Like many automotive enthusiasts, we at Gear Patrol love station wagons. With the space and practicality of an SUV and the handling and driving dynamics of a passenger car, they offer the best of both worlds.
Alas, Americans have become enamored with crossovers. And largely as a result, wagons — particularly of the affordable variety — have become an endangered species.
Below are eight great wagons we would happily drive daily…but can’t, because the rest of America wants their two-box cars with a little extra ride height and body cladding.
Audi RS4 Avant
Audi is bringing the RS6 Avant to the United States. Alas, we cannot get the smaller, more park-able RS4 wagon, no matter how much we would like to sample its 444 hp and 443 lb-ft of torque.
BMW Alpina B5 Wagon
You wouldn’t realize it from looking at the M5-slash-M8 lineup, but BMW has a wagon competitor to the Mercedes-AMG E63 S and the RS6 Avant. It’s the Alpina-built, newly refreshed B5 wagon with 613 hp — which, unlike its rivals, is not sold in the U.S.
Ford Focus ST Estate
Ford killed off its car lineup in the U.S., which means we aren’t going to see the latest generation Focus ST sold here. Which is a double shame, because that care also offers a performance wagon version with 276 horsepower and a manual transmission. You will have your EcoSport, America, and you will like it.
Mazda 6 Tourer
Mazda has been producing fantastic, great-looking, and luxurious cars as of late. That includes a wagon version of the excellent Mazda 6 with a manual transmission and a diesel engine option. But you know the catch by now.
Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Wagon
Mercedes sells an AMG-tuned long-roof version of the C-Class with 385 hp, 384 lb-ft of torqye and a 0-60 mph time of less tan five seconds. The worst part? Canadians can buy it, but we can’t.
Subaru Levorg
In Japan, Subaru has a street-oriented alternative to the Outback called the Levorg. While a 1.8-liter engine and a CVT won’t get anyone too excited, there’s a good chance a sporty STI version is coming.
Toyota Corolla Touring Sports
Toyota has a wagon version of the Corolla, which is more or less a sleeker, lower-riding RAV4. We do get the hatchback, however — and may be getting a hot version of it. So we can’t complain too much.
Volkswagen Passat Variant
VW recently launched a new Passat in America…which was mostly the same old Passat. Europeans get an updated version, however, with the 268 hp engine from the Arteon and either a seven-speed dual-clutch or six-speed manual transmission.