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Five power wagons to please both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

JEREMY CATO

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 10:22 PM EST 17/09/06

The industry is taking the 'mom-mobile' out of station wagons, Jeremy Cato reports, to appeal to guys who must balance their love of cars with daily life ...Read the full article

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  1. J L from Toronto, Canada writes: The Bottom Line is that regardless of what they do to them they are still station wagons... and they are just not cool!
  2. Annabelle Fountain from Burlington, ON, Canada writes: I think station wagons are wonderful - good on mileage/space and depending on what you like 'cool'. When is Honda going to bring back their station wagon. I seen it online in the UK - great car/great mileage
  3. Rob Rowat from Ottawa, Canada writes: Since when is $44,000 for a car 'affordable'? I love reading about all the cool technology and features that go into these expensive, i.e. more than $40,000, cars, but they are out-of-reach for the majority of people. While I don't expect you to start writing in glowing terms about a $15,000 econobox, a little perspective about what is affordable might be in order.
  4. Tom Good from Qualicum Beach BC, Canada writes: As a doggy family, we have always had a station wagon or station wagon type to transport the tribe. Latterly this got us into Taurus wagons then into the Explorer but fuel prices caused us to reconsider. We now drive a 2007 Passat with the 2.0 litre turbo------pricey, yes, but it has power to burn and with our driving, gives us 33 miles per gallon of premium. We must say the Passat is an up-scale luxury vehicle and we believe VolksWagen has a winner with the 2.0 litre turbo. Yes, I too regret Ford has not included a wagon in its new model line up as we likely would be there especially if the mileage was into the 30 miles to the gallon.
  5. Mike Savel from London, Canada writes: I picked up my 07 Passat Wagon in June. I'd recommend it to anyone. It's black on tan, lots of compliments. With the 6-speed manual and low pressure turbo its very fast. I've got the luxury package, and it was $12k less than an equally equipped V70 inlucing the freight. The direct injection 2.0T is very efficient; I'm averaging less than 8.5l/100km in all city driving. It's a wonder to see how the electormagnetic steering behalves in high wind highway conditions.
  6. RW C from GTA, Canada writes: Station wagons uncool #1? No, stationwagons are cool, bandwagons aren't. This is to those SUV-lovers who think that they need to strike a Paris-Dakar pose to get to the train station or soccer practice. Good grief. In the real world, there are people with kids and dogs & renovation projects...wagons just make sense for those of us who realize that an SUV is just a huge waste, and don't want the compromise of a minivan. I think people need a dose of reality here. I don't think people need more SUV's though. Station wagons are the most practical configuration out there. They provide most of the benefits of an SUV (since 99% of them aren't used offroad), most benefits of a minivan...and in a safer & better handling package. How is that uncool? To me good design is a question of form following function...and station wagons fit the bill nicely. Good design is not form following trends and fashions. But what about the 3rd seat? At least Mercedes has that...but who can afford car priced like a cottage? Please bring back an Impala wagon. Make it rear drive, seats 8, can tow a 5,000lb trailer, and give it a fuel efficient V8. Oh hang on, GM cancelled that car in 96 (brilliant!). 260 HP...and the fuel economy of a Sport cute like a CR-V...and the performance of a cop car....now that IS pretty cool. Bring it back for goodness sake!!!
  7. Dan Druff from Ottawa, Canada writes: #4 Ford does have a wagon, it's called the Mazda 6 Sport Wagon.
  8. Robert Fisher from Canada writes: The 9-3 shouldn't be included in this group. The 9-5 Sport Combi (what a stupid name) is the one that compares with the rest of this group. While it may "only" have 250 hp the turbo will definitely give you a kick in the back when you step on the loud pedal (that's the accelerator for you non-car folk). The 9-5 has an MSRP of $44,400 so for only a few dollars more than the 9-3 Aero you get a bigger car that doesn't have the space problems noted with the 9-3. The manual transmission in the Saabs is sweet to be sure. Nice quick, crisp throws. Good ratios for acceleration and cruising. A winner all the way.
  9. J S from Edmonton, Canada writes: Why is the VW Jetta Wagon not on the list? You can still get them -- you can still get them with a diesel, even -- even if they're not being updated for this model year. I have a 2006 Jetta Wagon TDI that I'm getting 5.5L to 6.5L/100km (36 - 42 MPG) in -- and the engine gets better as it breaks in. And I out-corner basically every SUV on the market. The price for a fully outfitted model: about the same as an entry level Passat. You can even get them cheaper if you don't want the leather and sunroof.

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