Okay, so when we think of station wagons, what comes to mind first? Personally, I find myself picturing a car like the one in the photo above. I'll be honest, it is not very pretty. It's seems to me that the design team got this brilliant idea from a box. But what a useful car they made. Station wagons are the legends of American automobiles. During the middle of the twentieth century, wagons were so popular in fact, that it was rare for someone not to own one. Everyone you knew had one of these and it was easy to see why. Station wagons are so versatile. It gives you the ability to transport all the things your heart desires and still have room left over. However, they are not that much heavier than their sedan counterparts, therefore they maintain a similar gas mileage. It might sound silly today, but wagons were even considered a cool car back in the day. So, my question is: what ever happened to this breed of cars?
Unfortunately, station wagons have been replaced by crossovers and sport utility vehicles (SUV) of the modern era. These multi-ton monsters have a certain cool factor to them because of how rugged and capable they are on both paved and unpaved roads. I understand that because they can go off-road, they are more useful, but most people don't need that function (99% to be exact). But for that 1%, it's okay if you don't like wagons. For the rest of us, however, I'm here to say that wagons are just as capable as SUV's and perhaps just as cool. I believe that their decline in popularity was not because they were bad cars, but because of the inescapable lineage of being characterized as a "parent's car." What this means is that since so many people owned these cars, their children eventually saw that it was a car that only parents drove. And we all know that whatever our parents drive is not cool. My purpose here is to give wagons a fair fight when people consider buying a car. Who knows? We might be missing out.
I was not always so fond of wagons probably because I was just brought up not to like them. What eventually changed my mind was actually this 1994 Audi RS2, a very awesome car. It was produced only as an Avant (wagon) and had under its hood a very powerful engine, which got me thinking. This car is as versatile as an SUV, drives like a sport car, and looks good doing it. What don't people like about it? I think it's brilliant.
Now, if you are still not convinced about whether or not you like wagons, I will include that they are very popular in Europe. I think that bringing wagons back to the US would not be a bad thing. They're efficient, useful, attractive (like the E-Class Estate shown above), and we would be reviving an important part of America's automotive history. So to the readers, let me know what you think. Would you ever buy a wagon? Do you think it will ever be as popular as it was decades before? Why or why not? All questions, comments suggestions are welcome.
Unfortunately, station wagons have been replaced by crossovers and sport utility vehicles (SUV) of the modern era. These multi-ton monsters have a certain cool factor to them because of how rugged and capable they are on both paved and unpaved roads. I understand that because they can go off-road, they are more useful, but most people don't need that function (99% to be exact). But for that 1%, it's okay if you don't like wagons. For the rest of us, however, I'm here to say that wagons are just as capable as SUV's and perhaps just as cool. I believe that their decline in popularity was not because they were bad cars, but because of the inescapable lineage of being characterized as a "parent's car." What this means is that since so many people owned these cars, their children eventually saw that it was a car that only parents drove. And we all know that whatever our parents drive is not cool. My purpose here is to give wagons a fair fight when people consider buying a car. Who knows? We might be missing out.
I was not always so fond of wagons probably because I was just brought up not to like them. What eventually changed my mind was actually this 1994 Audi RS2, a very awesome car. It was produced only as an Avant (wagon) and had under its hood a very powerful engine, which got me thinking. This car is as versatile as an SUV, drives like a sport car, and looks good doing it. What don't people like about it? I think it's brilliant.
Now, if you are still not convinced about whether or not you like wagons, I will include that they are very popular in Europe. I think that bringing wagons back to the US would not be a bad thing. They're efficient, useful, attractive (like the E-Class Estate shown above), and we would be reviving an important part of America's automotive history. So to the readers, let me know what you think. Would you ever buy a wagon? Do you think it will ever be as popular as it was decades before? Why or why not? All questions, comments suggestions are welcome.
Where is your horse?!????
ReplyDeletesup mike
ReplyDeletethese wagons must take one hell of a large parking spot on the curb lol i think i'd rather stick to smaller cars... like my humble hyundai accent :p
ReplyDeletenay to wagon..SUV is the trend and sales will continue to grow
ReplyDelete