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I would revive the suggestion of a Volvo V60 if you are ok with spending a bit more. I was in a similar place, I used to have Subaru and found it be one of my least favorite cars (maybe placing just ahead of the 1996 Taurus Wagon). I live up north, so I ended up going with an XC70, which I think might be a bit more rugged and heavy than you likely need, but this has been one of my favorite cars. People will hem and haw about the higher repair costs, but they aren't that terrible, and I figure if you have the money to get a Volvo, you have the money to repair it. One thing to note, Volvos are over engineered, which in my book is not a negative. However, they are not drive-until-something-breaks vehicles like a Subaru (or until your head gaskets blow). When something is making a weird noise, or you get a message from the in-car computer, get it fixed! If you drive until something breaks, some other things will also break with it, leading to the complaints that people have of 'cascading repairs' - note that these cascading repairs tend to be centered around similar vehicle systems (e.g. my struts went, then a tie rod end, then a control arm bushing, etc.).
Also, get the I5 with the turbo, I love that engine, it has a great sound and moves pretty darn well. I don't know if the I5 is available with FWD though. Don't get the I4, it has the stupid E-drive thing that another poster complained about. It gets you 37 mpg on the highway, but I didn't find it to be that fun a car to drive.
It's like a fat Focus. Somewhere between a Focus and a Fusion. Hybrid, but surprising power, and crazy room. Also cheap as hell, since the general reaction is like JWG's. It's a total Euro import.
let me see if i can find and test a CPO TSX wagon..........
The TSX weighs the same as the Outback and has a slightly smaller engine with less torque.
You could probably save yourself some money by getting sport springs and upgraded brakes installed on the Outback, as the TSX wagon is awfully close to it in overall spec.
My vote would be for the BMW 328xi. I searched Autotrader and found 477 nationwide. Being the end of the model year, and since wagons aren't hot sellers, I can't believe you couldn't find a very good deal on one.
Alternate choices would be the Volvo V60, but keep in mind it is small, and the Golf Sportwagen.
it just doesn't make sense that the carmakers have not made a utility vehicle for people who still like to DRIVE
It's also not true.
That's what the Porsche Cayenne is for.
However it's as small market because most people solve this problem by owning an SUV and a sports car rather than trying to combine 2 uses that are almost completely at odds with one another.
It's like a fat Focus. Somewhere between a Focus and a Fusion. Hybrid, but surprising power, and crazy room. Also cheap as hell, since the general reaction is like JWG's. It's a total Euro import.
I like the C-Max... lots of room, easy to see out, more power than a Prius.
But it's a people mover.
OK, we recently went through the process a few months ago.
My wife had been driving a Cadillac SRX V8 wagon. Nice car. Good power (320hp...) Decent handling. very nice interior, seats, etc. Great long distance cruiser as well as perfect around town grocery getter. She even used it quite a bit to tow her Formula V race car. Unfortunately, they redesigned the SRX to the point where we didn't care for it anymore.
Her first choice was a new Cadillac CTS-V wagon. We searched up and down the west coast, and just couldn't find a single dealer who had one.
So, we began looking at other choices. In the past we had a Mercedes E-class wagon, and a C-class wagon. Both with the 3.2L V6. Both very good cars. I drive a Mercedes E550 coupe, which is really a blast. Unfortunately, MB decided not to sell it in a wagon version. They sell the E350, with the six cylinder, and the E63 wagon. The E350 wagon felt pretty sluggish, so we were pretty close to getting the E63 wagon. Then the local Mercedes dealer hosed me around on some warranty work on the E550 and we said, screw them, we're not buying another car from those clowns, at least not right now...
I wanted to at least try the more common wagons; Subaru, VW Jetta, Audi. So we test drove each extensively:
Subaru Outback. Inadequate power & mushy CVT trans. Cheap interior materials. Tinny feel to body. Mediocre ride. Imprecise steering, too-soft spring rates, all lead to inferior handling. Whole thing felt like it was struggling all the time, and overall felt really cheapo. Frankly, we're used to driving higher level vehicles and the Subaru felt like it was built as cheaply as possible while trying for an illusion of "luxury"... We felt it was a "costume" car, (like a Prius...) with all the tacked on plastic trim, etc. Trying to look like a psuedo-offroad vehicle. The average person will be fine with it.
Jetta "Sport"Wagon. Felt even cheaper than the Subaru. The vaunted TDI was really slow, in spite of the supposed "torquey" reputation. We've got two turbodiesels already in the garage, and this little motor was a cheap imitation of either our Chevy Duramax diesel, or the nice big CAT in our motorhome. I realize totally different execution and target, but the VW really did not have the fat torque I'm used to. Combined with a noisy, harsh ride & cheapo interior trim: not acceptable for us. Plus, it was front wheel drive... No thanks, no sale...
Audi Allroad. Really wanted to like this car. Almost the exact same mechanical specs as what we did buy... nice interior. Well finished. Good solid body feel. Ungainly plastic fender flares attempting to mimic the Outback, I'm guessing? The Allroad drove fairly well, but felt less precise than we like. Good interior sound level. Good solid ride. Overall; it's a pretty good car, but not a great car...
THE WINNER:
2015 BMW 328i. X-Drive (all wheel drive)
Very similar powertrain to the Audi: Turbo 2.0 liter four, with a fantastic eight speed trans. Typical "3 Series", meaning almost perfect balance. All wheel drive making it incredibly stable, and really good in snow, wet grass, etc... Very well engineered, superb handling & ride. Gorgeous interior, high level of finish. Good cargo space, very usable. We also briefly looked at the BMW SUV's, but they simply did not drive as well as the 328 wagon.
Not cheap, but very, very good.
Pretty good summary. I think the MB would have compared well to the BMW...but is a bit different and as stated not cheap. I'm not going to look models now, (Google is your friend) but Volvo probably has a decent wagon offering. Check it out.
Audi is remiss again by keeping its 'good' wagons in Europe (based on A6 and RS6). Caddy dropped wagons altogether too.
MB should offer one here with a decent intermediate engine. They have "OK'/$$$ and "Gorilla"/$$$$$ versions at polar opposites in price and performance.
I think Acura stopped offering their ho-hum wagon version in 2014 or 2015. It wasn't interesting enough for me to look up again. I will continue to repair/maintain my 2005 Saab Aero Sportwagon and save a bushel of bucks BUT it isn't a winter car so am looking for a good solution, which will probably sadly be a sedan.
A few manufacturers are now making 5 dr hatchbacks in larger cars but some are just too pricey and a nice wagon still would be better...oh well, I'll just dream on
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