Why a station wagon should be considered instead of an SUV

Station wagons combine the best of both worlds—large space and a car-like driving experience.

It's in our nature to root for outsiders, but arguing on behalf of generalists can be a bit like lobbying for more record stores to open or a return to milk bars on every street corner.

It's no secret that station wagons have been usurped by the ubiquitous, car-belittling SUV; their days as a trusted family carrier were sent back to a time when social media meant lending a magazine to someone and Bill Cosby was a beloved artist.

The Toyota Camry, Ford Falcon, and Mitsubishi Magna wagons that used to carry around the city not only shop assistants and government employees, but entire families around the country (when planes were expensive and it was always going from Sydney to Brisbane, not flying), are not just dead. , they are forgotten. 

The Falcon station wagon suffered a particularly ignominious fate, spending its last days in the notoriously carefree hands of taxi drivers.

In today's automotive market, SUVs aren't really seen as adventurous, all-terrain mobiles that go into the wild blue. They have become as synonymous with the term "family tractor" as the station wagon was 25 years ago.

It doesn't look like the humble station wagon pales in comparison to the new wave of SUVs. Designed for and loved by finicky Europeans, vans have evolved at a rapid rate that only the low-gravity springbok could match. They're better than they've ever been - for example, the Mazda6 wagon is one of the best cars you can get for the money - but it seems like very few buyers can handle sitting this close to the ground.

The good news is that Europe's appetite for station wagons continues, and some of our importers still choose to bring their station wagons, avant-gardes and touring cars here. A new version of the Mercedes-Benz C63 has just been released and the stunning Audi RS6 also deserves a mention.

What are the advantages of the universal?

Station wagons are a combination of practicality and performance, ergonomics and efficiency, economy and fun. In this respect, they are very similar to hatchbacks - their smaller counterparts.

If your life requires you to carry a huge amount of things with you, you have only two options: accept Buddhist principles and free yourself from possessions, or buy a vehicle that can carry this load.

Like SUVs, vans are a great way to accommodate both your loved ones and their gear. Rear cargo space in vans is just as large, and often larger, than comparable SUVs. Take, for example, the Hyundai i30 Tourer; its trunk is more than 60 liters larger than the new Tucson.

And don't think that because you can haul more in a van, you'll have to pay a performance or economy penalty. Well-designed low-slung trucks can glide through the air much better than SUVs, so their fuel efficiency is better, and they usually don't add too much weight, so performance is very close to that of a sedan.

Driving modern station wagons and station wagons back to back with their sedan versions, it's often hard to feel any difference at all in terms of handling unless the trunk is overloaded.

There's also the small issue of the rear air conditioning vents. To save what can only be a top ten, some SUVs don't come with them. It's almost incomprehensible that a family car doesn't come standard with an air supply for nauseating, car-sick descendants.

Finally, because vans tend to be fitted with more reasonably sized wheels and tires, replacing them won't cost an arm and two kneecaps.

And what are the disadvantages?

In the days when phones had umbilical cords, SUVs were outrageously big, outrageously expensive, and an ugly form of conspicuous consumption. The wagons were a reasonable and inexpensive option, and this was reflected in sales.

With so many road-friendly SUVs out there these days, it's a much more level playing field in terms of price, and German station wagons aren't cheap.

As with anything where cargo space is part of the cabin, there will be more road noise than in coupes and sedans.

If possible, test the sedan version against the station wagon to see if there is a measurable difference.

Because vans don't have the same high vertical bodywork as SUVs, headroom and legroom can suffer a bit.

Station wagons are still a great choice for those who want the best of both worlds.

Rear headroom, even in shooting breaks (coupe-styled station wagons), is better than an equivalent sedan or four-door coupe, but it falls short of a high-riding SUV.

So yes or no?

Station wagons offer the most space you can get while still enjoying the driving experience, so in theory they are the perfect combination of sedan and SUV.

However, off-road and soft road vehicles have stolen the station wagon market so much that they are now almost a niche product.

If the SUV is the swiss army knife of cars, then the new performance van is a well-tailored charcoal suit. It might not make much sense to ford a river, but it will stand out everywhere.

They may be as retro as dial-up internet access, but station wagons are still a great choice for those who want the best of both worlds rather than looking down on creation.

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