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The Red-Headed Step-Wagon
Aug 28 2007 by Sara Lacey
8/28/2007
Land Yachts of Our Youth a Thing of the Past
Mazda recently announced it would not produce the Mazda6 wagon for 2008. This got me thinking about station wagons. They seem to be the red-headed stepchildren of the automotive world, and this confuses me. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why people don’t want the wood-paneled land yachts that were so prevalent in our youth, but the wagons of today are barely reminiscent of their ancestors. Many are four- or all-wheel drive, have sleek styling and tend to be less expensive than some notable crossovers and SUVs. Manufacturers have even taken to calling them something other than “station wagon,” like Volkswagen’s Passat Estate, Audi’s Avant, and — my favorite — Saab’s SportCombi. What the hell is a SportCombi? An image makeover, that’s what.
I myself once owned a station wagon. Yes, it’s true, and I’m not ashamed. It was a sexy, hot, red Saab with tinted windows, 18-inch wheels and a four-cylinder turbo that got 23 miles per gallon. Why didn’t I get a new one? I think it’s because I just wanted something different, plus some things I thought were really family-friendly: I wanted to sit up a little higher and have a car I didn’t hit my head on every single time the kids needed to be loaded up. But now that my kids are a little more self-sufficient, I’m considering getting another wagon once my lease is up.
While I love my crossover, it still doesn’t handle like a car, and I rarely ever max out all that cargo space I swore I’d need and use on a regular basis. When I do get all packed up, it’s generally for a camping trip that isn’t quite as rugged as I’d like everyone to believe, so I don’t even need all that clearance I swore would be so helpful. On the other hand, during the horrible winter we had in Colorado this year, I was grateful for that clearance; the snow plows didn’t get through my neighborhood for weeks.
So you tell me. Did you grow up with a wagon? Do they still feel all wood-panely and land-yachty to you, no matter how they’re updated? Is a wagon even a consideration in your new-vehicle search? If you can get over the goofy new names and don’t have the same head-bonking issue I did (or if your kids are a little bigger), perhaps you could give that poor wagon a second glance. It may be the ideal mom-mobile for you. And hey, what’s so wrong with red-headed stepchildren anyway?
User Comments
Really? On a 4-cylinder turbo? Good to know. Let me tell you though, that thing had plenty of tune-ups. I averaged 12 visits to the shop in 12 months on that puppy. Tuneups weren’t the problem.
Considering that the station wagon market has been all but left to the Europeans (with a slight few Asian models available) I’m surprised there’s any wagon stigma left. You really can’t get a boring wagon now. BMW, MB, Audi, Saab, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Volvo are the only wagon hold outs. Everyone else has gone to SUV’s and Crossovers.
And my boring, “suburban special” ‘98 Sable Wagon can out run and out handle many SUV’s while pulling in low 20’s in MPG.
Besides, weren’t most jadded young adults today raised in minivans and SUV’s?
I have a 8-year-old Audi A4 wagon and I’m looking to get a 2nd wagon for my wife that’s a little bigger and a little cheaper to maintain (every oil change costing $1K because something or the other has broken or is leaking is not fun).
But Mazda has discontinued their 6 wagon, Subaru has discontinued the Legacy wagon (have to get an Outback now) and Impreza wagon (new one is a hatch), and Ford has killed the Focus wagon. So unless I want to go with a brand with questionable reliability (Saab/VW/Volvo/Dodge) or pay for another premium wagon (BMW/Audi), I’m out of luck. I’ll probably end up getting an Outback or a crossover since at least it will be reliable, even though it likely won’t be as fun to drive as a real low-to-the-ground wagon like my A4.
Seriously, I just don’t understand why people like crossovers but not wagons in US.
But the Mazda6 wagon should be gone, since they don’t even offer AWD in the States, but in Japan only. What’s the point of labeling it a sport wagon if it is a FWD with more weight taken out from the drive wheels.
Noone has mentioned the Chevy HHR..I just bought one a month or so ago and find it to be a great little station wagon…I’ve got the LT2 in black with 17 inch chrome wheel….Rides nice and smooth and quiet…Getting 23-24 mpg in some really awul stop and go delivering meals on wheels…20 grand…Great little car..Jack
It is quite a shame. They already got rid of the Taurus/Sable wagon, and basically all of the Japanese station wagons. I still don’t understand the stigma against station wagons, i.e. the wagon-versions of existing sedans, not crossover vehicles like the Toyota Matrix which doesn’t have a sedan equivalent.
The stigma makes no sense as station wagons have not been used as regular family-mobiles in 20 years.
I want a new station wagon. An Accord wagon, a Camry wagon, a Mitsubishi wagon (like the Diamante wagon that they unfortunately got rid of) or anything like that. At least there are the european wagons, like the Passat and the Saab, and the almost-wagon in the US, namely, the Magnum.
Please bring Japanese wagons to the US! Please!
If you’re Saab is getting 23mpg it’s time for a tuneup.