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My boyfriend has an impreza hatchback and when he got it, the dealer referred to it as a wagon. It does resemble the old our backs.
The Impreza ceased being a wagon (irrespective of what the dealer said it was) when the body style changed in 2008. The cargo capacity dropped rather dramatically.
First they eliminated the station wagon due to the "soccer mom" image
The soccer mom image started with the Ford Explorer in the mid-90s, when everyone all of a sudden decided they needed a higher-riding vehicle to haul Junior and a few of his teammates to practice. Wagons had nothing to do with the soccer mom stereotype, nor were they eliminated, as elimination implies total absence.
Not really. Wagons are still wagons, but there are fewer and fewer of them. Crossovers are taller wagons/hatchbacks that have taken over market share from smaller wagons, hatchbacks and sedans.
Yup. They serve the same role as wagons, with the exception that they are easier to get in and out of, have a more natural seating position once inside, are easier to load kids and cargo in. In every way they are more practical than wagons or sedans, without being minivans or overly large SUVs like my Suburban (which was called a wagon before the term SUV was popularized in the '90s).
Yup. They serve the same role as wagons, with the exception that they are easier to get in and out of, have a more natural seating position once inside, are easier to load kids and cargo in. In every way they are more practical than wagons or sedans,
I'd debate this to the death, but I won't convince you of my POV and you won't do the reverse, so there's no point. To me the high seating position of a crossover is totally pointless and I find true wagons to be much more practical and easier for ingress/egress.
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without being minivans or overly large SUVs like my Suburban (which was called a wagon before the term SUV was popularized in the '90s).
Well, technically the body style of the Suburban is that of a wagon (two-box design with a separate rear compartment), but nobody would refer to it as such.
The reference to the Subaru being a hatch or a wagon got me thinking. I pose that an easy way to tell a hatch from a wagon is what would happen if you turned the car into a sedan. If it retains a viable trunk - it's a wagon. If it doesn't - it's a hatch. Basically, the 2007 Impreza was a wagon because you could, after a crude MS Paint exercise, add the wagon bits to a base sedan and have a legitimate trunk. In 2008, on the other hand, the "base" vehicle for this exercise was the hatch; the sedan looked like the hatch with the butt clipped on. Does that make sense?
Last edited by highlanderfil; 09-20-2017 at 09:40 AM..
Semantics plays a big part in the auto industry. First they eliminated the station wagon due to the "soccer mom" image, then the minivans started to fade away for the same reason. Now they have the same things but call them crossovers which is apparently more acceptable to the buying public. The Mazda CX-9 for example is advertised as an SUV. It still looks like a station wagon, and with the 3rd row/7 passenger seating it's like a minivan. Every brand has something that has the same versatility as the old station wagon, they just are not called that any more, and have a more slanted rear, without the extended cargo capacity unless the seats are folded down.
I never understood the "not a soccer mom" SUV phenomenon. To me, the quintessential soccer mom vehicle is a small/midsize SUV. If I was going to list the vehicles I would most closely associate with the soccer mom suburban lifestyle the Acura MDX, Lexus RX, Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon would be at the top of that list. I think you have to own at least one of those vehicles to be allowed to live in some HOA neighborhoods.
Almost every station wagon that I see is a luxury Euro import being driven by a middle age male. I don't see many minivans, but when I do they are almost always being used commercially.
My wife's 2001 Outback is on its last legs. It leaks like the Titanic, and has more little problems than my 107 year old grandmother did. We loved the old Outback and Forester, but both of those are now SUVs. Looking at my company parking lot, it's all SUVs, each one more of a behemoth than the other.
Are there any station wagons left in the states? I don't want a VW. All of the articles I see online still list the Outback as a wagon, but it's not. I can't afford a Volvo/Audi.
The one SUV that interests me is the Mazda CX-5. I've rented a few Mazdas and I absolutely love the handling. I'm not much of a driver, but even I can appreciate something that good.
Thanks
JB
Crosstrek XV is smaller wagon/hatch, although they did not bring back the Impreza or WRX 5 door wagon. I agree, newer Outback and Forester models are too large dimensionally. I have a 2004 Forester that is much smaller than the newer one.
You know, the title of this thread had me scratching for a while, until I read down through a few of the replies. Then I realized the O.P. meant station WAGONS. Just six extra letters in the title.
Sorry. I honestly meant to type "All the station wagons are now SUVS" and it's apparently impossible to change the thread title.
Too bad the Acura TSX wagon never caught on. Great car, and wasn't too bad in price. The 5 speed manual version is a unicorn. So hard to find one, but would be a great ride.
I'd debate this to the death, but I won't convince you of my POV and you won't do the reverse, so there's no point. To me the high seating position of a crossover is totally pointless and I find true wagons to be much more practical and easier for ingress/egress.
A higher hip point means easier to get in an out of with a CUV vs a sedan based wagon. Sorry, especially as we get older and dropping down into a wagon or hauling yourself up out of one is harder than simply sliding across the seat entry point. Sorry, it's a matter of fact not opinion, it's WHY the cars are designed higher, with a more natural seating position.
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Well, technically the body style of the Suburban is that of a wagon (two-box design with a separate rear compartment), but nobody would refer to it as such.
Wrong yet again. The Suburban was indeed referred to as a wagon, as was the equally large Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. And the International Travel-all. They were simply the largest wagons you could buy.
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