Wagons the dying breed, loss of two market entries

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I've always liked wagons. I like the Forenza, Focus, 6, Subbies, etc. My wife doesn't like them. Thus, we've had Explorers, Minivan, and now mini-ute. The FWD Mariner is a nice trade off: mileage = 23/26, 30 cu-ft. of cargo, etc.
 
Crossovers are too tall for my taste and most get gas mileage much worse than typical cars. If only Honda, Toyota and Nissan would bring back state of the art Accord, Camry and Maxima wagons; with awd and diesels!
 
When I was growing up, we had a bunch of wagons in my family... '92 Ford Escort, '97 Opel Vectra, '99 Nissan Primera (my dad's current car), and '03 Volvo V40 (my mom's current car). The added cargo space was the main decision why my parents bought them as they used to haul a bunch of stuff quite often. Personally, I don't care for the looks of a typical wagon, apart from maybe a couple of euro ones like the Audi A4/S4/RS4. There is something about a powerful and quick wagon that makes it appealing.
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As for the original questions about the dying breed of wagons, I agree with previous posters - in the US they are being replaced by crossover SUVs and the constant push for bigger vehicles to accomodate bigger average Americans and
offer five million cupholders.
 
I think the new RAV4 is a great wagon alternative with it's high 20 mpg and quick v-6. I liked the old one when we shopped for the CR-V 5 years ago but it had waay to little cargo space.
 
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I think the new RAV4 is a great wagon alternative with it's high 20 mpg and quick v-6. I liked the old one when we shopped for the CR-V 5 years ago but it had waay to little cargo space.




Its ok but the handling is nothing special. The v-6 is very powerful however I think the engine weight takes away from its handling and driving fun/dynamics. My sister took 4 cylinder and 6 cyl for extended test drives. I took each through the twisties and a CRV and none have anything near a sedan/wagon handling.

btw she only gets 22MPG overall with the 2007 4 cylinder AWD RAV4 and is not a lead foot. The roominess is nice though.
 
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btw she only gets 22MPG overall with the 2007 4 cylinder AWD RAV4 and is not a lead foot. The roominess is nice though.




I haven't even checked to see what the revised 08 mpg is. I know, according to the EPA site, my 02 CR-V awd auto took a hit and went from 27 or 28 down to 24. I never, ever got 27 mpg.

Hey, I saw a bit of wagon news that cancels out ALL the negatives in this thread-BMW is offering a 535 xi wagon when the model refresh appears.

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This is why Honda CRV is more of a wagon than SUV. My older 4 cyl model still gets a reasonable 25 mpg, has a more or less comparable interior space to older wagons, but cannot haul much or go off road.

I agree that most SUVs are too big and have too big engines, horrible mpg.
 
the crv isnt a wagon. a wagon is a car thats been stretched longer. had a car front end, doors, etc.

the crv is a crossover. thats the new term for a suv based on a car.
i love my crv. it gets great mileage. its got wagon like storage, but is taller inside for larger things (like my 6'5 butt.).
i never take it offroad. why bother? this is a street vehicle.
 
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Crossovers are too tall for my taste and most get gas mileage much worse than typical cars. If only Honda, Toyota and Nissan would bring back state of the art Accord, Camry and Maxima wagons; with awd and diesels!



I was going to say the almost exact same thing! Oh, the glory days of the Maxima and Accord wagons! Then the uber-ugly Camry wagon came along and ruined things forever. It's only a tiny consolation that there was an IS300 WAGON for a few years. It summed up the American marketers' attitude by being named 'Sportcross,' while still having only an automatic. HA!

SAAB 900 and 9000 hatches were the ultimate expression of wagon-like utility without the hearse look of that other Swedish wagon (at that time).

But the lack of sophisticated all-rounders like the Euro Accord (Acura TSX) wagon, Civic 5dr hatch, and Toyota Avensis wagon and Auris hatch is a reflection of the typical American buyer, who just buys on a size/price basis, like they buy everything else. Supersize me!
 
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typical American buyer, who just buys on a size/price basis, like they buy everything else. Supersize me!



LOL! Yeah, some of the GM/Ford vehicles should be priced "per lb", so that the consumers can buy the most lbs for their buck.

Chevy Trailblazer - only $4.82/lb after rebates!! Only $3.32/lb for the F-150. Jokes aside, it's actually pretty amazing how much car/truck you can get for the money.
 
Love my 07 Outback.

Handles fine and I have to say for a honest 30mpg over the road car its hard to beat.

Just got back from a 80mph avg trip up to Canada and got 30mpg average. Worst since we have owned it has been a little over 25mpg. All on reg unleaded.

Its a nice driving car. (a little tight in room for me compaired to my Corolla..)

Bill
 
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