What's wrong with a wagon?

The crossover-happy US seems to dislike station wagons, though they are popular in other countries. A few automakers are looking to bring back the wagon love.

|
Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff/File
Jessica Tavernier fills the tank of her Jetta station wagon with diesel fuel in Framingham, Mass., while Troy Flagg and her dog, Ripsy, mug for the camera in this February 2012 file photo. Station wagons get a bad rap in the US, but some automakers are looking to change that.

While wagons are popular in many parts of the world, consumers in the U.S. seem to dislike wagons. Instead, crossovers seem to be the more popular choice, but why? Today's question is: why wouldn't you buy a wagon?

Crossovers are often hailed for their "car-like" driving qualities--but what's more car-like than a car? Yet, for some reason consumers are more interested in crossovers than station wagons. Thankfully, some auto makers are still selling wagons in the U.S. marketplace.

Audi is currently launching its new 2013 Allroad here in the U.S. But Audi isn't calling it a wagon. Instead it is marketing it similar to the Subaru Outback and the new 2013 XV Crosstrek, not a full crossover, but not a station wagon. With puffed up fender flares, skid plates, and decent ground clearance, the Allroad can tackle the dusty trail while hauling all your gear. Audi actually dropped the A4 Avant in favor of the new Allroad for the U.S. market.

If you want an American station wagon you'll have to head to your Cadillac dealership and take a look at the 2013 CTS Sport Wagon. Wearing Cadillac's Art & Science design language like a tight fitting dress, the CTS Sport Wagon features sharp angles and terrific style. While the 3.6-liter V-6 is powerful, there's also a fire-breathing supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 producing 556 horsepower available in the CTS-V Sport Wagon.

Both of the above wagons are fine examples of vehicles that are more than fit for duty when it comes to hauling the kids to soccer practice when compared to many compact crossovers. They feature enough cargo room to fit all the soccer balls and juice boxes, while still getting sedan-like fuel economy.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to What's wrong with a wagon?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/0807/What-s-wrong-with-a-wagon
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe