Fans of the wagon remain true to the design
At nearly 20 feet long and weighing more than 2-1/2 tons, the 1974 Buick Estate was one of the largest station wagons ever built. It was a long, low and boat-like behemoth that could hold Mom, Dad, Grandma, the dog and as many kids as one could cram into the cargo space in the back. It was perfect for hauling passengers and cargo, and taking the family out for those bygone weekend nights at the drive-in theater.
Originally named for its livery use around train depots, the station wagon was a popular car style throughout most of the 20th Century, but it lost its cache in 1984 when Chrysler, ironically a station-wagon pioneer, introduced the first minivans.
That was the beginning of the end for the large wagons, which seemed outdated next to the minivans’ taller, more streamlined designs. Baby boomers with children of their own would soon dismiss wagons as being “their parents’ cars.” Several years later, a new generation of families would sniff at both wagons and minivans in favor of what were perceived as more-rugged sport-utility vehicles.
But fans of the station wagon remained true to the design. They held onto their classic Oldsmobile Custom Cruisers, Pontiac Safaris, and Chrysler Town & Countries and now brag about them on Web sites like stationwagonforums.com and aswoa.com (The American Station Wagon Owners Association).
Station wagons, however, never fully went away. Ford sold wagon renditions of the popular Taurus and Mercury Sable through 2005, with Subaru offering the Legacy and Outback wagons and the German automakers more or less continuously selling at least one station wagon in their respective lines. And though they’re not called “station wagons,” today’s so-called crossover vehicles emulate the same concept, namely being stretched-out car-based models having open cargo areas and tailgates.
Tim Cleary, president of the American Station Wagon Owners Association, says the wagon’s practicality and value are what attract buyers. Cleary has owned eight late-’80s Ford and Mercury wagons. “These cars are great values and owned by geezers who take great care of them. They are easy to work on and parts are cheap.”
Cleary, whose fleet now includes five wagons, fell in love with the station wagon when he was growing up and his Uncle Wally would take him on fishing trips in his 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon. “I hated fishing, but I loved the way we could put all of the stuff on the tailgate and turn the wagon into a table in the middle of nowhere,” he says.
One company with the German word for “wagon” in its name says it has never abandoned that vehicle style. “We have been calling it a ‘wagen’ for years,” says Volkswagen spokesman Steve Keyes. “The only thing we’ve changed in recent years is that we’re calling our Jetta wagon a Sportwagen.”
Keyes says Volkswagen sees a slightly older demographic interested in its wagons than it does with other VW models such as the Golf. “And buyers also like the versatility,” he says. “They can simply carry more in a wagon.”
The Jetta Sportwagen is also attracting buyers because it can be fitted with the high-mileage (30-city/42-highway mpg) TDI “clean diesel” engine. “That’s really influencing the buying this year,” Keyes says.
But what attracts buyers to station wagons most often is their versatility. And carmakers have put their best (and some not so great) design ideas together to come with new models that could arguably be called station wagons, but are more often marketed as crossovers or hatchbacks.
Consumer Reports calls the wagon category “increasingly fuzzy” and says “true station wagons have a low profile, longer cargo area than a hatchback and a cabin room that generally doesn’t slope sharply down to the back bumper.” Station wagons, says CR, usually seat five, while crossover vehicles general have a third row of seats, or at least an optional third row.
Models that Consumer Reports consider wagons range vastly in price, from the tiny Honda Fit (around $15,000) to the Subaru Outback (upper $20,000s), the Audi A4, (low $40,000s) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (around $60,000).
Not everyone is sold on the wagon idea, however. Even though the Volvo V70 can be ordered with bi-xenon headlights, leather upholstery, satellite radio, navigation system and upscale safety features, it’s still, well, a station wagon to some people.
An August posting on Glamour magazine’s “Single-Ish” blog was titled: “The End is Nigh: My Friends Are Driving Station Wagons.”
“That’s it. My married friends are really leaving me behind, but must they zoom off, as they do, in station wagons?” bemoaned the blogger, Erin Meanley.
Cleary says that wagons are most appealing to the now-nostalgic baby boomers, which initially eschewed them in favor of other modes of transport. “Most boomers grew up in one so it is fun to see the smile on their faces” when they spot a wagon, he says. But he knows why even younger generations are drawn to the vehicle style. “I tell the kids that comfort never goes out of style.”
