It's a well-known (or maybe not) fact that I love wagons. I currently own a wagon and am considering purchasing another; not just any wagon though, a 2003 Subaru WRX.
I've spent countless hours in wagons and even completed my driving test in one: an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. I love the versatility, the drive, the comfort and the styling.
I am fully aware that I'm part of a visible minority; you won't find many wagons on the road anymore... They are, in fact, a dying breed here in North America as evil crossovers are taking over our highways and byways.
On the rare occasion that a wagon comes into our parking lot for the week, I always make a point to drive it be it a Mercedes E-Class, Cadillac CTS, Subaru Outback or Hyundai Elantra Touring. You will have guessed that we don’t get them very often. We do, however, get loads of crossovers and SUVs.
I recently putzed around in a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI and shared wheel-time between it and my Volvo XC70. This exercise got me thinking about the differences, the real divergences, between these two types of familial transport.
As far as I could tell, the roof height (once inside) is the only substantial differentiating factor. Here, I'm not talking about driving position or ground clearance as my XC's got plenty of both. Out of everything I had to move in that week's time, only an armchair couldn't slip into the XC's cargo-hold area. I did fit in the Touareg though.
If anything, my wagon can do everything the Volkswagen can – except, perhaps, tow a house as the TDI's grunt is truly mind-blowing. All this begs the question: A wagon or a crossover?
I don't know anymore. My wife, the principal driver of the Volvo, finds that she feels old and unfashionable cruising around. I get her point. Our car is a beige, Volvo station wagon... The time we spent with the Touareg only helped to enforce the uncoolness of my beloved beige beauty.
The only pointless thing I can do is beg and scream for car manufacturers to bring back cool wagons like the BMW 5-Series, the Subaru Legacy, the Mercury Colony Park, and the soon to be discontinued Volvo V50.
That won't happen. So what is a wagon-lover to do?
I've spent countless hours in wagons and even completed my driving test in one: an Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser. I love the versatility, the drive, the comfort and the styling.
I am fully aware that I'm part of a visible minority; you won't find many wagons on the road anymore... They are, in fact, a dying breed here in North America as evil crossovers are taking over our highways and byways.
On the rare occasion that a wagon comes into our parking lot for the week, I always make a point to drive it be it a Mercedes E-Class, Cadillac CTS, Subaru Outback or Hyundai Elantra Touring. You will have guessed that we don’t get them very often. We do, however, get loads of crossovers and SUVs.
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| Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com |
I recently putzed around in a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI and shared wheel-time between it and my Volvo XC70. This exercise got me thinking about the differences, the real divergences, between these two types of familial transport.
As far as I could tell, the roof height (once inside) is the only substantial differentiating factor. Here, I'm not talking about driving position or ground clearance as my XC's got plenty of both. Out of everything I had to move in that week's time, only an armchair couldn't slip into the XC's cargo-hold area. I did fit in the Touareg though.
If anything, my wagon can do everything the Volkswagen can – except, perhaps, tow a house as the TDI's grunt is truly mind-blowing. All this begs the question: A wagon or a crossover?
I don't know anymore. My wife, the principal driver of the Volvo, finds that she feels old and unfashionable cruising around. I get her point. Our car is a beige, Volvo station wagon... The time we spent with the Touareg only helped to enforce the uncoolness of my beloved beige beauty.
The only pointless thing I can do is beg and scream for car manufacturers to bring back cool wagons like the BMW 5-Series, the Subaru Legacy, the Mercury Colony Park, and the soon to be discontinued Volvo V50.
That won't happen. So what is a wagon-lover to do?