Seven station wagons to consider if you want to rebel against the SUV crowd

The classic station wagon, sports wagon, shooting brake, estate style passenger has been on the out in recent memory. This is quite unfortunate considering a well-equipped wagon can deliver a lot of things an SUV can’t. But the lack of high ridding visibility and a late to the party emphasis on performance seems to have been the death knelt of this body style.

If, however, you still crave the nostalgia of your childhood of travelling vast distances with the family and luggage packed into a wagon, there are a few still available to buy new or near new today. They cost more than they used to (basically the same as their SUV sibling), and they are most likely to have a sports and performance slant but still come with the practicality and versatility you’d expect from a wagon. Anyway, does anyone ever really use all seven seats in their SUV?

Here are seven station wagons you can buy on carsales today if you want to rebel against the SUV crowd.

Volkswagen has come a long way in terms of style, quality and gadgetry and the Passat wagon is a fine example of it. If you are wanting to upgrade to a sensible Euro-chic car but don't have BMW or Mercedes-Benz money with the Passat might be for you. Move up to the 206TSI R-Line and you'll be at home on the autobahn in no time.

Find your own Volkswagen Passat wagon to rebel against the SUV crowd here on carsales
Not ready to rebel? Why not check out the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

If you've ever watched the Tour de France and thought to yourself "Hey, I could totally do that" and by that, we mean driving the support cars behind the racers with the bikes attached to the roofs than a Skoda Octavia could be the wagon for you. Aside from its association with cycling, the Skoda also has a lot of cred in the smart space and gadgetry stakes too. While you can get it in SUV form, the wagon also leads the peloton.

Forget the Outback which has grown out of the wagon market and claims to be an SUV, the Subaru Levorg is an AWD wagon that means business. The sensibilities of being a Japanese family wagon with the blood of the WRX and STI DNA running through it. While it is currently on hiatus as a brand new car, you can still find many used ones around. There are even whispers that it's coming back with the full STI treatment too.

They're almost rarer than hens' teeth, but Jaguars in wagon form are out there. Based on the venerable XF sports sedan, the wagon or Sportbrake as Jag calls it was available for a few years but due to the SUV momentum, never really took off. Fast sporty wagons are a rarity so this might be one to keep an eye on.

While the design style of the exteriors of the latest Peugeots are real head-turners, especially the 508, it's the fighter jet-inspired interior setup that is impressive. While it carries over into the SUVs, it's in the 508 wagon where you feel really in top gun mode. Riding lower with all the space and gadgets to get the family from A to B, you'll be saying SUV who in no time.

It's a loooooong MINI and what's not to love? While the barn door style rear access is a bit unique and obscures vision slightly, the Clubman takes all the best and fun parts of being a small, zippy and fun car and adds space to put a few extra bits. Why get a small SUV when you could get a long MINI?

Volvo has one of the most iconic wagon styles in automotive history, with the boxy 200 Series selling more than 2.8 million cars sold worldwide between the mid-1970s and the early '90s. Known for its ease of getting everything and anything in the back of it as well as being safe, the boxy wagon has evolved over time to become the V60. These days the wagon is less boxy but still versatile, functional and most importantly, safer and smarter than ever.

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