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I think we are approaching a generational change. Boomers grew up in station wagons and hated them with a vengeance. Gen X grew up in mini-vans and hated them with a vengeance. Gen Y have grown up in SUV's and see them as dull and boring (don't hate them yet).
We're seeing Audi with the allroad, BMW with the 330 wagon, Buick with the new wagon, Jaguar with the XF wagon, Mercedes with the E-Class wagon, Subaru with wagons, VW with the Golf wagon. Who's next?
Change is not going to happen overnight, but a change is going to come!
I think the best we can hope for is the Slant Back Family...
... A5/S5/RS5. I drove the S5 SB last week and it provided better back seat room and access than the A7/S7. The Avants are beautiful and I am always thrilled to see them when I am in Germany. Only Mercedes and BMW will give us un-lifted wagons. BMW will equip them with the Track Package, but only in the 4-cylinder variant. Porsche, of course, with the Panamera - that, at least to me, remains unaffordable. The only glimmer of hope I see is that Buick is bringing in a re-badged Opel wagon for the domestic market and Volvo is bringing in the gorgeous V90 as an "all-road" clone, but you can order the regular wagon. Perhaps the American consumer will come around. I thought the Toyota Venza might usher in a new group of buyers, but even it is now dead. Ford had the really superior Flex, but it is barely hanging on.
The only thing I read from that AoA statement is they want to bring over the A6 allroad. Nothing more.
The A4 allroad died to me when they put in on craptro ultra not-really-AWD-anymore drivetrain. BWM has ended the 3 series wagon in the US (and it was only ever here with a 4cyl). The V90, XF, and E400 are all midsize vehicles with a strong slant towards plushness, not performance. The E63 wagon and Porsche Panamera GT are six digit pricetags. Buick, it's a Buick, the end. Subaru, the Crosstrek and Impreza 5-doors are 175" midget mobiles with only 150hp. The Outback has been a crossover, not a car, for years now. And the MB GLA is also 175" midget mobile, though the GLA45 has the juice.
Left hoping Volvo doesn't f up the V60 redo too badly.
Why not take it at face value when the director or product planning says he wants more wagons "like they have in Europe?"
Regarding the quattro system in the B9 allroad in reply to a recent post about it being bad on this thread's topic, it is a seamless system that does what the driver wants before the driver knows it. So drive in S/Dynamic if you want to hot foot your allroad around. For that matter, it is in quattro anyway when it senses quicker throttle response. What is my perspective, other than owning a B9 allroad for several months? Long term ownership of a D3 sport optioned (S8 suspension tuning), an RS4, two recent Porsche Panamera GTS's ('13 and '16) and a '15 Porsche 991 TTS with more than a few track sessions in it. To me an RS4 Avant would be an optimal mix of practicality and dynamic capability with very good exterior and interior styling.
I don't know about y'all. But wagons are the ugliest of cars ever designed. I see them everywhere in Europe and I can't stand them. You see a gorgeous A6 approaching you, until it passes and you see this hump on the back, and you go WTF!
I'm not a fan of wagons and never will be. That's the more reason I don't like the A7 regardless of what they put in it.
Each to his or her own. I happen to prefer wagons to sedans and think they look much more stylish. Seeing an RS6 Avant or an E63 wagon swish past you at 200 km/h loaded with skis on the roof heading to Cortina or Zermatt is an amazing sight: adventurous people with a sense of style embracing the world around them.
It is too bad that our SAAB 9-5 Aero wagon finally bit the dust. It is one of the best-looking, best-proportioned cars I've ever seen--plus being fun to drive. But my Allroad is a keeper!
Each to his or her own. I happen to prefer wagons to sedans and think they look much more stylish. Seeing an RS6 Avant or an E63 wagon swish past you at 200 km/h loaded with skis on the roof heading to Cortina or Zermatt is an amazing sight: adventurous people with a sense of style embracing the world around them.
Yes, avants/wagons are definitely considered more stylish in the northeast US, but as Le Chef said, "Each to his or her own."
06-11-2017, 07:23 PM
More Audi Wagons in the US?
