wagon lovers?

[paddlenbike]

My wife and I were shopping for our first new car and decided a wagon would suit our lifestyle best. We tend to drive the 4Runner most of the time due to its versatility and ability to carry lots of gear, so we figured a wagon that got good mileage and had cargo capacity would be a good choice.

We hit the showrooms and were surprised how few small to medium-sized wagons are out there. I'm not talking about cross-over vehicles either. Audi no longer makes the A4 Avant (wagon), BMW didn't have a 3-series wagon at the time we were shopping, the only other options were the ultra-expensive Mercedes E63 wagon, Dodge Magnum wagon (now discontinued) and Subarus (of which we do not like any of the new ones.)

We ended up with sort of an oddball car, an Acura TSX wagon. Acura only sells 3,900 per year. Toyota sells that many Camrys every 23 seconds. Anyways, we love the car.

Empty parking lots during the national park closure!

It's end-of-tank average is 35 mpg on the highway.

On a recent trip to Europe we noticed that 75% of the cars were wagons, where it's probably like 2% here. If you have a wagon, post it up!

 

[paddlenbike]

Ha, I can definitely see the lack of love for wagons!

 

[WillK]

Ha, I can definitely see the lack of love for wagons!

I like wagons too, but I really don't care for any of the current models. But you can't go wrong with an Acura. I had a TL and loved that car.

I used to have a 1989 Volvo 240 Wagon and that thing was a tank! It was indestructible and I could haul stuff with it. Some of the current CUV's (Honda Crosstour and Acura ZDX) look interesting, but would probably grow tired quick.
If I had the money, I'd get the Audi A7 hatchback.

 

[paddlenbike]

I like wagons too, but I really don't care for any of the current models. But you can't go wrong with an Acura. I had a TL and loved that car.

I used to have a 1989 Volvo 240 Wagon and that thing was a tank!

Funny, the Acura replaced my wife's 1994 Volvo 940 Turbo wagon. My wife's entire family drives either 240s or 940s. I made the mistake of buying an 850 Turbo as my daily driver, and let me say, those are not built like the old ones. Now Volvo is owned by a Chinese company.

 

[WillK]

Funny, the Acura replaced my wife's 1994 Volvo 940 Turbo wagon. My wife's entire family drives either 240s or 940s. I made the mistake of buying an 850 Turbo as my daily driver, and let me say, those are not built like the old ones. Now Volvo is owned by a Chinese company.

Agreed about the quality of Volvo. And it's a shame because they used to make a great vehicle that would run forever.

 

[paddlenbike]

I think that is true for a lot of vehicles. Subarus used to be indestructible but our friends that have new ones are having all kinds of problems. Toyota quality isn't what it used to be either.

The new cars with direct injection are having horrible problems with intake valve carbon deposits (because with DI there is no fuel to run over the valves to keep them clean), and the Acura was one of the last cars available without direct injection. I suspect that this car will be like the 240s in terms of simplicity and long-term durability. The engine has nothing fancy at all except VTEC, which is pretty reliable.

 

[WillK]

Yeah, that's true- quality has gone down on many manufacturers.
As for the Acura, those are nice cars-They have nice features, but not overly complicated, if that makes sense. I really liked my TL A LOT, but it wasn't feasible to keep it due to my wife's work. (She drives a lot for work and needs space to carry supplies).

 

[4x4mike]

Nothing you haven't seen before.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

Personally, I love wagons. When I was a kid, we had a '57 Chevy 210 wagon. We went everywhere in that thing! My sister just bought a Subaru Outback 3.6R. She almost got the TSX wagon but has a small trailer to pull so she went with the Subi.

 

[paddlenbike]

I would love to have a "real wagon" for hitting curbside trash cans, Prius'es and small buildings.

 

[4x4mike]

You'd need a jumping wagon as well if you're serious about rounding out your collection.

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[02SE]

I'd say that everyone on this site likes wagons, considering that the 4Runner is a wagon body, on a truck chassis.

 

[13S4]

I used to hate wagons, but after seeing a modified Audi Allroad my opinion started to change. If I was in the market for a newer Wagon i'd definitely go that route.

IF they were available in NA I would get an RS4, or RS6 as my next vehicle as they both only come in wagon form. Great looking vehicles.

 

[gshadow325]

current wagon




previous wagons





yes i love my my wagons!

 

[paddlenbike]

IF they were available in NA I would get an RS4, or RS6 as my next vehicle as they both only come in wagon form. Great looking vehicles.

I love the RS6 wagon. Not sure I would love the maintenance though.

gshadow--your photos look like my wife's family, volvos everywhere, even in the background of the photos.

 

[gshadow325]

is the tsx a manual, thats a rare bird. and fun fast vehicle too!

 

[paddlenbike]

I wish it were. The TSX sedans are available with a manual, but not the wagons. Acura correctly assumed that 1) the wagon wouldn't be a big seller in the U.S. and 2) the only manual wagons they would sell in USA would be to myself, gshadow325, and maybe four others.

 

[Ol'Blue]

I love the V70R, something about it! There is a shop is Santa Clarita,CA that is owned by an old Volvo rally racer. He has some sick nasty 400+ HP wagons he still races to this day.

Blue

 

[Limbwalker]

not really a wagon, but we just leased our first Subie Impreza hatchback sport. Its not fast but gets great milage and puts the 4runner to shame on icy roads. We love it.

 

[gshadow325]

I wish it were. The TSX sedans are available with a manual, but not the wagons. Acura correctly assumed that 1) the wagon wouldn't be a big seller in the U.S. and 2) the only manual wagons they would sell in USA would be to myself, gshadow325, and maybe four others.

Actually there would be a ton sold. There are not too many manual wagons out there in any format.