Station Wagons should come back, amirite?

Hmmm, as a gen X kid I can see the appeal of bringing back the tail gunner position. Just a bunch of small bodies rolling around in the "way back" while the adults blasted Fleetwood Mac in the front seat. 🤣. Good times. But it would be hard to give up my "what's going on up there" perch I have in an SUV, I'm guessing that may be a factor in why they went out of fashion?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

It's more about the financial reasons in the US market. The cost to build an SUV vs. a full size station wagon is marginal but customers will pay more for an SUV and the manufacturer can skirt some regulations because of CAFE.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Exactly. Auto makers are always looking for ways to make more money off the same pickup truck chassis.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Volvo still has them and they're beautiful.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I agree. Volvo has been making beautiful wagons since the early 00s. They're some of the most stunning cars on the road today.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I still think the 1980s 240 boxy wagons are awesome. Practically indestructible, comfortable and roomy.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Honestly, my parents have an old refurbished Volvo V70, and it's an awesome car, the only negative part is its fuel efficiency

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I have an XC-70 and it's my favorite car I've ever owned. 150,000+ miles and no major maintenance. Good storage in the back, and reasonably fuel efficient for being an ‘07!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Ever been to Europe?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Even in Europe they are being replaced by SUVs

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Even in Europe the selection is getting so much worse

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Many of them are currently on their way out over here too. Ford discontinued the Mondeo two years ago, this year they ceased the Fiesta, next year the Focus… Instead we‘ll be getting these F-Series clown cars over here… can't wait /s

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The Dodge Magnum...I wanted one in high school

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Best Car ever. Absolutely loved it. Bought it because of the commercial with the "ladder surfboard hemi" just for my longboard.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I almost bought a Hemi version, until I discovered that the battery is in the back. If you can't find room for a battery in the engine room of a battleship like that, what other back-of-a-cocktail-napkin engineering does it have?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Also to add. It was the first car dodge made after the aquistion by Mercedes Benz. So technically it was Mercedes that designed it not dodge.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I had a ‘94 Oldsmobile custom cruiser wagon. That thing was a beast! Now I've got a ‘17 ford escape. I like the escape better, but give me a real station wagon with good gas mileage and I'd be happy.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I feel like the crossover has replaced the station wagon.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I would have bought an awd station wago rather then an suv if there was one that met my criteria.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Oh man the old amc Eagle

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I've always been partial to the 1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. I was always struck by how cool the roof windows were halfway back that allowed anyone in the back a nice view upwards.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Bring em back. With wood paneling!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

It's the car bill they passed making large trucks cheaper to make so they just make everything a huge truck instead of a sensible car with trunk space.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Freaking CAFE

by Anonymous 8 months ago

been driving a wrx wagon last 12 years, great car, can carry lawnmower, lumber, camping gear, and still rip around corners and gravel roads. Tows ok too.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

This isn't unpopular with anyone but automakers.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Listen, I did my part and bought a TourX. I love it and it has more room than the crossovers that are replacing wagons. Which brings me to - the real unpopular opinion seems to be that crossovers are NOT wagons.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The Dodge Magnum tried this and failed.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

It was A) A Dodge from the depths of the Daimler days, and B) Ugly before Dodge ugly became a sellable trait again

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Hard to argue against this.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

100%. I want my dad wagon damnit!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I have a 2007 Prius (hatchback) and it can hold twice as much stuff as my wife's full sized sedan. When I figured that out I realized why a station wagon was such a good car. I will never have a sedan or coupe again. I don't need an SUV, but I do need the trunk to be the same height and width as the rest of the car (with back seats that fold flat).

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Yes please! I love a good station wagon. My old Volvo was one of my favorite cars ever. Hell, a solid chunk of US small SUVs are basically just station wagons with raised suspension and body effects.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I prefer sedans bc I'm tall and its easier to look down into a trunk then a hatch

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Yes, our government shouldn't be forcing our car-buying choices via regulations that have no *bona fide* safety rationale.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Mega based, station wagons are superior to SUVs in nearly every way

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The reason SUVs are popular and Station Wagons have become extinct despite them offering the same thing is perceived safety. Mother's (who are the primary target market of SUVs) by in large feel safer in what is essentially a small tank then in what feels like a sedan.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Crossovers are basically the stationwagons of this era.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I loved the dodge magnum

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Well you can still buy an old station wagon I'm sure. I'd prefer convertibles and coupes to become popular again. I absolutely hate sedans, trucks, wagons, hatchbacks and SUVs. Not everyone is hauling around a bunch of people.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I only got an SUV for multiple dogs. I ended up impulse buying an older used convertible about 3-4 years later because I missed the fun. So my garage is full

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons are perfect! If you need more space, minivans. If you need less of everything, but want to compensate for something: SUVs FTW

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons are roomier than SUV's in general. But people don't want room, road holding and fuel efficiency but the king of the road feel of the high driving position and usually false sense of safety of a heavy and high car. If I remember correctly it came about because the USA made environmental and safety regulation exceptions for the 'light truck'. And that's too big a market for Mercedes, Porsche and BMW, and now the European consumer and all other brands, even Lamborghini, Jaguar, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Maserati, have followed. A roof line tax or a wieght maximum will be the only thing that helps.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The station wagons of yesteryear have been replaced by the compact AWD SUV. Far cheaper than a proper 4WD full size, with better capability than the 2WD station wagons of old.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons can be 4wd if you really need it…

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons are more popular than ever. They're just a little taller now.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Minivans are the "station wagon" option from most manufacturers.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I think SUVs are station wagons.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

They have. It's called a Crossover and almost everyone makes one

by Anonymous 8 months ago

What's a station wagon

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons should comeback as they're safer, especially for people outside of the car. Current SUV's and trucks are so big and the driver is so high, that getting hit is instant death. Not to mention you cannot see what's in front you.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The reason is car seats. Having put a child in a car seat in an SUV vs a conventional car, at least for somebody my height (5'11"), it's much easier in an SUV. The station wagon was popular before car seats were required.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

No, the reason are taxes. If I remember correctly there was a change in tax code some time ago (70's? 80's?) where gov imposed higher taxes on passenger vehicles, but they stayed low for trucks, so car companies turned trucks into suv to benefit from that lower tax, later it sonwballed. Now it's a trend and a safety thing since if everybody is driving a tank you cannot be safe in a regular car - you did it to yourself. SUV's have basically nothing going for them in relatively, but right now you do not have a choice since there are only suvs to choose from, which perpetuates the problem even more.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

That was the reason for the start, but not the popularity. Unless you've spent five years with kids and car seats, you wouldn't know.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I've spent even more, but since I wasn't 80 when I had kids, I dealt with it just fine.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The Ford Flex is basically a station wagon.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

SUV is a station wagon.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I somewhat agree. Most small to mid-size SUVs are just tall station wagons.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

No?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

It is the same exact thing. Front seats, back seats, space in the back with a door that lifts up where mom could put her groceries.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

My Wrangler is listed as a Station Wagon on my michigan registration. Does that count? I've always loved wagons. I really wanted a Dodge Magnum SRT, but count afford. I'm always jealous of all the awesome wagons Europe has that never get to cross the ocean

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Wife drives an E-Class 350 wagon. Even has a rumble seat in the back!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I had a VW station wagon when I was stationed in Germany. I'd buy one today if they sold them here.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The Volvo wagons are still here. They're just $70,000

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Buy a Euro, their VERY popular in Europe. also, Bitches love wagons....

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I always went for the wagon version of a car. Ford Escort wagon, Toyota Matrix. Now I have a minivan, basically a big ol' station wagon. If only they still came with the wooden panels. :-) We rented a mid sized suv once for the all-wheel drive, and I was shocked how little storage it actually had.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Basically what a " cross over" is

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I dont think this is unpopular at all

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I want an el Camino style vehicle for my bikes and medium sized object (boxes and stuff that don't fit in my sedan).

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I have fond memories of our Ford LTD station wagon from my childhood. When me and my brother's started our construction company, all we could afford was a Taurus station wagon. The thing was always packed and amazingly the engine was bulletproof. Such great memories. I sure appreciate those times.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I especially love the station wagons that had the rear facing back seat.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Not unpopular. I agree completely!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Dodge magnum RT is the ultimate car. Fast, can fit 10' boards in it, a whole family and groceries…limits are endless!

by Anonymous 8 months ago

SUVs benefit from relatively lax requirement applied to "trucks" as compared to cars. That's one of the reasons for their popularity, and certainly one of the reasons why something like a station-wagon hasn't reemerged, even as folks seek more car-like experiences from "crossovers" etc.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

How do you feel about wood panels? I seriously wouldn't mind an all wheel drive mini van.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Station wagons weren't selling, and until the few available get a big jump in sales, they won't make a comeback.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

They are just called hatchbacks now. The old station wagons with the reverse back seat was (surprise) unsafe, and a death seat if in an accident.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I feel like my husband wrote this lol.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Bro this is a very popular opinion

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I tried to sell my fiancé on a BMW wagon as a family vehicle. Major pushback for lifting out of a car seat & the general look of them.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I read somewhere that mileage regulations in vehicle design is why there are no more Station-Wagon looking cars anymore, and why so many have the look-alike light SUV/Hatchback design now. The regulations were waived for 'work' trucks, which explains the behemoth pavement princess that is the rest of the market.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Aren't these called "crossovers" now? Basically sedan-sized SUVs?

by Anonymous 8 months ago

The massive American wagons of the 70s and 80s aren't coming back but the Euro style wagon is still alive and well.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

Fuel economy and federal mandates. I know you said: >Station wagons have most of the advantages of sedans (cheaper, lighter, better handling, won't roll over, better mileage)... and yes, wagons have BETTER mileage. You are correct. So how is fuel economy promoting a LESS fuel efficient option? It starts with CAFE standards. The Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards says that cars have to meet ever higher fuel economy standards and SUVs and trucks have to meet lower standards (that are rising, but will ALWAYS be less than cars,) so manufacturers get a pass for larger trucks so they don't have to meet the higher fuel mileage standards. If you add that cars have to meet higher crash standards every year, which adds weight, it makes those fuel economy standards even harder to achieve. Also, add to it that SUVs have higher seating positions, and more room for people who are larger, and the dollars are going to SUVs more than wagons. So financially speaking, the SUVs don't eat up development dollars and sell for more than wagons would, so manufacturers build what is selling.

by Anonymous 8 months ago

I love wagons so much. One of my dream cars is a ‘57 Chevy Nomad.

by Anonymous 8 months ago