station wagons

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2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country ideally modernizes station wagons of yesteryear

Nearly 55 years after the original popularity of station wagons began to wane, modern styles — the 2023 Volvo V60 Cross Country to the new Porsche Taycan — are still respected. They’re automotive sentinels to yesteryear when families traveled in three-row chariots with folding bench seats and visited train stations with packed trundle suitcases About 10 manufacturers still make wagons (they’re rarely called station wagons), and like Audi and Mercedes-Benz, Volvo believes in the versatility of the segment. But a lot has changed. The 2023 Volvo V6 Cross Country isn’t a new generation, but it’s been updated. A mild-hybrid is now standard and there’s a new powertrain, the B5. It has 247 horsepower, slightly less than last year’s model. It

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2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness does off-road right

Subaru first capitalized on the usefulness of its symmetrical all-wheel-drive system a few decades ago. In a television commercial, the men’s Olympic ski teams from Italy and France were featured pushing their team cars stuck in the snow. The U.S. team men’s drives through the drifts in a wagon with ease and without stopping. The Subaru then passes the Swedish women’s team, also stuck. In about a second, the Subaru driver stops, backs up the car and the women’s team gets in. A man in a passenger seat wearing a cowboy hat says, “Howdy, ma’am!” Subaru Outback: New Rugged Trim Level However outdated the commercial is today, it worked. And Subaru has kept at it. It caters its wagons and

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2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge redefines station wagons

American full-sized station wagons were dispatched from the new car lineup in 1996. Once chariots of choice to transport occupants and massive trundle-style suitcases to train stations, the three-row beauties were discarded in favor of a multi-brand brigade of sport utility vehicles. Thankfully, wagons still abound, with cargo space still relevant. It’s now part of the versatile vehicles’ three-part attraction that also includes sportiness and performance. The updated 2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge adds a fourth attraction. It’s a plug-in hybrid in both the T6 and T8 Inscription (hybrid twin-engine technology) trims. The last long-tenured American full-size wagons were family rooms on wheels, the Chevrolet Caprice and Buick Roadmaster. Decorated often in plastic and leather, long-haul comfort was the priority. Dodge

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2022 Volvo XC60 worthy wagon as steady as steady gets

Now in its early teens, the Volvo XC60 is the Swedish manufacturer’s best-selling vehicle in the United States and globally. The luxury compact sport utility vehicle reached its tenure-best last year, with sales of about 41,500 in this country. The Volvo XC60’s second generation was introduced in 2017 as a 2018 model. The carmaker describes the 2022 model as the most significant upgrade since. Changes are aplenty. Exterior styling improvements include: subtle differences in the front and rear-end designs, new exterior color options and new wheel designs. Mechanically, a mild-hybrid powertrain is new and optional. The infotainment center has been improved to include an Android operating system and new sensor systems for driving assistance. Volvo XC60: Versatility Reigns What remains

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2021 Volvo top-line V90 wagon honors icons

Someday soon as an homage to the not-too-long-ago automotive history, a manufacturer will introduce a vehicle called a station wagon. A good choice would be next year’s Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design. The 2021 editions, like other carmakers’ choices in recent years, are called wagons. It’s as if the “station” designation is an insult. The original classification derived from families carrying their heavy trundle suitcases to train stations. The long wagons, precursors to sport utility vehicles, became station wagons. Beauties they were, with three rows of seating, lots of interior and exterior wood and comfort to spare. Road trips were joyful. The Volvo V90 T6 AWD R-Design is the modern-day equivalent to yesteryear’s classics. It’s a holdover generation, but the

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#54, Sacramento designer digs her 1986 Jeep Wagoneer

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:34 — 35.1MB)Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | MoreKerrie Kelly knows style. She owns a design company and works in a home office worthy of recognition in an upscale home decor magazine. Kelly also knows what style she likes in her automobiles. She and her husband own a BMW sedan, but it’s a 1986 Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer she prefers to drive. The Sacramento businesswoman, formerly employed by fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, is our guest on Episode #54 of The Weekly Driver Podcast. Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia discuss Kelly’s passion for her 32-year Jeep Wagoneer, and what she and her husband did to renovate the vehicle. We hear the story of

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2017 Volvo V90 Cross Country: new station wagon redux

Stations wagons were all the rage 75 years ago. The 1941 Chrysler Town and Country bubble-back design had a cavernous interior and featured top-line woodgrain paneling. It was the most expensive vehicle in carmaker’s lineup and cost $1,495. Much has happened since. Somewhere in recent years, manufacturers began to believe the word station was a disservice as a prefix to the word wagon. Mercedes-Benz has estate wagons. Audi has the all-road. Volkswagen has its SportWagen. It’s all new lingo far-removed from the name station wagon, the name given to the spacious but trunkless vehicles used to carry multiple occupants and their luggage to train stations. The 2017 V90 Cross Country is the new station wagon from Volvo. But like every

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2017 Kia Soul: Wacky debut SUV finds maturity

When it joined the car-in-a-box lineup in 2010, the Kia Soul was a novelty. Its unique styling garnered a lot of attention, not all of it good. But the 2017 Kia Soul is now a mature sport utility vehicle, a less expensive option against top-selling new rivals from Ford and Mazda. Its former new breed counterparts, the Honda Element, Nissan Cube and Scion Xb, are defunct. The Weekly Driver Test Drive Key Takeaways New 201-hp 1.6L turbo for the Exclaim trim: The top ! trim debuts a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission alongside the more potent turbocharged engine, adding genuine performance to the Soul’s quirky persona. Outlasted its direct competitors: Honda Element, Nissan Cube, and Scion xB are all defunct. The Soul

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2015 Volvo V60 T5: Wagon comeback in a big way

The 2015 Volvo V60 T5 is a new car the United States. It’s been in Europe for a few years, but for the American market it’s unlike any other Volvo wagon. They were previously all built like small passenger tanks and were about as attractive. Volvo stopped making its larger wagons a few years ago. But with the debut of the V60, the Scandinavian-influenced carmaker with parts from Sweden, Germany, Japan, the United States and Canada, could have an entirely new following. The 2015 Volvo V60 resembles its long-ago sibling, the P1800s series, now collectors’ cars. The new offering is still a wagon. But it’s a stylish, sleek wagon with an attractive combination: It’s handsome and versatile. The Weekly Driver

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2014 Toyota Venza: wagon? SUV? All good

The 2014 Toyota Venza, like its older siblings, is positioned uniquely. It’s neither a wagon nor a true sport utility vehicle. Rather it’s a crossover with the all-wheel drive functionality like a wagon, cargo room like an SUV and the characteristics of a near luxury sedan. The result is a combo-car with a combo name. Plenty of theories abound what Venza means, including the Spanish translation, Conquer. Toyota says the vehicle’s name is a compilation of the words Venture and Monza, the Italian racetrack. It all makes sense, since the Venza is a compilation of car styles and sizes. Refreshed last year, the Venza has only a few minor changes for 2014. There are fewer available color combinations and slight

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Audi Allroad, 2013: New luxury car has many shades of wagon, crossover, sedan

After a seven-year absence, the 2013 Audi Allroad makes its return to the United States as a luxury vehicle and as a unique combination of a sporty wagon and versatile sporty crossover. The reason for the Allroad’s non-specific categorization is multi-fold. How is it possible to categorize a front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 5-door wagon with a turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, direct fuel injection and an eight-speed automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode? The Weekly Driver Test Drive Like all Audis, the Allroad is a driver’s delight. I wish I would have had a long highway trip planned to further experience its open-road comfort and competent handling. While sleekly titled as an all-road vehicle

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Toyota Prius v, 2012: New hybrid wagon has room and a view

Introduced in Japan in May 2011 and six months later in the United States, the 2012 Toyota Prius v joins carmaker's four-member hybrid family. The "v" in Prius v stands for versatility. It's an apt description since the Prius v is a family sized, modern-looking hybrid wagon with 50 percent more cargo area than the original Prius. The Prius v is also six inches longer, three inches taller and one inch wider than its globally popular older relative. There are 34.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats and 38 inches of leg room. There's also a new rounded exterior design and an extended roofline that allows the Prius to emerge from its staid previous appearance. The Weekly Driver

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Acura TSX Sport Wagon, 2011 car review

The 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon is new to the luxury segment of Honda. The manufacturer has added versatility to its lineup, with a sleek new design, and more interior space — cargo areas to storage bins. The manufacturer hopes to offer an alternative to the more expensive wagon options from Audi and BMW. The Sport Wagon is equipped with the TSX 201-horsepower, 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engine and a five-speed automatic transmission. And it’s a limited supply offering for a debut vehicle; Acura will produce only 4,000 units in North America. The Weekly Driver Test Drive As a new design, the Acura TSX Sport Wagon drew immediate attention. The guys who checked me out of the car agency at the

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Honda Fit Shuttle images leaked for new stretched wagon

Honda is plenty busy at the North American Auto Show in Detroit showcasing new innovation for the U.S. market. But it appears the Japanese carmaker has another surprise for its global markets — the Honda Fit Shuttle. The website CarScoop.com is reporting a leak of brochure images showing a wagon-like version of the Honda Fit called the Fit Shuttle. One image, featuring Japanese characters across the bottom, showcases a vehicle with an extended body, taller roofline and a resigned rear. The Fit is called the Jazz in Europe, Australia, Asia and in other international markets. Other images and brochure information, according to the website, detail the Fit Shuttle will be offered in two versions: a hybrid powered by the same

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Subaru Outback, 2010: The Weekly Driver car review

It’s hard to imagine any other vehicle as versatile as the Subaru Outback. It’s the all-purpose car. It’s ideal as a family wagon. It’s a workhorse for a small businessperson. It’s as safe as any car on the road in inclement weather. Introduced in 1995, the Outback has gone through several editions, including a redesign and a new lineup of models with more than 40 trim configurations for 2010. The Outback has a new 6-cylinder engine and it’s about 3 inches wider and longer in wheelbase than the 2009 Outback. Two engines and six models are offered, all with horizontally opposed engines. Subaru is also now well into its second decade of offering only all-wheel drive as a standard feature

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Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

The 2010 Jetta Sportwagen is not as well known as the Toyota Prius. But the two vehicles have been compared. The Prius is the much talked about, industry-leading hybrid. The Jetta TDI is the increasingly popular and peppy diesel. The Prius made many of 2010 Best-of-the-Year lists and even topped some of the compilations. But the Jetta and its surprising value and impressive gas mileage ratings weren’t too far behind. In short, the Prius revolutionized the hybrid industry in the United States and the Jetta may well do the same for cleaning-burning diesel engines. The Weekly Driver Test Drive There’s no easy Northern California or San Francisco Bay Area connection to Mendocino. In either of the two major options to

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