# The return of the station wagon? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 10, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067 "2017-03-10T23:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/1 "2017-03-10T23:04:53Z")
[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-10/station-wagons-are-back-to-cure-suv-fatigue?cmpid=BBD031017\_BIZ&utm\_medium=email&utm\_source=newsletter&utm\_campaign=bloombergdaily](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-10/station-wagons-are-back-to-cure-suv-fatigue?cmpid=BBD031017_BIZ&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=bloombergdaily) šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/2 "2017-03-11T00:49:01Z")
Theyā€™re sort of on the ugly side, but Iā€™d prefer driving one to an SUV. Many SUVā€™s donā€™t handle very well, seem top heavy. Feels like you are riding in a boat. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 12:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/3 "2017-03-11T00:52:10Z")
Sports car, yes. Sedan, yes. Stationwagon, no. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/4 "2017-03-11T01:19:37Z")
Isnā€™t a Subaru Forester a station wagon marketed under an assumed name: mini SUV? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/5 "2017-03-11T01:50:07Z")
My son has a new Audi station wagon. The all wheel drive model. The Audi website even refers to it as a station wagon. > [@shanonia](#): > > Isnā€™t a Subaru Forester a station wagon I agree. Others Iā€™m sure will feel differently. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/6 "2017-03-11T02:17:23Z")
I donā€™t see anything new and/or significant in that article It seems all the station wagons they mentioned were high-end brands. Itā€™s been like that for years now. Whenā€™s the last time there was a non-loaded Chevy or Ford station wagon. There hasnā€™t been a Camry station wagon in 20 years, I think. Remember the Chevy Celebrity station, wasnā€™t that 30 years ago? So to sum it up, I donā€™t see any ā€œreturn of the station wagonā€ at all Perhaps others will read the article and see it differently As weā€™ve mentioned on this website countless times, station wagons were replaced by minivans and suvs ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/7 "2017-03-11T02:25:11Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > It seems all the station wagons they mentioned were high-end brands. Good observation. When I was a kid in the '50s and '60s, station wagons were affordable family utility cars. Iā€™m unaware of any modern station wagon designed/priced for average working families. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/8 "2017-03-11T04:45:49Z")
Useless article. A ā€œcomebackā€ at the same time sales have dropped 50%? Donā€™t think so. 0.1% of the market isnā€™t going to affect anything. ---
**Author:** ![meanjoe75fan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/meanjoe75fan/32/552_2.png) [@meanjoe75fan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/meanjoe75fan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 6:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/9 "2017-03-11T06:27:45Z")
Dunnoā€¦Iā€™ve seen Caprice-bodied SWs done up niceā€¦pinstriping, rims, engine mods. At heart, youā€™re dealing with a SBC, easily customizable, and the same ā€œlarge sedanā€ body that has been ā€˜rodded the world over. You get to have your ā€œfun toy,ā€ and yet you also get to carry 8 passengers, or a 4ā€™X8ā€™ sheet of plywood, when the situation requires it. Seems like a whole lot less emasculating way of approaching middle age than the inevitable minivanā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 12:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/10 "2017-03-11T12:27:18Z")
I look at small SUVs like the Forester as the equivalent of station wagons built with a passenger compartment with more head space and a higher seating arrangement. So station wagons have never really gone away (mu opinion). The need for that type of auto was always there. In fact I went from a Passat wagon to a Forester. Same storage space, about same size, but you sit a bit higher. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/11 "2017-03-11T13:13:40Z")
The article makes a brief mention of the Subaru Outback, even though it fails to mention that it has been the best-selling station wagon for many years. Even Consumer Reports classifies the Outback as a station wagon, rather than as an SUV, or even a cross-over. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/12 "2017-03-11T13:22:46Z")
I believe the term ā€œstation wagonā€ goes back to horse drawn carriages designed to shuttle passengers and luggage to and from train depots. Limousines and sedans also were originally types of horse drawn carriages. Todayā€™s crossover SUVā€™s are really station wagons even if we donā€™t call them that. My Yaris liftback is really a small station wagon come to think of it. Whatever happened to panel trucks? ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/13 "2017-03-11T14:34:40Z")
Panel trucks turned in to vans. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/14 "2017-03-11T14:44:30Z")
Is the Venza close enough to call a Camry station wagon? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/15 "2017-03-11T15:13:37Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > Is the Venza close enough to call a Camry station wagon? Perhaps, but that model was discontinued ~2 years ago. If it had sold in sufficient numbers, it would likely still be in production. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 6:22pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/16 "2017-03-11T18:22:22Z")
You guys mention Subarus But they are considered high tech and fancy cars, not comparable with the simple family station wagons of years past Which further reinforces my earlier comment, that no plain jane station wagons are being sold in the US, and havenā€™t been, for a long time ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/17 "2017-03-11T19:16:36Z")
I wouldnā€™t consider Subarus as more high tech and fancy than the general run of cars on the market these days, except for the AWD systems they use. A simpler present-day stand-in for the station wagon would be a base Dodge Caravan. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/18 "2017-03-11T19:27:20Z")
Weā€™ll just have to disagree about Subaru, in that case But I do see your point about the base Dodge Caravan . . . it serves the same purpose, in any case ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/19 "2017-03-11T20:44:15Z")
It seems that the original station wagons were the result of car makers streaching the roofs of their sedans rearward and replacing the trunk lid with a tailgate. How close do Crossovers come to that description? ---
**Author:** ![BillRussell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/billrussell/32/3179_2.png) [@BillRussell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BillRussell)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 8:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067/20 "2017-03-11T20:46:26Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > Subarus > But they are considered high tech and fancy cars disagree. The bottom of the line Forester, for example, sells for about $22k [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/the-return-of-the-station-wagon/101067.md?page=2)