I agree with you, I liked the old wagons. Best driving/handling car I ever owned was a 63 ford wagon. Got about 20mpg on the highway too. Now own a Toyota Sienna, same milage and a lot more convenient to get into and out of, not too high. More comfortable also. Gotta watch it on ice and show though. Have you checked out the Scion xB? Low, lots of room, 4 doors, good milage, dependable, and inexpensive, (under $20,000). REALLY ugly, but she might like it. Won’t work if you haul the dogs AND Mom, though!
Myself, I’ll keep the Sienna and haul a trailer, Mom, two one-hundred lb dogs, and my 230 lb son at 20+ mpg and put a small ramp or step outside Mom’s sliding door. 4 way powered drivers seat. By the way, it’s 13 inches from the ground to the floorboards (no rise to step over) and 29 inches ground to seat. Not high at all. My 88 year old mother used to love getting into and out of it cause it was so easy. A new one will get 100000 miles with normal maintainence and no repairs. I usually sell my Toyota’s at 200000 miles simply 'cause I’m tired of driving them.
Also, the OP stated he was looking at Volvo V70 which is close in size to a late 70?s early 80?s station wagon. Most of those station wagons had a V8 with a 4 barrel.
One of the best handling/driving SUVs/van/wagons ever made was the short lived Toyota Privia in rwd/awd…but w/o FWD, it had comparably poor space utilization. Great concept, poor execution and acceptance.
I haveta 3rd the Ford Flex opinion. Never been in one myself, but they certainly look neat IMO. Though still a little truckish I suppose, it looks like a good compromise btwn excessive SUV and large family sedan. The reviews I’ve read seem to be pretty good for the most part too.
I have to admit though, that I too miss the true wagon. Many a childhood memory do I have in the rear-facing back seat of the ol’ Olds Custom Cruiser (with faux wood paneling).
I also have transported an elderly somewhat crippled person, in both with both a Saturn sedan and a 4WD F150. It was easier to lower her into the sedan than elevate her into the truck cab. It may depend a lot on the particular disability and the level of the particular vehicle.
I also think several of the lower profile “SUVs” and “Crossovers” and “Minivans” might have most (if not all) of the old station wagon characteristics you are looking for. I think the terms, however, are pretty meaningless, since you could find vehicles from each category that would look like almost the same design while others would look entirely different. Some SUV/crossovers have very little storage room behind the rear seat, at tiny fraction of what my dad’s mid-60s Ford Falcon stationwagon had. Some have a lot of rear room, though, if you fold the rear seat down. Even a Pontiac Vibe, which gives a very flat deck in back.
Consumer tastes killed the station wagon. You can dress it up however you want, and rant and rave about a conspiracy, but most people with your needs opt for a minivan or an SUV and live quite nicely with the results. The rear seat of most minivans folds down, and it should be at least as easy for the old woman to get in and out with a 4 foot wide door opening compared to a regular car door.
Mazda had the 6 wagon for a few years, but the demand wasn’t there.
I am very happy with my 03 VW Passat wagon. Lots of space, fast, handles well, fairly reliable. Still have original shocks, mufflers, etc, only problem as been two CV joints that I had to replace.
However, the Passat is going away, and I don’t know if the new model has a wagon version.
I fully agree with some of the other posts that say the two reasons for the demise of the wagon are…the SUV and the minivan. Both are more space efficient, practical and the 2wd full frame rwd SUV which is popular in the south, handles well even when fully loaded with a greater weight capacity.