Estate Cars / Station Wagons For Anybody! (Actual Consumer's Advice) #blogpost

Your better half has got children now and you need something to carry them but a football mum van isn’t an option? Things like canoeing or transporting EUR pallets are your hobby? Don’t worry, we have you covered. Here you have a list with wagons for any demand and any type.

Note: in this list, only cars that can currently be bought new are considered. Used cars are an option too, but for fair comparision, the catalogue price is taken.

...for the biggest boot space

The first, and most important category is the boot space category. With a maximum space of almost two cubic metres, the Mercedes E-Class T offers the biggest boot of any wagon you can currently buy new. This, combined with all the Mercedes-Benz stuff comes at a price, however. The base price is almost 50’000 €, quite a lot. But you will get a lot of car for it too.
Recommended engine: E 250, a 2.0 litre turbo-4 producing 211 bhp. It’s certainly not cheap, but since you are considering a Mercedes-Benz, I’m guessing that’s not a problem for you. Plenty of power for every day, combined with an acceptable fuel consumption.

Budget option: Skoda Superb Combi. The boot is smaller, in fact, it has the second-largest boot of a wagon on the market. A Skoda Superb with all options ticked is just marginally more expensive than a base-spec E-Class.

...for putting supercars to shame

That would be the Audi RS 6 Avant. 0-100 km/h in less than 4 seconds, top speed of over 300 km/h. As quick as the sports cars in that price class, but more spacious and (in my opinion) much better looking. I’m not a huge fan of Audi myself, but it just deserves to be number 1. The price? Don’t ask. A six-digit amount. Audi claims a fuel consumption of just under 10 l/100 km (23.5 mpg), but that’s an utopian dream. No less than 15 l (15.7 mpg) are closer to reality. But who cares? An average consumer won’t be able to buy it anyway.
Recommended engine: the big one, duh.

Budget option: Holden Clubsport R8 Wagon (Vaxuhall VXR8). Less powerful, but for a fraction of the price. One third, to be more precise. It features the same 6.2 litre V8 you’ll also find in the Corvette C6, so there’s a rather huge tuning potential in it. But we are considering stock models here.

...for the looks

You’ll like to roll around in style, but don’t care about boot space that much? Well, that’s not what wagons were designed for originally, but there are a few options now. The -for a good reason- most popular one is the Volvo V60. Of course, that’s a matter of taste, but for me it’s one of the most beautiful cars Volvo has produced in its history. However, if you like big boot(y), then this car isn’t for you. The boot is smaller than that of a Skoda Fabia Combi, but it’s a great car otherwise. The best wagon for people who don’t need a wagon, if you want to put it that way.
Reccomended engine: D4, make sure it’s the version with 163 bhp and 400 Nm. You would think a Diesel engine isn’t great for a car like this, but the soundproofing of the interior is more than alright, you won’t notice that you have an oil burner inside. More importantly, it’s a five-cylinder. The last straight-five Volvo is producing right now. It runs as soft as silk.

Budget option: Mazda6 Tourer. Considerably cheaper and, for some reason I yet can’t understand, somewhat less reputable. But it’s very pretty too with the swung lines everywhere. And the wagon is the same price as the saloon, another plus.

...for vacuum cleaner salesmen

Or for any company vehicle on that matter. If you need a car anybody is familiar with and that can fit all the samples in the back, then the option is the VW Passat Variant. More specifically: Passat Trendline in silver metallic, because that’s how like 99% of the Passats are ordered. The police has them like that, the insurance companies have them like that, the rental car fleets have them like that. I’ll be honest with you: I would never buy one for myself for that exact reason, but apparently many people I know think otherwise.
Recommended engine: 2.0 TDI because they all have them. It really is the best engine you can get for it though. Not monstrously, but powerful enough for most situations in everday driving and relatively fuel-efficient. And you can brag about rolling coal, if you’re into that stuff.

Budget option: Ford Mondeo Turnier. The other typical car for the same target group. Not that much of a budget option though, since it’s only marginally cheaper speaking of the base price, but it’s also larger and the dealerships often offer discounts because, for some reason, it doesn’t sell that well.

...for the luxury

That may sound like an antagonism, because practical cars aren’t luxurious and luxurious cars aren’t practical, but there are some cars that can do both. The best balancing act is offered by the Volvo V90, the second Volvo in the list. It’s safe, luxurious, big and looks really good. It’s not cheap though. The base price is on about the same level as the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but as with the E-Class, you get alot of car for alot of money too.
Recommended engine: T8 Twin Engine. As with the E-Class, if you want to spend a medium range five-digit amount on a car, then you may as well party hard with the options. The four-cylinder engines do move the car forward respectably quick, the even better with the additional electric motor.

Budget option: Skoda Superb Combi… again. For the price of a base-spec V90, you may aswell consider ticking all the options on a Superb Combi. It’s not as spacious, doesn’t have all the safety features, but if you are comparing a base-spec V90 with a top-spec Superb, the Superb certainly has more stuff in it.

...for a handful of cash

If you have less than 10’000 € on your bank account and want a new car nonetheless, then your first look should go to Dacia. It’s not exceptionally pretty, but looks better than the previous generation at least. Under the body lies mass-produced Renault technology. The base model has virtually nothing that would even come close to comfort (ESP comes as standard, however), so you should better opt the 9’990 € Laureate trim that at least has things like central locking or an adjustable steering wheel.
Recommended engine: 1.2 litre petrol if you want to save money when buying, 1.5 dCi if you want an engine that’s going to move the car forward decently.

Budget option: seriously, you want the budget option for a budget option. Sigh, here we go: the Lada Kalina. With a base price of 6’950 €, it’s the cheapest wagon on the European market. The result isn’t good by any means, but at least it’s cheap and it will get you from A to B. Though, if that’s your budget, then I’d consider a used car if I were you.

...for saving fuel

Hate all you want, but if you want a reliable and decent hybrid car, then you would need to look at the Prius, but it isn’t avialable as a wagon, that’s why you’d have to go with the Toyota Auris Touring Sports Hybrid. A 92 bhp petrol engine and an 82 bhp electric motor are working together. The result: an average fuel consumption of 3.9 l/100 km (60 mpg), at least that’s what Toyota claims. It won’t be an option for a car guy, but it’s a sensible choice. Safe, reliable, practical and fuel-efficient.
Recommended engine: the hybrid, as described.

Budget option: Seat Ibiza ST 1.0 EcoTSI. (ST is the wagon, not the performance model) The Auris already is the cheapest hybrid wagon on the market. You’d have to look at a small car with a small engine to get similar fuel efficiency figures, 4.3 l/100 km (55 mpg) in this case.

Alright, that’s it. Consumer’s advice on Car Throttle, thanks for reading. I probably have forgotten half of the models you can buy, but whatever. Just make sure you don’t buy a minivan.