These Wagons Deserve More Love, Even From Car Enthusiasts

The first-generation Lexus IS has an untouchable level of Y2K coolness, evoking memories of colorful MacBooks and Motorola RAZR flip phones in my mind. Despite its amorphous name, the SportCross wagon takes things to the next level of cool.  Its big headlights and clean lines have aged gracefully, and while I like Lexus’ current design language, I appreciate the subtlety and refined looks of this generation the best.

When Jaguar launched the XF, it was thankfully a radical departure from its S-Type predecessor. Where the S-Type was stuck in the past, the XF leaped into the 21st century with sleek looks and modern technology. The Sportbrake took those sleek looks and elongated them with the graceful long roof of a wagon and a strikingly dramatic rear-end that still looks modern and svelte. While the first-generation XF Sportbrake wasn’t brought to the U.S., the second-gen made it here in extremely limited numbers.

The incredibly desirable Cadillac CTS-V wagon offered insane power and an available manual transmission, but I think the regular CTS wagon deserves more love than it gets. Cadillac’s only production wagon looked sharp, and it offered all of the increased versatility that comes with a long roof and liftgate.

The first car I ever bought was a 2005 Saab 9-3 cabriolet, and I loved everything about it until everything went horribly wrong and an intermittent electrical fault forced me to junk it or replace the entire wiring harness. I still love these 9-3’s – they also offer similar Y2K levels of Euro-chic cool factor, evoking images of drivers wearing elaborate brushed-aluminum-look sunglasses and listening to early Eurobeat music. It’s so cool and I want several.

The Buick Regal TourX was a rebadged Opel Insignia Country Tourer, so it had a European sensibility that should have endeared it to customers. Unfortunately, like so many wagons, it just didn’t sell well in the U.S., but our very own Bradley Brownell bought a Regal TourX and loved it.

Maybe I’m viewing this list through rose-colored glasses, but I love the Lancer Sportback. I love its bumper-to-roof-length tail lights, I love its angular-yet-curvaceous front end, and I think it’s one of the best-looking wagons on this list. Despite Mitsubishi’s tragic decision to withhold the Evo wagon from our shores, I’d own one of these little lookers any day.

The Mini Cooper Clubman’s first rebirth in 2007 polarized audiences with its unusual placement of its five doors, with Jeremy Clarkson even ranking it as the ugliest new car on “Top Gear” in 2007. The second generation ditched the weird passenger door setup for four traditional doors while maintaining the distinctive barn doors out back. It grew in size and offers a great wagon experience, yet never got much love. I think it’s a shame.

The TSX Sport Wagon was a bit of a bust in the U.S. since Acura didn’t offer it with the TSX sedan’s powerful V6 or manual transmission — it was sold as the Honda Accord in Europe where it got both of those options — so it was hindered by the four-cylinder powerplant and five-speed auto. It’s still a very well styled wagon, though, with solid proportions and a high-quality interior making it a notable if a bit dull choice for wagon lovers.

The Mazda 6 wagon was a looker that was available with a V6 and manual transmission to bring some zing back to the family wagon. While it was never a true performer, it was a very capable family wagon that had an attractive exterior to draw those who may aspire to a BMW or Audi wagon, but whose bank account wasn’t ready just yet.

In this era, Volkswagen was producing high-quality cars that had an air of entry-level luxury about them. These Passats were more premium and expensive than the Camrys and Accords of the time, but not quite to the level of Acura or Infiniti, so they were a tough sell to many Americans. Despite this, they were wagons that looked premium while retaining some VW kitsch. The B5.5 Passat wagon offered the brand’s only W8 ever produced, and that engine could be had with a manual transmission. Those models are rare and pricey on the used market today.

Audi’s design language in this era was elite. No gaudy grilles or fake vents, just well-edited, clean lines with tasteful chrome bordering the greenhouse. This A4 Avant might be my favorite looking wagon of all time, aside from the Buick Roadmaster Estate of the ‘90s. It’s giving Bauhaus, it’s giving fashion, it’s giving taste and it’s giving one cool-ass wagon.

The C30 was another painfully chic car. I remember seeing one for the first time at the LA Auto Show where Volvo was giving out CDs of driving music mixes, and that was the first time I heard Cry For You by September. Not technically a wagon, the C30 is a hatchback that was meant to compete with the trendy newly-reborn Mini Cooper, but it never quite matched the Mini’s small tossable nature and extremely tongue-in-cheek eccentricities. It’s still a cool little hatch that deserves more recognition.

I always freak out when I see an S203 C-Class wagon on the road, and I’m realizing that most of the wagons on this list brought a Euro flair to the U.S. that I’m always drawn to. The three clear stripes on the wagon’s tail lights just looked so much more exotic than the sedan’s tail lights, and the sloping back glass was just plain cool, especially coming from a company that was pretty conservative with styling at the time.

This is a wagon that deserves more love, but I might be the only one who thinks so. I love how wacky the styling was on the “bubble Taurus.” All of the ellipse-shaped styling elements were very polarizing at the time, but I’m a sucker for it, especially since it had an available rear-facing third row. I’ve still never sat in a rear-facing third row seat before, and I really, really want to. Is it ugly? Why yes, yes it is. And I still love it.

Full disclosure: I had never heard of this car until I watched MotorWeek’s Retro Review of it, and I was shocked to learn about the wagon’s party trick. The Renault Medallion wagon featured a third row of forward-facing seats, just like a minivan. The second row bench was pushed over to the driver’s side, allowing space for two and a walkway to access the three-across third row of seats. I never understood why more wagons didn’t incorporate a traditional third row, but the Medallion did way back in 1988.