Top Five Reasons to Drive a Station Wagon

Station wagons are a rare breed these days and the crossover craze is squarely to blame for their slow-motion demise.

Car-based utility vehicles have largely taken over the market once dominated by these useful vehicles. Fortunately, the old “Family Truckster” hasn’t completely been superseded by its successors; there are still a handful of wagons available on the American market, though for how much longer is anyone’s guess.

SEE ALSO: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG S 4MATIC Wagon Review

To keep these cars from going extinct you should totally buy one … or preferably more. Station wagons offer numerous benefits over the bulkier crossovers everyone has flocked to in recent years and here are just a few of their advantages.

For starters, wagons are versatile; of course, so are modern car-based utilities, but hear us out on this point. Station wagons offer tons of interior space and a lower lift-over height than rival vehicles, meaning it’s easier to load cargo into their capacious holds since you don’t have to raise it as high to get it in. Wagons can also be extra handy when it comes to hauling more than just goods. Some offer rear-facing jump for extra passenger-carrying capacity in a pinch. Can your Honda CR-V do that? We didn’t think so.

Since they don’t sit as high as crossovers, station wagons often have lower centers of gravity. This can pay enormous dividends when it comes to handling. Toss one of these grocery-getters into a corner and it will probably respond more quickly and in a more connected way than a plodding utility. If you really want something scorching Mercedes-Benz offers an AMG version of its capacious E-Class wagon that hauls ass as well as it carries cargo.

Along with having more of their mass closer to the pavement, wagons also have lower, sleeker bodies that punch smaller holes in the air. Compared to crossovers, this gives them an aerodynamic edge, a boon for fuel economy. They also tend to be lighter, which also helps reduce consumption, though if you really want an efficient car with loads of cargo space, consider the Volkswagen Golf SportWagen with a diesel engine. They’re super efficient and have more torque than you’ll know what to do with. (And we hear used prices for these cars are very low right now…)

Of course, if it’s capability you’re after, wagons are happy to oblige. You don’t necessarily need a car-based utility vehicle or an SUV for foul weather confidence. Many wagons can be had traction enhancing all-wheel drive, like Audi’s stylish and luxurious Allroad model. The Volvo V60 Cross Country is another appealing option that’s as premium as it is functional.