated with different versions of a similar question: are there any modern vehicles I’d actually buy? This is opening up Pandora’s Box and finding a can of worms inside.
Proving the Pandora’s Box part of the above metaphor, automotive journalists are weird degenerates and we desire cars that are truly horrible. Case in point: the Crown Victoria. Sajeev’s unending love for one of Ford’s worst creations, powered by the modular 4.6L V8, is proof of his masochistic ways. Also, he lives in Houston, further cementing his devotion to being eternally uncomfortable, whether it be on sitting on a bench seat or sweating in 95 percent humidity. Or both, assuming the Vic’s air conditioning is on the fritz.
The can of worms part is simple. As an automotive journalist, saying you would buy a particular car, truck, or SUV is akin to endorsement. There are literally tons of vehicles I would buy for myself but would never suggest to others. Much like Sajeev’s “beaten spouse” acceptance of the Panther platform in its many guises, I love one of Ford’s other forgotten heroes: the Bronco. Oh, do I love the Bronco. Not even the cool old Broncos upon which ICON does its magic. I (again) want a plastic-adorned Bronco of the ’90s emblazoned with XLT or Eddie Bauer on the side.
However, I won’t tell anyone else to buy a Bronco. They’re thirsty, problem prone, and completely impractical. A two-door SUV with a removable roof (held down with tamper-proof Torx bolts, no less) powered by, not one, but two V8 engines spitting out very similar horsepower figures? Yup, that’s for me. Give me that, please.
That said, if there existed a long-roof version of some of today’s sedan or hatchback offerings, I’d probably switch my tune.
Impreza? They used to do a wagon. And I would buy it, too. With real money. The hatchback? Not a chance.
Focus? You can get it in Europe. Yet, bringing it to North America would put it in competition with the Escape.
Impala? Oh god. This used to exist in the ’60s and whenever I see one I get that feeling. The nostalgia might push me over the edge.
So, B&B, what wagon version of a normal car would you buy with real non-Internet-commenter money?
The Is too small, it just is. I bought a 9-3 instead, which is a touch bigger but constantly JUST fit objects in the thing.
To answer the question, the Passat and A6 are my obvious contenders.
Yeah I agree Passat and A6.
Didn’t there used to be an A6 Avant?
If I could have ordered a 335 manual as a Touring, I’d be driving it today instead of the Fordor. No six/manual for you, Amerikan!
Oh, how about a 435 shooting brake? Whoa…
Accord with a 6MT
Absolutely this. I’d even settle for the CVT. Also, Camry wagon. 6 speed automatic and plain jane 2.5L is something I’d be perfectly content with.
Key stipulation to both of these though would be that they keep the rear hatch nice and upright, like on that Sportwagen in the image above, with good sized rear quarter windows.
Acura TSX sport wagon if it came with a stick.
The trunk is too sloping and compromised on the Acura IMO.
Agreed. When I first saw one on the road, I didn’t even know they existed. I was so excited, and was ready to run to an Acura store and buy one. Then I saw on their website that it was auto only.
If Acura dropped the price five to ten grand, increased the horsepower by 50 to 100, put two to four more gears in the automatic transmission, and contracted the styling to someone other than Sears Roebuck, Acura’s current wagon would be compelling.
Word
Again. My ’97 Accord wagon went 15 years with no issues. A Crosstour holds less, gets worse MPG and has less road feel.
This is what I’d actually buy over a Holden Commodore HSV wagon.
If Honda kept the same trim levels on the hypothetical long roofs, I’d trade my 6MT Sport sedan on a Sport wagon today because I’m sick of jamming strollers and bikes into a trunk.
The practical benefits to non-lux family transportation were brought home when I cleaned behind my kids car seats yesterday and found a few exploded ketchup packets, McDonalds Sweet and Sour sauce that leaked between the seats, and other disgusting items all hidden from view. In a nice car with nice leather, I’d have an aneurysm.
But the neoprene-like fabric wiped clean, and a nice romp with the 6-speed on what passes for a twisty road around here had me channeling Bert Cooper and singing the best things in life are free.
The lower-level Accord 4-speaker stereo is a joke, however. Just pure crap. It is barely acceptable for books on tape, and that’s saying something.
@ nick
No eating allowed in any of my vehicles, kids or adults. Solves that problem.
@ S1L1SC
I generally adhere to that rule. When the wailing from the back seat rivals Dantes’ inferno because my 2 and 4 year old are tired and ‘hangry’, exceptions must be made for the greater good.
We still stick with George Bluth Sr.’s no ice cream rule in all circumstances.
Be interesting to see if Honda expands Sport-bit availability to something in an EX-grade with the upcoming MMC. (Though the “premium” stereo isn’t as good as the last-Gen Accord’s, either!)
Absolutely, yes. The only real complaint I have about my 2012 Accord is that it’s not a particularly great cargo hauler. A wagon version would be the perfect solution.
Honda’s answer to me is to get a CR-V or a Pilot – and if they offered one of them with a 6-speed manual, I might have considered it. But I don’t need a jacked-up ride height or 4wd, and I shouldn’t have to have that to haul things.
Exactly.
FWD Pilot LX starts at $30,750 with no options selected and touring goes to $40,900. While Accord V6 starts at 31 according to truecar, 4cyl auto is 23. Say three grand do extend the rear as a hatch and you’re at 26, nearly 5K less than what they will make you spend on Pilot.
Ford Taurus SHO. If they could do a modern version of the slicer wheels from the 1st Gen SHO, that would be icing on the cake.
The make a wagon version of the current SHO. Basically three of them.
Or, you could just SHO a Flex, same thing.
An Ecoboosted Flex would get the nod over a SHO wagon in my book due to its styling and greater versatility.
There already is a 3.5L EcoBoost Flex, but Im thinking he’d like how bitchin’ a wagon based on the SHO body would look. Much sleeker and sportier than a boxier Flex mommy mobile with a chrome badge to “sho” what it has.
I dont like wagon versions of cars, but I see his point. Sort of a Ford-ized Dodge Magnum. I think it would be different enough not to earn the “copy” label, but Im probably wrong.
Again, not a “wagon” guy, but a two door SHO Ranch Wagon might make me check into how much I could get for an arm and leg (because you know it wont have a manual, lol).
435i xDrive Gran Coupe Sports Wagon
Geely/London Taxi TX4. Woody.
That would be fun but for me any real woody with real wood if of a reasonably large enough size would get me to open my wallet…. Something with the same inside cargo space with the seats folded down as my parents 1962 ford country squire would also be a part of what I would like and it must be sole in a dark green paint (two tone with a white roof would be fine thank you….
As to the platform to build it on I am guessing you picked the London black cab for its super bad road suspension and it’s very small turning circle…. But I wold be happy with any platform that gave 200,000+ miles of trouble free mechanical motoring, 30+ Mpg, high resistance to the tin worn in the places that use a lot of winter road salt, it should be able to do an under 7sec 0 to 60 when in normal light load use and an under 10 sec 0 to 60 when at max gross weight.
It should handle almost as well as my 2004 MINI Cooper S.(right and pigs will fly) in electronics should be state of the art in all respects and they should be included in a vehicle that can be bought for less than $40,000 out the door not including tax
I very much doubt that any of this is doable real wood for example would never make it past the legal team of the maker due to the splinter injuries that might result. But you did ask.
“I am guessing you picked the London black cab for its super bad road suspension and it’s very small turning circle”
Biggee greenhouse!
And cutie-pie front end.
I’d buy another C-Class Mercedes-Benz wagon to replace the 2002 model I have that is rusting away. BTW, we also have a Saturn Astra in our “fleet,” and anybody who dismisses the Astra is a fool. It’s a hatchback, which is kind of like a wagon, and I’d buy another one of those, too. Instead, we’ll probably go for the Elantra GT.
Beat me to it mate….I’d buy a modern C-Class Wagon in a heartbeat.
My other secret passion would be if the bow-tie boys would make a ‘vette-engined,luxed-up wagon version of the current Impala. Yeah, I know…they’d sell 10’s of them….but it would look …..FREAKING …..AWESOME
Not going to lie, when I visited Germany a few years ago, the assorted W204 wagons might’ve excited me more than seeing a Veyron on the Autobahn.
Hey, if I could have bought a wagon version of the GTI I just picked up…
This!!!! Why can’t this exist?! This is everything I want.
With the popularity of CUVs and SUVs today, the Wagon needs to be differentiated and not offer exactly what an SUV or CUV offers today.
CUVs and SUVs are people and stuff movers where the user sits high and are practical for all weather conditions but not fun to drive or great on gas mileage (although they are getting better here).
The Wagon needs to be the anti-that to find a market. This mean, fun to drive with better than the SUV / CUV gas mileage. These don’t exist in the mainstream market or fall short in one or two ways. The Golf Wagon just released is very close but a GTI version would knock it out of the park.
In this definition the Outback is just another SUV (which it really is) and there is little existing in the Sportwagon category outside of some niche premium European cars that are priced in a not practical market.
Outside of my personal GTI favorite… Mazda 6 wagon, Ford Fusion wagon, Subaru WRX or Legacy Wagon (not hatch). Those would be some nice options. Practical car at a practical price that is still fun to drive.
So there is the formula. The VW Sportwagon is really really close and has caught my attention but a GTI would be ideal. As GTI kids grow up they can become GTI wagon dads. I know I would.
Unfortunately mainstream consumers have showed that they prefer high ride height to “fun to drive” by a margin of more than 10-1.
And I’m one of them. I have a Forester, and I make regular use of the higher ground clearance. A Legacy wagon wouldn’t work as well for what I use the car for.
” Unfortunately mainstream consumers have showed that they prefer high ride height to “fun to drive” by a margin of more than 10-1.”
I own both a hated CUV and a sedan version of a car available as a wagon. Let me tell you, there’s really not a huge difference in “fun to drive” between my TSX and my wife’s RDX (2G, the bloated non-SH-AWD NA version). Neither one is that involving or exciting. So unless the extra glass and tailgate of the wagon version of the TSX adds 100 “fun to drive units” I think the fun to driveness of a wagon over a CUV is wildly overstated. Even the 3-series versus an X3, I’ve driven both, they’re not that different on a public road.
Depends on the road. Back and forth camber changes make suv’s feel completely out of their element. You can of course spend your way out of this but then you have to compare to same price cars.
tedward, your comment explains the situation nicely. How many people notice and value more:
1) higher seating position and ground clearance, or
2) the ability to deal with off-camber transitions a bit more gracefully?
How many people even know what an off-camber corner is?
Dal
You are absolutely right. Otoh my wife is not a car person but her criticism of the class basically breaks down to that argument. She would never let the word camber cross her lips. I truly do believe it comes down to where you drive and where you learned to drive. There’s a reason besides aesthetics that the nw and ne are wagon havens. In the flat states there’s not much argument against the suv’s.
“What Wagon Version of a Non-Wagon Car Would You Actually Buy USED?”
There. Fixed that for you.
Me? I would no longer buy any wagon, those days are long past.
However, I did find the Volvo C30 very nice and would have considered one of those – and did briefly in 2012 had I been in the market for a personal vehicle, but I need to transport more than one passenger at times, so I need the back doors and adequate interior room.
I too really liked the C30. Out of any car on that platform, Id choose it. Very good looking car, no doubt.
http://image.motortrend.com/f/wot/top-8-wagons-we-want-in-the-u-s-with-poll-305611/59323036/holden-commodore-sport-wagon-ssv-rear-three-quarter.jpg
not that much out there
and the relevance of a 4,000lb 6.0 land barge that does sub 20mpg… but 400hp 6 spd man. wagons arent exactly growing on trees
That Golf, but gas.
That’s what I’m getting next year as a second family car. But only because there isn’t a gti wagon.
In response to the post… any wagon with a manual that isn’t a diesel or a hybrid would make the comparison list. No brand loyalty here whatsoever.
Current Gen IS350 Sportcross F-sport
Current Gen GTI/Golf R Sportwagen (Golf sportwagen w/ GTI/R trimmings)
Current Gen WRX/STI Sport Wagon (Levorg with WRX/STI trimmings)
The problem is that I’d be OK buying those 3 models in their sedan or hatchback variants as well. Given the choice, I’d choose wagon, but I’m not going to stick myself with some overpriced mess like a 328i x-drive for $52k just to get the wagon form factor. My wife has a CUV that is more capable than any of those wagons, so I can live with a smaller sedan or hatchback. I’m living and loving a tiny coupe at the moment.
I have purchased a new wagon in the past 3 years, BTW.
+1 for the IS; I’d opt for a IS450h SC F.
Impala or LaCrosse.
Lacrosse would look so much better as a wagon. it looks very strange as a sedan. And call it “Estate Wagon”! Wood paneling optional.
The Ford Fusion is sold as the Mondeo in Europe. It is a more upper-scale car, and it is available as a hatchback and a WAGON.
I has teh jealous.
Seconded on this – would love a Mondeo wagon.
Do not have the jealous. For we get the Edge. It is about as long as the the Mondeo wagon and available with better engines. Feel bad that the Europeans that don’t get the Edge and MKX with the 2.7TT.
Excellent way to look at it. You know I agree with you a lot lol.
If they made an ST or RS variant with AWD with the 3.5L TT in there, I’d have bought it. Even if it didn’t have a manual transmission (but I really would want one, anyhow).
Impossibly niche, of course.
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/2014/08/13/profiles-datsun-240z-sport-wagon/
240Z Sport Wagon
That Z is all kinds of awesome, not really a wagon more like a shooting brake.
As for real wagons the only acceptable one is the Dodge Magnum SRT, because I don’t think Mazda made a Speed6 Wagon.
Accord. It just checks all the boxes–decent to drive, reasonably efficient, reasonably reliable.
I’d love to believe I’d buy a 6MT V6 version, but honestly, a 4cyl with the CVT would most likely darken my driveway. Cliche, I’m certain, but I love the Tiger Eye Pearl (brown) on the coupe, and would need it on a longroof.
If rear-facing jump seats were available, all the better.
…i’d be sorely tempted by the new mazda 6 wagon, were it available stateside…
I’m with you there. Preferably diesel, and preferably manual (of course). But seeing as it would be the family car (ie, my wife’s car) it would come with the auto.
Would actually consider buying new:
Mazda6
Accord
Would dream about buying:
M3 6MT
Also, what’s the difference between a hatchback and a wagon? Why is the Golf a hatchback but the SportWagen is a wagon? Is it just the length of the storage area?
This has been debated over and over again. Maybe we should do this as a QOTD tomorrow. But, for the Golf at least, the SportWagen is definitely longer with more storage area behind the second row seats.
There’s an endless argument waiting to happen. Aren’t vehicle segments one of those use of language situations? If one is recognized and widely used in conversation then it is a real thing? It seems that way to me at least. Your average person can tell the difference between a wagon and a uv after all, no car knowledge required.
I think that’s right. I would say room for two dogs in the trunk and optionally enough legroom for child seats. But mainly no jacked up roofline. Extra ride height doesn’t disqualify but it does ruin the handling. I’ll retract that last qualifier if someonebuilds a rally raid wagon, but not before then.
If it’s as long as the sedan version, it’s a wagon. If it’s shorter, it’s a htachback. Done.
Let us pick a car that has all three versions, the Focus:
hatch – 171″ long
sedan – 178″ long
wagon – 179″ long
If your wagon isn’t around the same length as the sedan version, it is not a wagon.
Is there anything with the rear door as well? I swear that wagons also have more vertically-oriented glass and higher roof lines in the rear.
Wow. It certainly took long enough for the Mazda6 wagon to get some print. It is the wagon I would buy. Today.
As MikeDT says below…it looks better than the sedan.
I have an issue with wagons, however, that is preventing me from looking even at the Golf wagon.
Height.
I seem to have purchased a house where the drive slant is so aggressive (I have a lake house built on a deep slanting lot) it causes the cars to scrape along the exhaust as they exit or enter the main road.
I am hoping folks here know of an inexpensive way to slightly raise a car’s height.
This is driving me nuts.
“I am hoping folks here know of an inexpensive way to slightly raise a car’s height.”
Buy a CUV instead of a wagon?
New springs and shocks might do it.
No guarantees on what this might do to the ride/handling/warranty/alignment but spring spacers are fairly universal and cheap. People do it all the time in countries with underdeveloped roads. It was a common modifications to various used JDM sedans in Siberia, less so now that roads are better (but still few in number).
Trailer trash
If it’s a common platform like the focus escape or golf gsw you can often install the taller cars suspension. Probably need drop links too. I’ve helped do this on vw wagons and you get about an inch plus.
Fix your driveway. It can be done.
CJinSD:
+1
I always thought that a wagon has:
1) Rear window angle of < 45 degrees, or similar angle to the sedan version.
2) Quadrilateral (not triangular) rear quarter windows.
3) If a sedan version exists, sedan roof length + sedan trunklid length ≈ wagon roof length.
If it's shorter than the closest sedan it's related to, it's a hatchback.
If it has a steeply raked rear window, it's a hatchback.
If it has no quarter windows, or triangular quarter windows, it's a hatchback.
“what wagon version of a normal car would you buy with real non-Internet-commenter money?”
Corolla Wagon. Cheap, reliable and longer/more cargo than the Matrix. Mazda6 Wagon would also be nice.
None. I don’t carry drum sets or CRT TVs often enough to need some extra air and glass on top of my trunk.
Better get that small truck so you can carry a bunch of stone and mulch in the bed instead of having it delivered for a nominal fee.
I think it comes down to people being impulsive at Lowes/Home Depot/etc. I’ve done tons of projects over the past year getting my old house ready for sale. If it didn’t fit in the Rav4, it was still super cheap just let Lowes deliver it. They delivered the material for a paver patio and a 200′ vinyl fence for less than $200… and that was 2 separate orders because I did the patio something like 2 months after the fence. All the little stuff (mulch, 55″ TV) fit in the Rav4. The 55″ TV wouldn’t have fit in a wagon, BTW. The extra height of the Rav4 allowed the TV to fit upright on the driver side in the back while my 2 year old sat in her car seat in the rear passenger side.
The last few times I have gotten a large amount of stuff from Home Depot, I rented an E-Series van for $19. No mileage limit. Just have to bring it back at the same level of gas. I spent under $30 total. If it was anything more expensive, like you said, they deliver.
Yup, I haven’t gone the truck/van rental route yet, but it appears to be another great option.
I’ve considered buying a 5’x8′ utility trailer. But just like you said, for the $700 of the trailer would cost me, I can rent a lot of truck. I also wouldn’t have to find somewhere to store the trailer the 360 days a year I don’t need it.
I used a Home Depot van to get a futon home from Costco too. Home Depot trucks/vans are great options for someone that needs a bigger vehicle a few times a year.
I’m hoping Home Depot will have Transits soon. I rented one from Enterprise to hual some stuff a few weeks ago. It was fantastic.
@Quentin, many Uhaul locations have rental trailers.
@FormerFF good to know.
Most furniture stores and hardware/lumber yards give you free delivery with about $500 of purchase. My brother just went thru back surgery and I want to avoid that at all costs.
The practical me says the Mazda6 wagon, diesel. The enthusiast in me says Cadillac ATS-V wagon with stick.
We’ll most likely end up with the Golf Sportwagen TDI as the next wife/family car.
Realistic choices and in no particular order…
Mazda 6
Accord
Fusion
Charger/300
C Class
Passat
3 Series (335i no xDrive)
The current Mazda 6 wagon they sell pretty much everywhere except the USA. It’s even better looking than the sedan.
Any of the appliance Japanese cars. The Civic, Corolla, Camry, and Accord were all crossed off my recent shopping list due to the lack of a 3 or (preferably) 5 door model with similar gas mileage to its sedan counter part. VW and BMWs are among those that I have considered for myself but not others. I had a coworker inquiring to me about a new beetle. He wanted to know why I said he wasn’t a good match for them. I mentioned “hobby cars” and then made reference to his MG midget from his youth in. The 70s and he got the message.
well I own the sports wagon now but would love to own a E class diesel wagon, I have no idea why MB will not offer one, they sell a e class wagon and they sell a e class diesel sedan , why can’t they put the diesel from the sedan into the wagon.????
Cruze wagon. The one sold overseas is a looker. Why did GM sell the doomed diesel here and not the wagon?!
The Cruze wagon looks great but thats all its good for.
For whatever reason, the wagon is only available in the 1.8 n/a Family II rubbish motor or the diesel which is at $4,000 extra and not the 1.6 turbo.
GM can always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
+1. Got excited when I heard that there was going to be a Cruze with a diesel. Then I found out it was only with an automatic. And only as a sedan in the USA. Sedans are useless for anything but commuter duty hauling two back passengers.
“GM can always snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.”
Ain’t that the truth?
I’ll defend the Panther here. It obviously isn’t perfect, but what other vehicles match its combination of size, affordability, availability, repairability, and modability?
Had they made an Aero Wagon I would have owned at least one, and I would have stepped up and bought a fully loaded one new.
I wouldn’t. I already have an SUV as a third car, so I have no need for a long roof. What would be interesting? A Panamera or maybe the new BMW M2. I’d like to see a coupe version of the Z4 which is basically a long roof version, but I want it upgraded to an M.
I bet a Panamera wagon would be awesome! I love that car.
This is what Porsche should have done with the Panamera in the first place.
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/porsche-panamera-sport-turismo-shooting-brake-first-photosphoto-gallery-49863.html
Also, when BMW did make a “wagon” version of the Z3, sadly it as derided by most as a clown car. I disagree.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=bmw+z3+coupe&iax=1&ia=images
Fusion Energi or Camry hybrid.
I’m not buying a new car that isn’t an EV, a hybrid, or maybe a diesel. (I’ll buy a used car with conventional running gear to solve a problem, though) I think sedans are useless for family duty, and our Prius is getting a little tight for a family of four.
That RAV4 hybrid that was announced recently might be just the wagon I need for the “small” car slot in our driveway.
This all changes if we have a 3rd kid, though – it’ll be all minivans all the time, if that happens.
Mx-5 wagon. I win.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–Z38lbA9l–/tt5wbp1gnuy8n06gkgxw.jpg
Miata.
Doesn’t matter as long as said wagon has a hideaway tailgate like GM had in the 70’s.
Too much fun! Contenders include (assuming 6 MT):
Subaru BRZ
BMW 228
Lexus IS 350 (already taken, but agree)
GTI
But….
MUSTANG GT, FTW!
Subaru has already done the work for you (although the concept had a CVT)
http://jalopnik.com/holy-shit-brz-wagon-1467880566
If the new A3 had come out as a wagon and I had a little more money I might of bought it instead of the TSX wagon. Throw in a manual and they would have me.
Ford SVT Raptor.
It would be the ultimate vehicle.
Make mine a shorter wheelbase SuperCab Raptor wagon and call it a Bronco Raptor. Then take my money.
Why is my keyboard sticky?
Hahahahahaha
You have a fever, and the only prescription is more Bronco. New Bronco would be better than old Bronco too.
That would definitely be nice. Just two doors, like the old ones. Broncos are truly awesome utility vehicles – capable off-road vehicles with space to carry stuff for extended trips, but without all the negatives of a 5-door SUV.
Isn’t that just a camper shell plus carpet kit?
Hennessey is making one if you have a hundred grand to blow on an 11 mpg truck.
They’ve been making Raptor Expedition things for a few years now. I think they even have a crazy six door one.
I’d rather have a Bronco XLT from a Ford factory than some Frankenstiened monster. I’d also just wait for the next Expedition and throw next-Gen Raptor parts on it since they will finally be on the same platform.
300C Platinum Edition.
They tried that already….I believe they called it the Magnum
Yeah, and they dumped it after a few years because it didn’t sell.
It didn’t? I see magnums all over the freaking place, but especially in the ghetto.
2 tone paint is a must (covering up accident damage?) And then either huge cheap chrome rims or steelies, there is no in-between.
My friend has one, aside from perpetually rattling balljoints (replaced multiple times at this point) and an A/C issue, it’s been a trooper for over 180k miles.
Agreed; the Magnum suffered with a horribly ugly mug until its last year of production by which time it was too late. The 300 Estate sold in Europe completely transformed the looks of the Magnum. Even the 2008 face was OK, but I never understood why the Magnum had to appear different than either the 300/Charger. A wagonized modern Charger would be excellent as well.
The Magnum also had crappy gas mileage, which in what turned me away.
I bought a Ford Escape instead, that time. The Escape had better gas mileage and more favorable depreciation.
I have considered it in the past, but now I think none. It’s rare enough that I need the space that I’d rather just pay for a delivery or rent a truck than carry the extra length around with me every day. A Mazdaspeed3 in hatchback form should be just about perfect.
Chevy SS/Pontiac G8 wagon, which does exist as a Holden.
http://image.motortrend.com/f/wot/top-8-wagons-we-want-in-the-u-s-with-poll-305611/59322991/holden-commodore-sport-wagon-ssv-front-three-quarter.jpg
Give it the rocket logo on the front and call it Vista Crusier and we have a deal.
I like it!
A RWD wagon with a Corvette V8, manual transmission option, and Magnaride would be awesome, even if it sold in CTS-V wagon numbers.
Buick could resurrect the Electra or Roadmaster name, dig out some “comfort tuning” badges, and sell these to retiring Boomers looking to haul grandkids.
Retiring boomers hauling around grandkids buy wagons called Tahoe and Yukon.
Until arthritic hips and knees make them hate high step up heights. And my parents are a little different (Granny always convinced Gramps to get the big engine on things, ending up with an LT1 Caprice).
On that note, lots of old folks around here drive minivans because they do it all and are easy to drive.
Someone needs to make an elderly-spec minivan with aggressive auto-braking, blind spot warning, lane keep assist, and radar cruise control but with rotary knobs for climate and radio.
And automatic left-blinker cancellation…
5 series. Actually wanted one, the F11 version looks even better than the sedan in my eyes, but alas, not sold here. So we got the next best thing, an X5 diesel, even if it carries an additional ~1200lbs over the wagon for little discernible benefit.
I am not even a BMW guy but when I visit Berlin for work, every morning I have to walk past some guy’s 5-series wagon parked on the street and I am so jealous. What a beautiful car.
GTI wagon. Or Golf R wagon.
Camry, Accord or Mazda6 wagon would almost certainly not be available with a V6/6MT, and their 4-cylinder models are too gutless. Also a Camry wagon would almost certainly look like a Camry, so…
If they do a Golf R SportWagen, I will trade in my Golf SportWagen TDI SEL in a heartbeat, depreciation be damned.
Oh God. How much would a Golf R wagon cost? $45K?
And it’s NOT WORTH IT, because a ______ would be just as good and would only cost _____!
Fill in the blanks.
I can understand someone buying a Golf R hatch or wagon. I wouldn’t, but that’s just me. I wouldn’t mind a GTI wagon though.
Not likely. It is usually only about $700-$1500 more for a wagon version of most cars. A Golf R wagon would probably start at a little under $40k.
Was about to say the same thing – I don’t know that I would assume a seven thousand dollar premium over a Golf R hatch.
$40K. My mistake.
in no particular order:
mazda6
passat
fusion
cruze
regal
the nod would go to whomever can deliver a manual trannie. i bought a new passat 2 years ago and the only regret i had was that it no longer was offered in a wagon variant.
Hi Mark-
I’m in the west island and that same car will be in my driveway soon to replace our 2010 golf wagon.
I drive a 15 Golf TDI Treadline 6M and what a world of a difference.
Loving every km in this car.
BTW had a Saturn Astra, only thing missing to make it a great car was the 6th gear!
Actually buy? Focus ST wagon as sold in Europe. If the Focus wagon came only in ST guise, I don’t think it would compete with the Escape. I’m thinking about dumping my TSX for a Focus ST as it is, but I’d almost certainly pull the trigger for the wagon. Heck, maybe even a Fiesta ST wagon. That would be sweet.
Like to see? BMW 2 Series, including M235i, and all with available 6MT. Audi S3 wagon would be great too.
+1 – I’d consider the ST Estate if reasonably priced.
Imaginary wagon comes with imaginary money?
Bentley Mulsanne wagon!
Simple answer: none!
As I mentioned in the Doug Demuro “non-sporty coupes must die” article, I am a coupe man through and through. I for one have never bought into this whole “wagons are great” thing.
However, if you were to press me to it and say “you MUST pick a wagon, this is just pretend, have fun!” then the answer is obvious. I would pick a 1999 to 2002 BMW Z Coupe. You know, the shooting brake one.
Wot, no shooting brake for you?
Well, as I said if you press me to it and say “you have to pick a wagon, it’s just pretend anyways”, then yes I would pick a clown shoe Z “shooting brake” coupe.
But when it comes to me actually paying real money? Give me a 4 seat fastback or notchback coupe with generous back seats any day.
Yes!
GT500
I wouldn’t.
We have a Subaru Forester that meets our beast-of-burden needs better than any low-riding wagon would; we take it into the mountains and the extra ground clearance and excellent AWD are useful to us. And for my recreational driving I prefer a car with a trunk where I can put cargo out of sight, earshot, and smell.
Well, I happen to have that very Golf SportWagen, albeit grey and with different wheels, but if I were to get something else, it’d be bigger. I wish BMW had brought over the “Touring” version of the current “F10” 5-Series, instead of that unsightly GT thing.
Ah, let’s see, channeling your Bronco love (and they are sweet, like the old, old Blazers), and a mimicking OJ’s wonderful hypothetical treatise “If I Did It,” my “If They Made It” hypothetical wagon would be any wagon version of of the current mainstream mid-sizers, really. I don’t care for CUVs, when I can get a minivan for about the same money and mileage. But wagons are just cool looking, to me.
So I’ll go with the hypothetical new Legacy wagon. Hypothetical new Mazda 6 wagon, second. Did I buy either new when I had the chance, last decade. Sadly, no. I walk by a sharp Legacy wagon every day, and I always say, damn…
I’ll do one better. Until recently, and for almost 14yrs, I actually owned a manual, RWD, sport suspension, manual cloth seats E46 3er wagon. I really really wanted to buy the new one with the diesel, but it only comes in AWD AT in the US, so no sale.
I’d buy a C-Class wagon…which while it exists elsewhere, its not in North America any more. Ideally it would have a manual, and ideally they’d offer an AMG version, but even a base auto wagon would be the perfect family car. I love the E-class wagon, but its too big for my piddly inner-city garage.
Funnily enough, when I was in the Merc dealer a couple of weeks ago here in Calgary, the nice German salesman mentioned to me that the company will give the C-class wagon another try next year…at least in Canada. Hopefully he wasn’t full of it.
I’d also happily buy that new Skoda Superb Combi if it was available.
In fantasy land, Id love to see Porsche make a smaller wagon…not unlike the Sport Turismo concept from a couple of years ago, but a little downsized. The Macan (besides being needlessly tall) is a rather useless thing when it comes to interior space…I swear there’s less room in there than a Versa.
Since it appears that C-Classes for USA/Canada are built in Alabama, that means that the odds of the US also getting a wagon are good if Canada will also be offered a wagon.
I’d like to add something slightly off topic. This whole snarky thing about enthusiasts being the only wagon customers is wildly overblown. Dog owners love wagon backs, Dog ownerswho prefer the looks or handling of cars love wagons specifically over suv’s. There just happens to be quite an overlap between driving enthusiasts and dog owners because we live in America and that’s what Americans do, buy dogs.
This whole brown manual diesel snark is really inaccurate in my view. More of us own pickups, muscle cars etc.. than any wagon offering.
Yeah, and people who camp or do “outdoors” stuff.
There’s a reason every fourth !#^!@# car I see in Portland is a Subaru or Volvo wagon.
(Okay, not really that many, but disproportionately high, compared to every part of the country that isn’t the Northwest.)
If it isn’t a wagon up here, it’s a hatch. It feels like Europe plus SUVs and pickups, minus vans. Sedans are kind of unique up here in the PNW and most of them seem to be owned by someone that isn’t from around here. Most trucks have shells here, too.
Amen to that, Ted! I sold my 128 coupe after two years because, wait for it……
It didn’t suit the dog!
Never should have sold that car. Never, never, never.
Where do I begin? First with a few that do exist or have existed:
– Mazda6
– Acura TSX
– Subaru Legacy
Now to a couple that I wish existed:
– Hyundai Sonata (I’d also like a Sonata two-door coupe)
– Kia Optima (I’d also like an Optima two-door coupe)
Re: Ford Broncos – Yes, I wish I had a nice 1967 example with a 289 V-8. But I’d also like a brand-new early 1990s version, 4×4, base trim with rubber floor mats and the 300-cubic-inch inline six. I could take this with a manual or an automatic.
I know Mark had already mentioned the current Ford Focus station wagon in the original post, but I really think there is a market for compact station wagons among young families and dog owners in the US and I wish Ford will produce them here. The ability to haul long, bulky objects with a smaller footprint and better fuel economy compared to the usual SUVs and crossovers is appealing to me.
VW could have used the rationale that bringing the Golf Sportwagen could cannibalize Tiguan sales but they brought it here anyways and appear to be enjoying the market for compact wagons for themselves.
I would have hoped Mercedes’ Electric B class would have been reallly just a C class wagon with an electric powertrain. I love the new C class interior, and would love it more in wagon form and doubly so if it were an electric with at minimum 200 mile range.
It’s a shame wagons aren’t being used to usher in the next eco friendly transportation options – all electric wagons replacing big suv’s.
I will echo the Mazda6/Accord mantra.
Why not a Hellcat wagon? Because if you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly.
I’m a driving enthusiast, so I detest wagons. Their lack of chassis rigidity and high center of gravity relative to the sedans they’re based on leaves them lacking when I want to have fun or need to get somewhere quickly. They’re too compromised for driving and they’re too compromised for hauling. A two row wagon is just a hatchback, and a three row wagon makes you pick between people or luggage. Chances are that if you’ve got seven people in the car, you also have a fair amount of baggage. Minivans were designed with that in mind, and that’s why the USA has no need for station wagons.
You need to get somewhere quickly enough that even with modern stability controls, a wagon is too floppy and high to make it on time?
… how do you still have a driver’s license?
(And what few rigidity numbers I can find, combined with received wisdom, suggests that wagons have *higher* torsional rigidity than sedans, not lower.
Certainly not meaningfully lower.
If you’re driving on public roads so fast that wagon center-of-gravity matters, *stop that before you kill someone*.
Track day is your own business, go for it.)
You have to remember that this is CJ we are talking about. Us mere non-Honda driving mortals cannot possibly understand his mad vtech driving skilz yo.
Physics suggests that wagons have lower torsional rigidity. Why on earth do you think that a vehicle with a giant hole in the back of its structure and no rigid rear deck or bonded in rear window would have higher rigidity? Vertical rear suspension forces in a wagon are braced by nothing. Diagonal bending forces? It is absurd to even argue that a wagon is generally more rigid.
If all of this were true, hatchbacks would be similarly non-rigid. You make it sound like anything with a long roof is as floppy as a ragtop.
I would bet that a MQB-platform Golf Sportwagen is pretty damn rigid and that somebody with a competition license driving one could scare the crap out of you on the road of your choice.
There are about a hundred-something commenters here who probably would describe themselves as driving enthusiasts saying they damn well would want a wagon version of many car models, but you’ve decided we have no need for one.
If you’ve been to enough demolition derbys, you’d notice station wagon back quarters, always fold straight up or to the side with hard hits. Not nearly as true with sedans. The shoe box has very little shear-strength.
Hatchbacks are flexible relative to sedans. Anyone that tells you differently is trying to sell you something. Why do you think that removing strategically located structural components from a car and replacing them with a hole would increase rigidity? Your world must be a magical place full of mysteries.
If this was true, why do most of the fastest, best handling, and most efficient cars have hatches? The majority also have spoilers that give them an aerodynamic shape similar to a wagon, too.
CJ
sure, wagons aren’t coupes. I own one of each. If I bought a suv or minivan instead I would own only one car that I enjoy driving, and my wife and I would constantly be arguing over who gets to drive the penalty box. Every time we got to a destination with the family we would be stuck with a car that neither of us enjoys once the gear was off loaded. Add the ease with which a wagons roof can be loaded with cargo boats etc… and it can quickly become more practical than the larger alternatives as well. If you have cargo needs that are met by a wagon wouldn’t that be a better choice than the less fun alternatives?
In other words, it’s the less crappy compromise.
You’d be surprised what would happen if you bought a nice CUV. They’re so much better to drive in traffic and ride so much better on our crumbling roads that you’d end up fighting over who gets to drive it. I’ve seen it happen.
Right but in that situation we are an entirely different type of driving enthusiast. We’d be into panther platforms or Lexus ls’. Besides, I don’t agree about the ride comfort. If I wanted that I could have just left my wagon on higher aspect ratio tires for the summer, it was arguably softer riding than it’s cuv counterpart. There is a good point about visibility there, But for us it doesn’t make up for the unstable feeling we both get in top heavy, rolly polly, vehicles. Suv’s that don’t feel that way are no more comfy than any other car, and manual availability is a huge problem in the whole uv marketplace.
Chevrolet SS. Tomorrow if the sportwagon was made available in the USA
I love my G8’s trunk. I can’t imagine screwing the car up by putting the trunk into the cabin.
Agreed. Tomorrow. Assuming the new 6MT option carried over. It’s asinine that the sedan doesn’t even have fold flat rear seats!
With all of the love that Buick gets these days, I’m very surprised no-one has been pining for a “whatever-the-Buick-version-of-it-is” Vauxhall / Opel insignia. Sold in brown, with a stick shift and diesel engine.
http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vehicles/vauxhall-range/cars/insignia-sports-tourer/overview.html
Go on vacation and you might just be able to rent one, which begs the question why on earth Doug DeMuro rents small silver hatchbacks …
Them things ain’t no good.
http://www.torquenews.com/1080/german-police-cant-fit-their-new-squad-cars
“So, B&B, what wagon version of a normal car would you buy with real non-Internet-commenter money?”
Revealed preference says I wouldn’t.
But it also says I would buy a dedicated wagon, because I bought an XC70, like three months ago.
So that’s still sort of relevant.
Actually, though, thinking about it more, I would.
The Allroad is basically an A4 or A6 wagon, and I “would” buy one of those. I didn’t, because I wanted the larger size of the XC, but I “would” buy one, even as a second wagon to replace the Corolla.
Hypothetically,
Volt.
Realistically…
2016 Chrysler T&C hybrid.
I’d rather have the VoltWagon.
I’m pretty sure you mean supple or compliant, not svelte.
We have an Outback, so I did — unless you think raising the car a couple inches makes it a non-wagon. While traveling, I’ve seen the wagons that we don’t get in the U.S. and I realized that, no, I wouldn’t rather have one of those (at least, not unless they were also given the raised, 4WD outback treatment). The fuel-efficiency loss in the Outback vs the Legacy sedan is negligible, and the extra ground clearance is great in snow and on the rutted two-track dirt roads we like to explore.
So is the Outback a CUV or is the 2015 Ford Edge a wagon?
They have almost the same dimensions with the Edge being 2 inches taller and the Outback being two inches longer.
If GM had actually make a Kamm-tail second generation Pontiac Firebird, I’d spend my whole life trying to hunt one down.
Ugh!! Anyone who grew up in the 70s and 80s does NOT lust after nasty brown cars!
Is this a thing? A Hipster thing? Yuck!! No brown cars, again — ever!!!
I did. MINI Clubman JCW.
I never really liked wagons, but I really liked the BRZ wagon someone put a link up above me here. Also a Cruze would suit being a wagon.
The smaller the vehicle the more useful it is (to me) with a hatchback or tailgate.
Oddly enough, I’d like a Kia Optima longroof, preferably with optional tailgunner seats.
Ford Fusion with AWD.
It’s called the Edge.
It’s less than a foot taller than the Mondeo Estate, has better engine options, is a similar length, and is nicer on the inside.
Wagons Ho
Ford Fusion
Chrysler 300/Charger-New Magnum
Jaguar XF and/or the new XE as a replacement for the late lamented X-Type wagon
Mazda 6
Porsche Panamera Shooting brake-Much better looking than the wide butt 4 door.
Toyota Corolla
Audi A8-A range topping uber wagon with the 4.0 V8 or to be daring the 6.0 W12.
Corolla? You mean specificly the new one? Otherwise, they had the Matrix and even lopped it onto Corolla sales.
Yes, the new one sold only in Japan and other markets. The Matrix sold here in the states was called the Corolla Matrix. We once were able to choose from a variety of Corollas here in the states FX-16, AE-86, Alltraq etc.
Subaru Legacy-non-Outback version. Because not everyone needs the higher-riding version.
Real money: Camry. Dream money: GS 450 F-Sport AWD.
Real world? Keep mine.
I want a wagon version of the Ram 1500 pickup. In other words, I want them to bring back the Ramcharger. Come on, even the name is cool.
Nissan IdX wagon.
Oh wait, they aren’t even going to do the coupe.
NM.
I’d say the Crown Vic/Grand Marquis, but since I can fit my bike in the trunk along with the spare tire, there really isn’t a need.
With our money – the usual chorus of Accord/Fusion/Mazda6/Camry, but assuming only a modest premium over the sedan, say $2k.
This is also assuming that the wagon body style has eliminated any rear seat headroom issues that the sloping roofs of the Fusion etc might have.
Extra bonus for hybrid or even plug in hybrid for economy on short neighborhood trips.
Extra demerits if the hybrid premium is excessive.
I mentioned a while back that we were looking for a new car that ideally would be a wagon and were halfway tempted by a Venza. We’ve about given up and currently the old Taurus wagon has been patched up and likely to serve another year. If Ford or Mazda had bothered to bring in the wagons they sell elsewhere, they’d probably already have had our money.
Id take a late 80s-96 Bronco with a 300 I-6 and a manual if possible. Id weather proof the interior and never put the top on.
A proper BMW 5-series touring (last available in 2010) would be nice. Tell me this isn’t a beautiful car: http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicles/5/touring/2013/models.html
I have owned 2 Bronco’s…a ’79 that died during the test drive (got a GREAT deal as a result!) and a ’93.
I never actually registered the ’79 and ended up selling it for what I bought it for.
The ’93 I drove a lot. It was a great truck, a former border patrol vehicle. No rot but the suspension was shot. I always imagined the hijinks that it must have seen in its first 100,000 miles.
I have to say that my ’93 only had the 5.0L and a standard axle and it got amazingly bad fuel economy. I don’t think I ever did better than 15 or 16 mpg. I’m sure the 32″ BFG M/T’s didn’t help. I did have some great fun at the Mounds near Lapeer, MI…
A 2015 Hyundai Genesis AWD Wagon would be an awesome luxo barge – especially with that long wheelbase. Would compare favorably against the E350 wagon, with more value for the money to boot.
Thankfully, Volvo still sells these, so the answer is simple. Should I need to retire my car (which I hope won’t come anytime soon), the V60 Drive-E is where I’d go.
The question for me, is “which non-wagon version of a wagon car would you actually buy” and that answer is NONE. Once you go longroof, you never go back.
Though, I think those suggesting CUVs as substitutes are missing the point. CUVs sit too high off the ground, are often too short a body type, and you sacrifice fuel economy for the compromises. No thanks.