Published Jan 30, 2011 on blogspot.com
Throughout the automobile history of almost 125 years, every major manufacturer has at some point in time produced a Station Wagon or Estate version of its most successful sedans. Some European manufacturers have launched a few models as estate only versions. Like other models, they have seen success and failures. In America however, wagons have never been able to enjoy the same success which sedans have seen.
In Europe wagons are one of the most popular body types for family or personal transportation. They offer the comfort and driving pleasure of a car and can carry enormous amount of cargo. To me, this is one of the most sensible forms of family transportation. In the world's largest automobile market however, they account for less than 1% of total sales. The reason for this was pretty clear till the economy and oil prices started hitting us hard. Cheap oil for decades and the American culture of "make e'm big" meant that if you need a car with more space, you buy a SUV. SUV's kept growing in size and soon became the strategy of the big three. How else do you explain the Explorer, Expedition, Excursion, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Durango, Aspen etc. I recollect just a few wagons being launched in the States in the past two decades as compared to the vast numbers of models for other body types. The general population could never realize the practicality of a station wagon and the manufacturers kept flooding their minds with newer and bigger SUVs.
Since the past couple of years though, the perception of estates in states seems to be changing. The Jetta TDI wagon has gained good popularity. Though this can be attributed more towards its TDI engine (I will cover diesel cars in my next post), it has at least done the job of getting a foot in the door. The most bold attempt has come from from GM. The Cadillac CTS wagon comes across as a practical sports car with loads of luggage space. The CTS-V wagon however will satisfy the souls of a few power hungry and wallet heavy folks. I am doubtful how many would buy a wagon which has in excess of 500 horsepower and use it for trips to the grocery store but I do commend GM for taking this step nonetheless. Hyundai America seems keen to bring the Sonata Wagon (known as the i40 internationally). That along with the Elantra touring would give Hyundai a product leadership in this segment. Acura is also trying to create a space for itself in this tiny segment by bringing in the TSX Wagon.
I am very hopeful that the public perception on estates would change soon and we will see more of such cars entering the market. I am sure I will buy one some day. As of today, my favorite is a BMW 5 series wagon or the 528i Gran Turismo.