Call it a longshot, but two wagon revelations in one week have us wondering if a long-ignored vehicle segment is about to see a resurgence in the SUV-loving U.S.
The latest news comes by way of Motor Trend, which confirms the upcoming Jaguar XF Sportbrake — British newspeak for “wagon” — is bound for these shores.
Speaking at the Paris Auto Show, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Joe Eberhardt claimed the model is a “global vehicle,” meaning North America (or at least the U.S.) gets a cargo-happy Jag that isn’t an F-Pace.
The automaker plans to unveil the XF Sportbrake at an unnamed auto show next year. A production model should arrive as a 2018 model. While he didn’t go into too much detail, Eberhardt claims the Sportbrake adopts aluminum architecture and the Ingenium engines found in its sedan sibling. That likely means a turbocharged 2.0-liter gas engine and the 2.0-liter diesel.
The Sportbrake news comes as Buick readies its next-generation Regal. TTAC confirmed yesterday the enlarged 2018 model, due for a second quarter 2017 reveal, will indeed come in a wagon variant. While Jaguar aims for a sporty offering, Buick’s wagon will likely appear as an all-wheel-drive model with crossover pretensions.
Wagons still find fans on the other side of the Atlantic, but automakers have loathed to return them to the U.S. market. And who can blame them? The buying public has increasingly shunned traditional sedans in favor of trucks, SUVs and crossovers. Wagons, once the go-to family hauler, have almost completely ceded their territory to larger utility vehicles.
Is there a chance that the passage of time, coupled with the development of modern vehicle platforms and bodies that don’t inspire narcolepsy, could compel buyers to forget the past and consider adding a wagon to their driveway? Jaguar and Buick sure hope so. When the XF Sportbrake and Regal wagon do arrive, you can bet that other automakers will keep a watchful eye on their sales.
A wagon war? No. Whatever Bui-pel does it will simply be spillover from its European operations. Ditto this entry as well,
A ‘shooting brake’ is the traditional term for a 3-door wagon.
An ‘estate car’ is the traditional term for a 5-door wagon.
I have no idea what a ‘sport brake’ is supposed to be?
You really should pay more attention to James May.
I don’t think it’s a wagon resurgence, just a couple of offerings of rather niche products. The XF (not FX as in the title, by the way) hasn’t been a big seller really ever – similar to the Regal.
Sportbrake!
So classy…so very Brit!
And good news…it’s not so very Mondeo…
That’s a sweet looking rig to my eye…unfortunately by the time it gets down to my price range in the “pre-owned” market I’ll probably be too old to do all the necessary frequent repairs myself…
It’s a Jaguar…it may be in your “pre-owned” range sooner than you think!
It’s fair to note that in the home UK market, this model was VERY expensive. I think it was available until a year or two ago (was avail 2013-2015).
So assume it’ll be pretty costly here as well.
http://used.jaguar.co.uk/search#/details/2694950
29000GBP used CPO, so $36,900. And that’s for the 2.2 diesel.
(NEW) Jaguars in the US actually seem to be a better value than similarly equipped German competitors, priced more in line with Lexus/Infiniti than MB/BMW.
I should hope they’re less expensive. They should be below Lexus on the price scale, with Infiniti. I think the Jag marque is slightly more prestigious while being somewhat less reliable, so it evens out.
Keep in mind that Jaguar is offering a 5 year/60K warranty on new vehicles.
My 3 simple rules for determining if a car is a station wagon or a 5-door hatchback:
1] The window between the C&D-pillars must be longer than the window between the B&C pillars.
2] There must be 6’+ of FLAT load floor with the rear (or 2nd & 3rd) seats folded.
3] The tailgate must be near-vertical, if not completely vertical.
This isn’t a station wagon.
“This isn’t a station wagon.”
Of course not. It’s a Sport Brake. Duh! :-)
I think by that definition the last wagon sold was a 1991 Ford Country Squire. The Buick Roadmaster didn’t have a vertical tailgate.
Sorry, incorrect. The last proper station wagon sold in the USA was the 1998 Volvo 960/V90.
Wrong. The 2009 Audi A4 was available as an Avant (i.e., wagon). I almost bought it (instead of the sedan) but my wife objected to the fabric sunroof shade; she insisted on a solid one to minimize overhead sunlight.
What about the Transit Connect Wagon? And it’s Nissan/Ram (And Chevy?) competitors…
1970s vintage “clamshell tailgate” GM wagons also didn’t have vertical tailgates.
So does that mean old sedan deliveries with no windows are not wagons? What if there is no tailgate, only a hatch, but the first two rules were passed?
The only real rule of wagon vs. hatchback is that the wagon is the same length or longer than the sedan version, while the hatchback must be shorter.
Sedan deliveries are not, in fact, station wagons.
They are sedan deliveries!
And no, it doesn’t matter whether the rear door is a hatch, liftgate, two-piece, or 3-way magic gate. Gotta be vertical.
Are you certain the Flex does not meet this qualification?
Hm, that’s fair. I always forget about the Flex because I rarely see one.
Yes, you’re right. The Flex *is* a wagon!
I misread the headline as “Jaguar XF Sportbike Heading to America” and nearly had a heart attack.
As an actual performance wagon buyer (’16 V60 Polestar), I’m encouraged, and (naively) hopeful, that other manufacturers will bring some sport wagon variants. I know the E63S wagon exists, but I don’t dig the looks. If Audi would ever pull their head out and bring the RS4 and/or the RS6 Avant, I’d be on board. Another example is the new RS3 (US version) – a sweet car fully deserving of the long roof treatment.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed… (but not holding my breath)
Hey look! Someone on TTAC actually puts his money where his mouth is.
Now I just need Audi of America to believe that so I can get my RS Avant! *thumb up*
Cool car! We bought a 2015.5 V60 R-Design and love it. An XF wagon would be on our shopping list.
More than we have had in quite a while:
Audi A4 All-road
E-Class
V90
Regal
XF
V60
XC70
Golf/All-track
330 – going away
Notice how only one of those is American and is only something that they already sell in Europe.
I’d love to get a Chevy Nomad with the Camaros 6.2l in it.
As of now I’ll just have to wait for a CPO V90 or XF.
The big question is AWD. It can only succeed with AWD in the US.
XF comes with it so I’d say yes.
70 ft3 of cargo space with seats folded? Saab 9-5 sportswagen was 73
It won’t happen at this point, but it was hinted at.
If GM had brought the Commodore Sportwagon with LSA and a 6-speed manual for the last hooray of Zeta in the US for 2017, I would have paid STUPID money for one.
No ute, no wagon, no two-door, just a sedan in a really boring wrapper. A fantastic sedan and very well equipped – and almost indistinguishable from a Malibu at 30 feet.
@APaGttH
Agreed. Stupid decisions by GM. Ford also made it very very difficult for Ford Australia, to have any export program. When something was starting to take off for them , pressure came from Detroit to stop the export program. Ford Australia vehicles were vastly more popular in New Zealand than Australia. Exception being the terrible Ford Capri.
@Steph Willems
“Wagons still find fans on the other side of the Atlantic, ”
That sentences is the equivalent of ” they still sell Pickup Trucks in NA”
Wasn’t there a Malibu wagon a few years back? And that Chrysler Magnum thing? Was that a wagon? And it’s “shooting break” not brake. Carry on.
I don’t know why, but I’m not as excited about this, as I usually am about station wagons. I’m more excited about the upcoming Volvo V90 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wagons.
Could it Spark a Wagon War?
No, no it could not.