Are Sport Wagons making a comeback?

[Clutch]

I stumbled upon this...Buick of all companies has a new Sport Wagon. I didn't even know Buick was still in business...

http://www.buick.com/sedans/regal-tourx-luxury-wagon.html

Looks pretty damn good too. Hard to believe it is a Buick. When I think Buick, I think AARP member, with it painted some version of gold...

 

[calicamper]

Its been around for a few yrs. GM kept Buick because its a big deal in China. The wagon is a Opel jazzed up. Its not bad but you never see them on the road here. Sad really

 

[paroxysym]

not terrible looking but that is a long *** car... when you say sportwagon I think Subaru/vw with a smaller wheelbase

 

[Martinjmpr]

If anything the SUV/CUV is taking over the car market. Even Subaru's "sport wagons" are really just CUVs.
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So I would say it's not so much that "sport wagons" are coming back, they're just marketed as SUVs/CUVs. The term "wagon" is a death sentence - the word invokes images of the Griswold's Family Truckster. Ditto for mini vans - manufacturers are dropping them and replacing them with mega-CUVs like the Traverse or the Buick Enclave. They have all the function of a mini-van but without the homely styling and soccer-mom image.
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The big Crossovers like the aforementioned Traverse and Enclave, and also the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, etc, are moving into the space that was previously occupied by mid-sized BOF SUVs like the (previous generation) Explorer, 4runner, Xterra/Pathfinder, etc. (particularly true in the case of the Explorer and Pathfinder where their respective companies simply kept the same name but transformed the vehicle bearing that name from a truck-based RWD/4WD BOF SUV to a car-based FWD/AWD crossover. The fact that they are trying to appeal to the same market segment is apparent from the fact that they kept the vehicle name.)
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So as mid-sized BOF SUVs disappear (with the exception of the 4runner and the Jeep Wrangler, though I'd argue that the Jeep is in a class by itself) something has to move into the space previously occupied by the mid-sized BOF SUV. And IMO that is the mid-sized crew-cab pickup. Hence the Colorado/Canyon pickups from GM and the soon-to-be-introduced Ranger.
.
This also holds true for full-sized SUVs. Now that the Suburban/Yukon XL, Tahoe/Yukon and Expedition/Navigator have gotten interiors that basically no longer have much in the way of "utility", the manufacturers have to have a vehicle that still appeals to those who DO want some utility in their full size truck, so the crew cab/short bed truck fills that market niche.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Speaking of vehicle trends - I'm a little disappointed that "CUV" doesn't seem to have caught on in the auto world. Instead, auto makers and auto writers are, IMO, muddying up the waters by calling everything that is not a car or pickup an "SUV."
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IMO, this leads to confusion and muddles up the distinctions between vehicles. If a Honda CRV and a Toyota 4runner Trail Edition are both "SUV's", then there needs to be a way to distinguish them because those vehicles bear no similarities whatsoever except for the fact that they have a full cabin and the ability to drive all 4 wheels.
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I like to use the term CUV to describe a car-based unibody vehicle with a full cabin, a transverse-mounted engine and primary FWD or optional AWD. The Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, the Mazda CX-lineup, the Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe and Tucson, and pretty much everything from Subaru (except their sedans) falls into this category.
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OTOH, "SUV" to me would mean a truck-based, BOF vehicle with a full cabin, an in-line mounted engine, and RWD with optional 4wd (through a transfer case.) The 4runner, Land Cruiser (all variants), Expedition/Navigator, Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade, Suburban/Yukon XL, and Jeep Wrangler would fit into this category. I would also put in this category the Jeep Grand Cherokee, even though it is a unibody, simply because it meets all the other criteria for an SUV (and the 1984 - 2001 Jeep Cherokee and 1996 - 2004 Nissan R50 Pathfinder as well.)
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To me, at least, such distinctions are descriptive and explain the very real differences between these types of vehicles.

 

[Clutch]

Its been around for a few yrs. GM kept Buick because its a big deal in China. The wagon is a Opel jazzed up. Its not bad but you never see them on the road here. Sad really

Oh that is right...in China, Buicks are considered a luxury vehicle. I haven't paid too much attention to them, because when I think Buick...I think old man car that is some hue of gold. Why I thought they went out of business (didn't they die when Pontiac went too???)

not terrible looking but that is a long *** car... when you say sportwagon I think Subaru/vw with a smaller wheelbase

My thoughts exactly. "hey that isn't too bad looking...and damn that is awfully long!"

If anything the SUV/CUV is taking over the car market. Even Subaru's "sport wagons" are really just CUVs.
.
So I would say it's not so much that "sport wagons" are coming back, they're just marketed as SUVs/CUVs. The term "wagon" is a death sentence - the word invokes images of the Griswold's Family Truckster. Ditto for mini vans - manufacturers are dropping them and replacing them with mega-CUVs like the Traverse or the Buick Enclave. They have all the function of a mini-van but without the homely styling and soccer-mom image.
.
The big Crossovers like the aforementioned Traverse and Enclave, and also the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, etc, are moving into the space that was previously occupied by mid-sized BOF SUVs like the (previous generation) Explorer, 4runner, Xterra/Pathfinder, etc. (particularly true in the case of the Explorer and Pathfinder where their respective companies simply kept the same name but transformed the vehicle bearing that name from a truck-based RWD/4WD BOF SUV to a car-based FWD/AWD crossover. The fact that they are trying to appeal to the same market segment is apparent from the fact that they kept the vehicle name.)
.
So as mid-sized BOF SUVs disappear (with the exception of the 4runner and the Jeep Wrangler, though I'd argue that the Jeep is in a class by itself) something has to move into the space previously occupied by the mid-sized BOF SUV. And IMO that is the mid-sized crew-cab pickup. Hence the Colorado/Canyon pickups from GM and the soon-to-be-introduced Ranger.
.
This also holds true for full-sized SUVs. Now that the Suburban/Yukon XL, Tahoe/Yukon and Expedition/Navigator have gotten interiors that basically no longer have much in the way of "utility", the manufacturers have to have a vehicle that still appeals to those who DO want some utility in their full size truck, so the crew cab/short bed truck fills that market niche.

I keep on kicking around getting a car for my now 15'000 mile a year commute, even though I really don't like cars in general, but always like the sport wagons. Looked at CUV's but the mileage takes a nose dive compared to a car, where the wagons seem to be right in the middle, and a tad more useful. The Buick is nice looking but more than what I want to spend and the mileage isn't exactly what I am looking for either.

Also considering an EV vehicle, looks like the market for those is going to get exciting in the next few years. The new Micro-Bus looks real appealing. (I miss our old Westy)

That and the Honda EV concepts.

 

[Lostguy]

Agreed with Martijmpr, I think of my new Compass as basically an overgrown wagon with skidplates the maufacturer calls a CUV.

 

[goin camping]

Good looking wagon.

 

[ExDementia]

That Buick looks awesome. I hope they become more popular, but I'm clearly biased haha

 

[C-Fish]

We really like our ‘17 VW Golf Alltrack.

AWD, Turbocharged, 6spd manual, 32mpg Highway, pano sunroof.
Adaptive cruise control is AWESOME!
Boost comes on low and quick, great torque at 1700rpm.
Feels faster than it is...


Stock photo

 

[Colonal Angus]

It looks like Buick took a page out of Volvo's V90 Cross Country text book. The Volvo is incredible inside and out...would love to add one to the stable. It too is very long but man it is incredibly comfortable inside.

 

[iluxaS]

Ha, that Buick is same as opel insignia wagon.

 

[DaveInDenver]

We really like our ‘17 VW Golf Alltrack.

We dig wagons. Some years ago she got a Mk4 Jetta wagon and we've loved it to the tune of 100,000 miles (it's at 160k now) and 12 years (it's a 2002). It's been a great car but it's a Wolfsburg-made GL base model so not much electrical to go haywire (yet it does have some minor electrical gremlins). We'd have considered the Golf Alltrack but VW didn't have base models to test at the time and anyway we decided not to tempt fate again, we went with a Forester instead. I'm still driving the Jetta as a daily beater and it still does dog duty locally.

 

[calicamper]

When Subaru puts the Outback aka lifted Legacy wagon on the stiff global platform 2020 and plugs the DIT 2.4 into it. That will be an interesting rig. The current OB sits on a funny / odd interm platform that was super flexy 2010-14 due to wonky handling issues they added some stiffening to the 15’s which made a big improvement. I have a 2010. I think we’ll run our 10 another 2yrs but slap some Rallitek struts under the rear. Might replace the OB and my 05 Sequoia with the Subaru Ascent. I have too many rigs and the Sequoia rarely gets driven. No joke 98,000 I’ll be selling that gem quick;-) when I sell it.

 

[dcg141]

I love the look of the 3 series BMW sports wagon, but why does it start at $10,000 more than the sedan?