Wagons the dying breed, loss of two market entries

[ekpolk]

If handled properly, our 3.0L Vulcan pushrod powered 1990 Mercury Sable Wagon could sustain 30+ mpg highway. This is something that none of the current crop of popular SUVs can manage, and the crossovers are closer, but most still suck gas terribly (IIRC, the new Ford is EPA rated for only 24 hwy). We should be demanding -- and getting -- wagon utility in vehicles that perform BETTER than a wagon of 18 years ago. But no, we get "sport" utility vehicles that provide roughly the same utility (unless you really need off-road access) but suck down 2x the fuel. And now gas costs $3 per gallon...

 

[dhise]

My 14 year old subaru is the first wagon I've owned and I have to say it's the most utilitarian vehicle I've owned. With the on demand 4x4 it gets a little better mileage than the dedicated AWD setups. The best mileage so far has been 34mpg. It'll go just about anywhere an suv can go and luckily it's a manual trans so I can make the most of all 90hp!

I certainly like it a whole lot better than the bronco 4x4 I owned years ago...

-Doug

 

[HM12460]

back in the day i really liked my 1972 ford country squire. that was back when ford made a pretty good car for the money. things sure have changed. the value of these old american built wagons are really going up. check some out on e-bay.

 

[Aldaris]

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Good riddance. Can't wait for the ugly Volvo wagons to go too!

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At least Volvo raced them and won several races with them.

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You don't have to start with me. I know. I know that they can go very fast and handle very well. The only reason I don't like them is because their drivers (that I have seen..) are generally BUFFOONS. Inattentive buffoons who accelerate to 60 in about 30 seconds.

 

[ShiningArcanine]

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Wagons here are called SUV's.

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Station wagons and SUVs are different. Station wagons are similar to sedans in their ground clearance, cabin interior (in the driver and passenger areas), tires, appearance, etcetera. They are not made for off-road driving. SUVs are different in all of those respects.

 

[dhise]

This wagon does pretty good offroad!

 

[ALS]

Do you guys remember the first real crossovers ?
The AMC Eagles
The problem was they were 10 years ahead of their time.

 

[ekpolk]

...and then there was the AMC Pacer -- sorta "wagonoid," sorta not. Of course, it was neither ahead nor behind the times. It existed in a world of its own, a dimension of time and space that was out of step with everything else.

 

[CBDFrontier06]

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Do you guys remember the first real crossovers ?
The AMC Eagles
The problem was they were 10 years ahead of their time.

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LOVED the Eagle...always wanted an SX/4 when I lived in Wyoming. 4x4 utility without the bulk of a truck. Some friends of mine had an all-original 87 sedan until a year ago...traded it on an Impala and she really misses her Eagle.

 

[gedcruise]

Probably the best car I have ever owned was an '86 Honda Civic Wagon. Put over 200K on it. Plenty of room for four, decent performance, great handling, great fuel econonmy, and ample space for everyone's bags. Also, there was room in the back for our Great Pyrenees dog (think of a Newfoundland with attitude, or a Black Lab with a thick white 'fro), and we could use the roof rack for our bags. Four wheel drive, in two flavors over the years, was available. The wagon shape is ideal for utility, especially in a small car. Too bad not many Americans favor utility over their own, tacky, ideas of style.
IMHO, there is nothing tackier than an individual commuting by him or herself in an SUV, but what do I know?

 

[BearZDefect]

I remember the Ford Country Squire. THAT was a wagon.

Small wagons ARE back: Fit, Versa, Yaris, etc. Very handy now that the "small sedans" have become Jetson mobiles. Ex, the Honda fit seems so much like a modern Civic wagon, while the current generation Civic is hardly suitable for "civic" duty anymore, it is just a nice, expensive "small" car mostly intended for front seat use IMHO.

 

[moribundman]

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Do you guys remember the first real crossovers ?
The AMC Eagles
The problem was they were 10 years ahead of their time.

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Bah, the Matra Talbot (Simca) Rancho came out in 1977:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matra_Rancho

 

[crw]

YES! I learned to drive in a 1971 Ford LTD Country Squire wagon. With genuine (gen-U-Wine) fake wood panels on the sides! And,... AND, a 460 V8 under the hood.

The very day I turned 16 I got my license, rounded up 15 of my friends and headed for the falls. Now that was a people mover!

 

[beanoil]

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I keep bringing mine back to life:

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I had to drive one of those in the early 80's as a company car. Worst 3 years of automobile experience in my life. No part or parcel of that car was in any way related to Ford's "better idea", or "quality is job 1" mantra. Darn near got fired for being late to work so often, until the fleet manager, me, and the boss had a little chat. Ms. Fleet reviewed all the service issues for no start's, and bossman got me a Dodge Caravan, beginning 3 years of transmission issues, and a failed oil pump, but at least the dang thing started and ran.

 

[Volvohead]

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Good riddance. Can't wait for the ugly Volvo wagons to go too!

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At least Volvo raced them and won several races with them.

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You don't have to start with me. I know. I know that they can go very fast and handle very well. The only reason I don't like them is because their drivers (that I have seen..) are generally BUFFOONS. Inattentive buffoons who accelerate to 60 in about 30 seconds.

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Unless they're driving one of these, which rockets to 60 in under 6 seconds and does corners, too.

Not the typical Volvo wagon.

 

[rjundi]

I will add a picture very similar to my car freshman year in college, I loved AWD after owning this car. It was unstoppable in the snow, fording 6" deep rivers and muddy fields used as parking lots turned to soup.

My love of AWD wagons continues with my 2004 Subaru WRX and and wife's Subaru Legacy GT wagon.

 

[crw]

Augh! How could I forget the Matra Talbot (Simca) Rancho!

 

[1sttruck]

"Station wagons and SUVs are different. Station wagons are similar to sedans in their ground clearance, cabin interior (in the driver and passenger areas), tires, appearance, etcetera. They are not made for off-road driving. SUVs are different in all of those respects."

Yup, some SUVs have no more ground clearance than a Taurus, are taller so they roll easier, get worse mileage, and cost 2 to 3 times as much. I guess it helps to put spinners on your SUV though, along with low profile street tires to reduce that ground clearance some more.

Some SUVs are expensive, dumb station wagons, others are actually designed for some off road use, or at least for use in deeper snow.

 

[Jimbo]

I have to disagree with the crowd here, it was the minivan that replaced the station wagon, at least for the masses. If you look at the original Dodge Caravan, and a Dodge Aries wagon side-by side, they look the same except the van is taller. More recently, the Honda Accord wagon was dropped in favor of the Oddysey and Camry wagon was replaced by the Sienna. In those cases, the platform and powertrain are almost identical.

I learned to drive in a 1965 Impala wagon, hardly a great fuel economy choice compared to the same vintage Suburban. It may have been quicker and handled marginally better on bias-ply 14 inch tires, but it certainly didn't stop better with tiny unassted drums all-around. It did function as an SUV in that it could carry 4x8 plywood inside and we took it off-road desert camping.

 

[sciphi]

I have a Hyundai Elantra wagon that is perfect for me. It gets good fuel mileage, holds a lot of stuff, handles well, accelerates well, is cheap (not necessarily easy) to maintain, comfortable for cross-country drives, and can be modified endlessly with Hyundai Tiburon parts. It out-scoots SUV's on the highway. Oh, did I mention it's a manual?