I’m old….AARP eligible old. So maybe that’s why I’ve been casting an approving eye at some of the new station wagon models that have recently hit the scene. I mean, I was a teenager in the 1960’s – station wagons were what Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray) drove during all twelve seasons of My Three Sons. You can’t get much more “un-hip” than that…right Uncle Charlie?
Of course, it could also be that automotive stylists have penned some absolutely beautiful wagons lately – I mean really top-notch designs. Allow me to highlight five of these wagons, in no particular order, that I think meet or exceed the attractiveness of their respective sedan stablemates.
Volvo V90. There was a time I thought that Peter Horbury was the only one out there that could style a good-looking Volvo (other than the P1800). But Volvo and Geely struck gold when they signed up Thomas Ingenlath as Volvo VP of Design – he showed his talents with the series of Volvo concepts several years ago – and the new XC90, XC60, and S90 are gorgeous. But the V90 is the best of the bunch – beautifully proportioned – a Scandinavian stunner.
VW Golf Wagon. All the Golf Gen 7 models are winners; but the best looking of them all is the wagon. Again, it has a symmetry and balance that just looks right. The analogy I’ve heard frequently with regards to Golf styling is that “it looks like an expensive, finely tailored suit”. I agree. Even the jacked up North American All Track model looks good.
Buick Regal Wagon. Europe sends North America another model which we then “ugly up”. But even with the added wheelwell plastic cladding, this Buick (Opel) wagon still looks striking. Low, lean, and again beautifully proportioned – I hope it sells in big numbers. If so, maybe Buick will give us the “clean” version (lower photo)
Mazda 6 (Atenza) Wagon. As CC readers know, I’m a big fan of the current gen Mazda 6 – because of our distaste for wagons, Mazda doesn’t sell this model in North America – our loss. The wagon is just as beautifully proportioned as the sedan – a sensuous, flowing design.
Peugeot 508 Wagon. As famous for their wagons as Volvo, the 508 carries on that fine Peugeot tradition – and looks great doing it.
So, what do you think, are we in a Golden Age for station wagon styling?
I was a child in the 1970s and for me, there is only ONE expression of a true station wagon…
the mid-to-late seventies Ford Country Squire.
Maybe we are both products of our time. The ‘68 we had is still quite pleasing to my eye.
Indeed, we all are products of our time…Dad worked for an agricultural co-op in southern New England, when I was a little kid, and he piled mileage on our cars so much he’d get a new wagon every year – Fords until 1963, and then Rambler Classics and Ambys after that. This is the car I remember first. (too bad ours was monochrome brown, ick)…
…and this came behind it in 1959 – my favorite!
Lastly, Dad’s second Rambler Classic wagon, a ’64 ~
Indeed. Style-wise I’d take any of the old-school domestic wagons. If you want something compact with a little more dash there is always the Hornet Sportabout.
+1
I discovered many years ago that one of my hotrods (nothing like that picture) shares a great many parts with a 74 Country Squire station wagon. So when I visit my local parts house and the immortal question is asked “make, year and model” I announce its a 74 Country Squire station wagon, which always raises a few eyebrows, and the parts always fit
Not really, as long as there were golden-oldie beauties like this.
…and this
Oh yes, the 1960 Mercury Colony Park. My dad had two, white one with wood trim, and a Robin egg blue unit with wood trim as well, and a 430 cubic inch V8. . I remember the white one was a $125 car. At the time, they were just old out of style cars, now I realize, that on a daily basis, I was riding in beautiful classic.
I ‘d agree with you in terms of body styling – the examples you posted are beautiful – but I’d like bigger windows. Until the gun-slit greenhouse goes away it won’t be quite a Golden Age, at least for me.
Great article, Mr. Brophy, and I’d like to assure you that you’re not that old. AARP just sets their entry age ridiculously low; it’s all a conspiracy by Big Retirement. I mean – get this – they even think that *I’m* eligible, and I am only… oh dear. I need a nap.
AARP membership is open to anyone, regardless of age. One extremely valuable benefit is a discount for British Airways flights. Periodically BA has excellent prices for round trip Business Class flights and with the discount, the cost is fairly close to a Coach Class fare.
Interesting; I hadn’t heard about the BA discounts before. Thanks.
Attractive designs, but the greenhouses still seem too small for the rest of the body. I really can’t wait until this styling fad passes and the gun slit windows fo the way of the tail fin.
The wagons especially show this trend, since they have to extend the rake in the belt line all the way to the rear, resulting in the rear windows being especially small. A couple of the above wagons, like the VW, try to alleviate this by putting a curve in the belt line. It helps, but the proportions are still off.
I think it’s due to safety. Glass doesn’t have crumble zones or other safety measures. And the more you have, the higher the safety rating and the higher the sales.
Definitely safety. The requirement to have air space over the engine raises the base of the windscreen. Mind you the rising side window line is another matter!
Perhaps when other methods like airbags or pop-up bonnets become cheaper things might change, but it is hard to see that happening – even if the cost halves it will still be significant.
The other option of course is just to raise the roof line and seats. This has already been done of course…
Is it just me or are all of the wagons shown by Jim Brophy remarkably similar in profile?
Besides the gun-slit windows and sporty styling, not really.
I’m surprised to find myself simultaneously drawn to both the most- and least-expensive wagons in this post (I presume – I don’t really have any concept of what a Peugeot would cost): the Volvo and the VW.
Like Tonyola, I believe THE best wagons had optional wood paneling on the outside. And with available 2 and 4 door body styles, not to mention hardtop styling in both 2 and 4 door bodies…the 50s were THE golden age for wagons.
Now, that is not to say the current crop of wagons are ugly, I agree that they are very good looking. One of my favorite wagons is the Ford Flex…it looks vaguely retro, but isn’t.
BTW, the Ford Fusion is available as a wagon in Europe, and with a turbo diesel engine AND a manual transmission.
You forgot “brown”. Not RWD though…
Here’s the Mondeo (Fusion). And in brown, too! I would happily trade my sedan for this.
Yes they have Peugeot diesel powertrains four and six cylinder.
No, no it’s not. That would be the late 1960’s
http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/cc-outtake-1967-dodge-polara-wagon-back-the-attack-against-stuffy-looking-wagons/
On the bright side, this is the golden age of craft beer!
The VW and the clean Buick would be my picks of this bunch.
All of these have some degree of a sloping rear roof, which seems like they are trying to minimize their wagon-ness (perhaps the Volvo and VW are the least guilty of this). Compare that with the roof line of the Country Squire MichaelH shows us, and there is a profound difference. No doubt aerodynamics is a factor in that but there is also no doubt interior space has been sacrificed as a result.
I do think the few wagons available today do have a more cohesive and planned appearance than many of the wagons old, wagons that had the appearance of the sedan with a stretched roof – which is exactly what most were.
Absolutely agree. Wagon design is much more accomplished than earlier models, and as a rule I prefer wagon design as well as practicality over comparable sedans. (Don’t get me started on SUVs…)
Of course, as the owner of a 2015 Golf Sportwagon and a 2011 Jetta Sportwagon & a 2000 323 wagon before that I’m a bit biased 😉 As a point of comparison, I also drove an inherited ’78 Estate Wagon and ’85 LeBaron Town & Country earlier in my life – 5 of the 9 cars I’ve owned have been wagons.
You’re also right, there’s not much of a slope to the VW, especially over the rear seat. What’s really deceptive about so many of these new wagons, though is how much more room there is in the rear than the relatively small rear side windows would have you believe.
Subaru Outback.. #1 selling wagon in the America.
Mfg.. in Lafayette Indiana.
Some of us are inclined to call the Outback a SUV or CUV to be more specific. The Imprezza 5 door on the other hand.
This Impreza 5-door? A hatchback, loud and clear.
A wagon is longer (more rear overhang) than its hatchback brother.
Overall length VW Golf hatchback: 4,258 mm
Overall length VW Golf Variant (the wagon): 4,567 mm
I think of it as a small wagon. Maybe because Texas called my 2007 A3 a station wagon and I’m not going to argue with the great state of Texas. 🙂
Can’t argue with that!
It’s definitely a hatchback. They do make an Impreza wagon, though.
I wonder if someone got upset if it was first labelled a hatchback?
Kyree do you mean the Levorg?
Yes. The Levorg.
A visit to Europe or the UK will show how many great-looking wagons are being made for folks who don’t need a pseudo-SUV for their self image. The pendulum will swing back to common sense, likely when fuel prices make a prolonged rise some day.
I’ll agree this may be A golden age, but not THE golden age.
I think ’71-’72 has to be considered. Without looking at anything else, GM alone offered the Vega, the Vista Cruiser & the clamshell wagons.
Douglas always drove Pontiacs, which were the best wagons of the 1960’s. My dad had this year and it’s my favorite, the 1964 Pontiac:
https://youtu.be/P_-eAP_CTHM
1964 Pontiac Catalina Safari
The GTO shooting brake has always been a favorite of mine 🙂 Most attractive of all the sixties station wagons
I have always loved wagons, and much prefer them over any CUV/SUV. These modern wagons remind me so much of AMC’s old Hornet/Concord/Eagle wagon platform.
Love the way the Golf wagon looks, but it’s a VW so I wouldn’t touch it witha 20-foot pole.
As my screen name says, I absolutely love station wagons. I was born in 1979 so I grew up during the time that wagons were being kicked off the throne and replaced by the minivan and then the SUV. I wasn’t the wagon lover I am now when I was a kid but I did like them because most of them were V8 powered and RWD. (Yes, I know, the V8’s of that time made less power than a sewing machine). Even though I was raised as a die hard Ford man, and my dad always had either an LTD or Grand Marquis, today I prefer a GM B body wagon. But these wagons, the Volvo and euro Buick especially, are just drop dead gorgeous to me. I bet that Mazda is really fun to drive too. Is it offered with a manual transmission? If so, that would be my pick.
I don’t think this works imho
How about a Pinto Squire with the 88hp 2.3 Lima replaced by the 310hp 2.3 Ecoboost?
Sounds like fun.
Wagons (but not SUVs) are typically my favorite body style. They offer just enough utility without compromising ride and handling. I really like all of the ones shown here, especially the VW and Volvo. If the Fusion (Mondeo) wagon was available here in the U.S., I would have bought one in a heartbeat.
If we ignore the styling-aspect, we’re certainly in the Golden Age of Station Wagons. Never, ever before there was such a variety as right now. From the B-segment to the E-segment (that’s from a Renault Clio to a Benz E-Class), there’s a wagon for everybody.
Best bang for the buck: Dacia (below) and the Skoda offerings.
Styling-wise I’m a fan of the Peugeot 508 wagon, as pictured in Jim’s article.
I absolutely love the new V90, particularly the R Design. It’s stunning!
I grew up with wagons. My Dad discovered them in 1964 with a new Pontiac Tempest. His final were a pair of early 80’s Chevy Malibu wagons. I drove them all, my favorites were that ’64 Tempest followed up by his ’68 Le Mans wagon. My current favorite is the ’18 Jaguar XK estate.
IMHO, they were the big Fords,but the Mercury Colony Parks were the essence of what the big , faux wood paneling family road trip land yachts were all about. If Lincoln made a wagon, this would be it .Still a lot nicer than ANY minivan ever built.
What’s with these punched-in grills? Volvo aping Kia? They looked like crap on ’63 Mercurys & Ramblers and they look like crap now.
…or vice-versa.
1973 Volvo 1800ES.
Eye of the beholder and all that; I like ‘em when done right.
Exhibit A.
The most beautiful wagon was the 1967 full-size Pontiac. My family had an Executive, although ours had a black vinyl roof, chrome luggage rack, rear window air deflector, and cornering lights, so it wasn’t quite as elegant as the one in this photo.
I cannot buy into the “rising beltline” styling that is now almost universal. Is this something people are really asking for? This needs to be discussed here! Yes, I am an old guy, yes my daily driver is a 940 wagon.
I’m with you. The rear seat windowsill shouldn’t be at ear level.
The golden age of wagons was when one could buy a Volvo 145/245, a Mercedes 123 or a Mercedes 124. Those three body styles were the very best designed and constructed wagons. No American came close in either measure.
As for current wagons, I too like the most expensive and least expensive best. Buick of course will screw up completely the selling of the tarted up Opel and it will fail; they should have brought the clean, lower version and called it an “Estate Wagon”. The Mazda is pretty but for the much too long front overhang; it would also fail in the USA. Buyers here are too dumb to appreciate the fine wagons Europeans have.
AOTD: Uh…sure, this is the golden age of station wagon styling—if one’s preference is for amorphous lumps that look like they’ve been through a digestive tract and all look alike no matter who made them.
Otherwise: No.
Haha, indeed!
I had a 2015 Golf SportWagen TDI SEL with the Lighting Package until earlier this year. It was a great car. I miss it.
As for wagons, what do you think of the new E-Class wagon? That’s one they do sell here.
….
I’d be interested to know how your VW fared in terms of reliablity, given the company’s somewhat controversial reputation. Must’ve done pretty well, since you have warm feelings about it; glad your experience was positive.
As for the E-Class wagon, it looks pretty good, though again it suffers from the contemporary high beltline/squashed window look, IMHO.
The VW lost enough coolant every nine or ten months to trigger a warning; other than that, it was flawless.
These new wagons are very attractive and with current styling trends their appearance is very similar. I have a soft spot for wagons, or longroofs, as I like to call them. To me these new wagons just look like a 4 door hatchback the way the roof slopes down toward the rear.
A trip to Amsterdam in 2015 left me envious of the many wagons that are only available across the pond. I was pleasantly surprised when the rental company didn’t have the Kia Rio that I had reserved and substituted a Volvo wagon with the six speed manual. I absolutely loved that car but it felt a little cramped inside. My head was nearly touching the roof. It wasn’t very well siuted for some of the narrow streets in the older villages. Still I wanted to take it home.
It’s the era of my childhood so I can say the 60s and 70s were the ones best remembered when nearly every model had a long roof version. I have a soft spot for the clamshell wagons even though the sloping rear window was not at all practical for carrying long rectangular loads that prevented the back window from closing. Not good if it’s raining. To me the 510 wagon had the best proportions of them all but I’m biased.
1965 Chrysler New Yorker station wagon is wagon perfection to me. Nothing built today even comes close.
It looks like a piece of artwork with a motor; more than just merely a car.
I dig wagons from all eras, including gargantuan overstyled American wagons, but on a global scale I think the golden age of wagon styling were the ’90s, when cars were already reasonably aerodynamic, economical and well handling but not yet useless blobs with tiny openings.
I’d say ’90s to mid-00’s. As evidence, even the Alfa 156 Sportwagon had a useful tailgate. Also, just look at it…
…and its successor, the 159 Sportwagon, was just as stunning.
Wagons have always been hot, put your hand over your heart and recite from the book of Jan and Dean.
“I got a 30 Ford wagon and we call it a woodie.
It’s not very cherry it’s and oldie but a goodie.
It ain’t got a backseat or a rear window, but it still gets me where I wanna go!
Two girls for every boy
Two girls for every boy
Two girls for every boy “
“is-this-the-golden-age-of-station-wagon-styling?”
Not in my opinion.
All of the above need more chrome and more cubic inches.
I present to you the wagon’s golden age; after this it was all down hill:
Wagons of yore, chromed out heavy barges with big v8s .
Looked great and averaged about 8 to 12 mpg. How many would be willing to purchase a Duplicate today for say $80,000 or more a copy.
They were sharp back then, but not practical any longer.
It may be the golden age of station wagon styling, but it sure isn’t the golden age of station wagon utility. Once upon a time you could slide a six-foot couch inside of a Volvo Wagon. ANY Volvo Wagon. Today, my Labrador wouldn’t fit in the back of a new V60. I think this represents the golden age of wagons- something along the lines of a ’66 Country Squire.
I’m extricably caught up with U.S. wagons as baby-boom family conveyances, an era which became the prelude to the minivan and then SUV/CUV/”tall wagons” eras that have followed.
Plus, I just can’t cotton to “aggressive” styling for our day’s wagons; seems to me they should always be family/friendly in visage.
Between the advent of DiNoc and 197x was my Golden Era, but I won’t try to proclaim a “peak” anywhere in there. Still, a fun QOTD, and lots of thoughtful responses today!
(OK, if I have to pick one, I’ll take the ’63 Country Squire—seems to balance the snazziness of DiNoc & upscale appointments with the ability to still be a weekend workhorse, without a whiff of broughaminess.)
That’s a terrific choice. Make it a 390 with a manual transmission and we’re really in business.
Not surprised to hear from you in agreement, Jason. All I could find online ticking all the drivetrain boxes was the beautifully restored ’63 Mercury—but it’s out-of-my-league “second mortgage” kind of money, so I’ll have to drive this one only in my dreams: https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/mercury/colony-park/1965695.html
I can see Hazel heading to the market right now. A white Country Squire with a red vinyl interior is the quintessential American wagon.
No. The 1960, same basic body but with a unique one year tailgate with wraparound rear window instead of the roll-down version is better. Even the tailgate handle is beautiful. The whole car is actually better.
That Volvo looks nice as sedan or wagon, but as to the question: nope.
You spot on the rigth modern wagon with a long rear overhang . Something that unfortunaly was missing on all comtemporary hatchback . Just take how the Mazda3 , the new Civic & Cruze Hb , look better in ” sedan ” form without the short trunk of the Hb. There just the new Regal who is rigth .
There ya go.
That’s a twin to the one I had. What a car. Window lines low enough for a Corgi to stand in the back and look out. A shape where form followed function but still looked great. And plenty of performance to boot. Good pick.
Sometime in 1996, Congress quietly passed the Rear Overhang Elimination Act. No one seems to know where it is in the statute books, but it’s gotta be there somewhere. As a result, production of the Roadmaster and Caprice wagons had to stop. GM used some cover story about switching the plant to trucks, but we all know it was the ROEA. A special exemption was granted, due to the efforts of police and taxi lobbyists, to allow the Panther platform sedans to continue in production for another 14 years, but Ford had to promise not to even think about building a wagon.
As the ROEA took hold, sedan decklids got smaller and smaller, and “wagons” turned into slightly glorified hatchback sedans. The giveaway is that the third window on a proper wagon should be LONGER than the door windows. But in the post-ROEA world, the opposite is almost always true. On the Volvo, they seem about equal. The government’s ROEA Enforcement Unit (a highly classified, deep-state, off-budget black-ops affair) was not amused. But that third window wasn’t quite long enough for them to take remedial action.
Until we track down and repeal the ROEA, we will not see another golden age of wagon design. This ought to be a matter of bipartisan concern.
Agreed with the fact that the rear side windows on a wagon need to be at leas as long as the rear door windows. Most of the stuff sold today is just a hatchback with a tiny bit of more room.
That is very interesting observation, is it a fact? If there is any safety engineering reason behind ROEA, rear overhang elimination act. I do notice most of SUVs now has a very small window, some of them has non, total elimination. But all full size SUVs from GM, Ford and Toyota still have large windows in the cargo area, maybe they are classified as a truck.
Every age is the golden age of station wagon styling. Ok, maybe every age except for the 90s.
I love wagons for their utility and looks. I have a 2003 BMW 3-series wagon (E46). Despite having been designed in the 90s (ahem, JPC), I think it is better looking than its sedan counterpart. It’s no Volvo Brick in the cargo area but it is still versatile and practical. I have moved futons with it.
Small wagons can also be fun to drive. I autocross mine regularly. We had an event last year where 4 wagons ran. We took a group picture at the lunch break. Mine is the green one.
I’d say we are at the lowest point ever for wagon styling. If I’m buying a wagon I want space to carry things and all of the current offerings lack much useable space due to the designers trying to make them look sporty or something.
I just bought my wife a C-Max because she wrecked her Escape and I got a really good deal on it. You can’t fit much at all in the back of it. If you look back to the Focus, Escort or even Pinto Wagon you could actually fit things in the back of them.
Honestly our old Fusion Hybrid who’s trunk was eaten into pretty good by it’s battery had more useable room in the trunk by a mile compared to the C-Max.
But hey they are unloved little blobs so they are the best value if you want a good car with good mpg on the cheap.
The soon to be C-Max is compromised because of the raised rear floor and no spare tire to accommodate the batteries. Your Fusion did not suffer as much because it is a larger car.
But the hybrid C-Max is still a smooth and quiet tall hatchback and you can indeed buy a used one at a reasonable price, and then get mileage in the 40’s. But is should be a 2016 or 2017 to get the new touchscreen system.
But the floor isn’t raised, when you fold down the very thin rear seats you have a flat load floor. Yes the spare is gone because of the battery but spares are going away in most cars anyway. The real problem is the length between rear seat when it is up and the tailgate.
Yes the Fusion is a larger size class vehicle, but in the old days a Compact wagon, which is what the C-Max is trying to be, had more usable room in the back than the trunk midsize sedan.
Now the Energi that is seriously compromised by a raised floor to fit the larger battery.
I or more importantly my wife has no interest in a touch screen so it is an SE w/o a touch screen.
Another proud C-Max owner here. It’s a roomy car, three inches wider and taller than a Golf and eight inches longer, IIRC. I saw a spec claiming 125 cu. ft of interior inside it. A lot of that is above your head- I sit low, so I can actually stretch my arm straight up and palm the ceiling! I don’t really need that much headroom, but after a lifetime of low clearances, it’s a form of luxury I can appreciate. And the scenic views of the mountains can’t be beat!
Trunk space isn’t that impressive. The Monster Mat from my Mk V fits in the C-Max hatch almost exactly. The extra room comes in the back seat area, which can be piled high with people or light cargo. If you need more space, get a roof rack.
I was dreading the touchscreen myself, but I discovered a few things that make mine (a Ti model) easier to live with: 1) It’s a big, crisp screen with deep blacks that don’t wash out in bright sunshine; 2) Every basic heat/AC and audio operation can also be done with dedicated controls, and 3) there’s a button that turns the screen off when you want to to concentrate on the road.
The C-Max is a nice car that few seem to know about. For me, that adds to the fun. I don’t think we’ll see its blend of economy, power, handling and unlimited range and longroof practicality again.
The current mostly unavailable here wagons are all kind of similar and all very nice. But maybe besides 30’s-40’s woodies, the Platonic ideal to me is the 1957 Ford Country Squire. It should be black or white.
Back in the day the French did some nice wagons like the Peugeot 504 and the Renault 21 (Eagle Medallion). I came close to buying the Eagle back in the day. I still think it was a very nicely done design.
The edit thing went away. Anyhow, both the 21 and the 504 have big windows and a bunch of added rear overhang and roofs that don’t slope down toward the back for maximum cargo room, unlike most modern wagons. Not to mention the two generations of bricks that Volvo used to make.
In the US maybe the Subaru Forester is the most bricklike big window sort of a wagon in the reasonably priced market. It could use a couple more station wagoney inches added to the rear. I would have preferred to wait a year or two for the next generation, but necessity forced me to get one last month.
As mentioned in a comment above, the Subaru Outback is a real station wagon, if a little jacked up.
I personally think there’s a lot of people out there still buying box-shaped, V8 powered station wagons. Except now they have 4WD.
Not mentioned above, the Jaguare XF SportBrake isn’t bad either.
I saw this beautiful old Pontiac Catalina at a “Cars & Coffee” this last summer. Wagons sure have changed.
CX Break
404 Break
504 Break
Volvo 145 & 245
Volvo 740 Station Wagon
Better bigger and more practical station wagons were never made again, utilitarian with a great ride, a large cargo space and practical as family transport as well.
No life style highly carpeted cargo space, we always had these in our repair company for ships, they were faster and more comfortable then a Transit van and you could travel with 4 service engineers.
Times have changed though, I just did a 2700 kilometer trip from Holland to Trieste in Italy, to help a tanker in distress, the Renault Trafic Diesel Van drives more like an SUV and is as capable as any passenged car today. I was surprised how smooth these vans are and why spend more money on an SUV.
The double cab panel van: family + business. The wagon of yore.
I certainly remember the days that wagons were only driven by all kinds of craftsmen, and that includes the local baker. Typical examples of work + family vehicles were the Ford Taunus and Opel Rekord wagons from the seventies.
I’ve been driving a friend’s Trafic; the one with the slight bump over the driver’s cabin. Only around the city, but all day. Its ergonomics are so good, I get out at the end of the day with no fatigue.
The perfect wagon has come and gone. May I present the SAAB 9-5 wagon: one of the few interesting yet practical takes on the wagon roofline, still with a big opening and clever loading options.
I do not know when the three-box design has become the default car form. My guess this trend started in late 1940s and early 1950s when the real post war models from US started to roll out for American publics who needed space for thier luggages.
I always like the two box drsign that was used to be either wagon or hatch back. Wagon is much more practical for long time until it was killed by minivan first and followed by SUV or CUV. My first time I saw a wagon when I was child in South China, it was a 1965 FSO Warszaws wagon, which was very rare in China then. I found it was more beautiful than the there box Warszaws sedan. After I moved out China in early 1980s, the wagon was still popular then. My all time favorites are Honda Civic Wagon and Mercedes-Benz W124 Wagon. Today my dream vehicle is BMW 3 series wagon with 3.0 litres inline six coupled with 6 speed manual. My guess is this has to be special ordered from dealer. More prctical one is the discontinued Acura TSX wagon.
I don’t know how good those big American wagons from mid-60s are, I would like to own Volvo 240, 740 and 940 wagons. The first generation of 740/940 wagon with its large size, over squared shape and large green house glass is the peak of wagon design.
How did the CTS-V Sport Wagon not make the cut?
Maybe because it’s an ill-proportioned, ugly beast?
Cadillac completely blew it with this “art & science” styling concept.
All the latest Volvo designs are gorgeous. The V70 being the best of them.
The VW Golf Alltrack is too clumsy for my taste.
The Mazda wagon while a looker at the moment, will look awfully dated in a few years with all its curvey lines. It might have a resurrection though in 30 yrs from now as a sought after classic.
The Opel / Buick? Looks good on photos and boring as f….ck in reality.
The Peugeot? Beautiful yet not daring enough to not look already outdated by now.
Clearly I’m a lover of wagons. The ones that you posted are some definite stunners, but so are all of the other wagon examples that have been shown as well. I don’t think that there is a “golden age” of wagons. Each era has their own beautiful wagons.
I’ve never owned a GM product (outside of 3 weeks of ownership of a 1983 Caddy), but that Buick really is a beautiful wagon. If I were in the market for getting a new car, I would really consider buying me one of those Buicks and Opel-izing it… lowered to normal ride height and removing the cladding.
Though I’ve had other forms of vehicles over the years, nothing makes me happier than a wagon that truly hauls.
Of those choices, the Volvo would be my pick. Yeah, I think whatever you have the memories of may influence your idea of the “Golden Age” station wagon. For me, it’s a tossup between the ’71-’76 GM clamshell models and their ’77-’90 predecessors. In my teens, the old clamshells were funky looking used cars that a highschooler such as myself could learn to drive and feel safe in; they were cheap to buy and dead reliable (at least the engine, certainly not the tailgate!) . . .But the newer downsized models were EVERYWHERE and admittedly, their structural design felt more rigid. Moms drove us kiddies on fieldtrips in these downsized B wagons before we got a driver’s license. I suppose since they were associated with our parents, I wanted to drive something older and “different” so that is why I fell head over heels for the older models, even with all their quirks. But their artsy fartsy tailgate design was like a lot of beautiful things; not practical in the slightest. Really, then, the trophy would go to the newer ones. They had a good design, it was both practical and stylish, and they were WAY easier to park in tight places like city streets, with a tighter turning radius, and doors that didn’t rattle. Time has made them no longer common and in some ways funky compared to modern SUVs.
Make that light blue and you have my old college ride. Very durable, with the 401 (?) V8 and light blue vinyl inside. But the inside B-pillars leaked some kind of grey glue from the shoulder belt anchor points, and the carpet looked like crap after a year – and was specially designed to trap plywood splinters in the cargo area. Still it was good for 100,000 miles with only a transmission rebuild.
Squinty little eyeglasses have been “in” for a while — maybe on their way out ? Squinty wagon rear side windows, while perhaps abhorrent, are nothing new either:
Some may think the aggressive styling of these current ‘wagons’ is golden. But squished roofs, tiny windows and hatches, with minimal cargo room makes for a glorified hatchback. Give me the boxy Wagons of the ’60s through ’80s – the rwd Volvos, various Amerfican wagons, even my little old Audi Super-90 wagon, which could haul a decent size chest-freezer, while keeping the back seat free to accommodate passengers!
Happy Motoring, Mark