Station Wagons Ranked
We’ve seen it all when it comes to station wagons - stylish ones, spacious ones, and some real flops. Some even made us wonder what the designers were thinking. We’ve ranked the best and worst station wagons ever built. Buckle up and see which ones made the list.
Volvo 240 Wagon
Let’s start with the best. The Volvo 240 Wagon is hands down the king of all station wagons. It was built like a tank and is still famous for its safety and durability. It had space for the kids, the dogs, and the groceries. It’s a cult classic today.
Mercedes-Benz 300TE
Merc’s 300TE showed us that wagons could be classy. It was smooth, strong, and reliable, and carried Mercedes luxury into family life. It also had a solid build and elegant design, and some people thought it felt like a limo with all that extra space.
Subaru Outback
Subaru’s Outback mixes wagon practicality with a rugged, go-anywhere attitude. It’s perfect for road trips, camping, and snowstorms, and is the ultimate adventure wagon for outdoor lovers. It’s still going strong today and has made wagons cool again in the SUV era.
BMW E39 5-Series Touring
The BMW E39 wagon is the ultimate blend of luxury and sporty driving. It handles like a dream, but still has plenty of space for luggage and family. It proves wagons don’t have to be boring. BMW fans see it as one of the brand’s finest all-around cars.
Volvo V70R
The V70R was sneaky. It looked like a sensible Volvo wagon, but under the hood it hid a turbocharged engine and all-wheel drive. It had 300 horsepower, making it a family hauler that could surprise sports cars. It was peak “sleeper wagon.”
Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Wagon
This was no ordinary family car. The E63 AMG Wagon packed a monster V8 with supercar-level power. It could rocket from zero to sixty in under seconds, all while hauling the kids and the groceries. It also showed that wagons could be both wild and practical.
Audi RS6 Avant
The RS6 Avant is one of the ultimate performance wagons. It’s sleek, powerful, and full of tech, and effortlessly combines luxury with raw speed. This wagon has the soul of a race car and the space of a family hauler. What more could you need?
Dodge Magnum SRT8
The Dodge Magnum SRT8 was bold and beautiful. It had a HEMI V8 engine, so it turned heads and smoked tires all while hauling the family. It was more muscle car than wagon, but it had plenty of room inside. Sadly, it didn’t last long.
Audi RS2 Avant
The RS2 was wild. It was essentially a family car built with Porsche’s help. It looked like a wagon, but drove like a sports car - and that was only half the appeal. It had incredible speed and proved that wagons could be both fast and fun.
Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon
Saab’s 9-5 Aero Wagon was quirky in the best way. It had turbo power, comfy seats, and tons of safety features that made it stand out from the crowd. Saab fans loved its design and personality. It was practical but still felt special.
Cadillac CTS-V Wagon
The CTS-V Wagon was pure madness. Cadillac stuffed a Corvette engine into a family wagon and created one of the wildest rides ever. It had muscle-car power, sharp handling, and loads of space. Only a few were built, so they’re a rare gem now.
Buick Roadmaster Estate
Buick’s Roadmaster Estate was big, bold, and loaded with wood paneling. It became the ultimate ‘90s family wagon and was powered by a Corvette V8 engine. It also had room for everything - kids, luggage, and even the pets. It’s pure ‘90s nostalgia.
Volkswagen Passat W8 Wagon
The Passat W8 Wagon was VW’s luxury experiment. It had a W8 engine, all-wheel drive, and a premium feel both inside and out. It wasn’t the fastest, but it had a smooth ride and a bit of refinement. It was rare and overlooked, but it had its fans.
Volvo V90 Cross Country
Volvo’s V90 Cross Country is a modern beauty that’s sleek on the outside and luxurious on the inside. But the best part is that it’s tough enough for any adventure. It has all-wheel drive and safety tech that keeps Volvo’s wagon legacy alive in an SUV world.
Peugeot 504 Wagon
This is the wagon known for toughness. It was used all over the world, from family trips in Europe to rugged work in Africa. It was comfortable, reliable, and built to last. Peugeot showed the world that wagons didn’t need to be fancy to be loved.
Citroen DS Safari
The DS Safari was futuristic and stylish. It also had a hydropneumatic suspension that made it float down the road like no other car. Families could travel in comfort and style, making it one of the coolest wagons to ever exist.
Toyota Cressida Wagon
Toyota’s Cressida Wagon brought luxury and dependability. It was smooth, reliable, and roomy, and gave buyers a taste of Lexus-like comfort before Lexus even existed. It was a solid choice for families who wanted something nicer than the average wagon.
Ford Taurus SHO Wagon
The Taurus SHO Wagon was the family car with a bit of a wild side. It looked like a normal wagon, but under the hood lay a sporty engine that loved to rev. It was quick, fun to drive, and super practical. Fans still love it today.
Pontiac Aztek
Now onto the worst wagons, we’re starting off strong with the Pontiac Aztek. Yes, it’s more of a crossover, but it was considered a wagon. It had decent space inside, but the styling turned buyers away. Today, it’s more of a joke than a classic.
AMC Pacer Wagon
The Pacer Wagon was just awkward. It had huge windows, a strange shape, and a cramped interior despite its size. It was supposed to be futuristic, but it ended up looking more like a fishbowl on wheels. People still laugh about its design today.
Ford Pinto Wagon
Ford’s Pinto Wagon came with a bit of a bad reputation. It was small and had a weak engine that made it dull. But the real problem was safety. Pintos were known for exploding in rear-end crashes. Not a good look for the brand, right?
Yugo 45 Estate
The only good thing about the Yugo 45 Estate wagon was that it was cheap. And, boy, did it show. It was slow, poorly built, and broke down constantly. People only bought it because it cost less than anything else, but regretted it soon after.
Chevrolet Vega Wagon
The Vega Wagon was a disaster. Rust ate through the body quickly, and the aluminum engine overheated constantly. It had the potential to be great, but the poor quality made it nearly worthless. Most Chevy fans try to forget it ever existed.
Renault Virage Wagon
Renault’s Virage Wagon had that European charm, but that’s where the positives ended. It was unreliable, parts were hard to find, and it fell apart too easily. Buyers quickly gave up on it, and it was one of those imports that just didn’t work out.
Chrysler K-Car Wagon
The K-Car Wagon was cheap and practical. But it was underpowered, boring to drive, and not very durable. It kept Chrysler alive in the ‘80s, but it wasn’t a car that people loved. Today, it’s more of a punchline than a collectible.
Morris Marina Estate
The Morris Marina Estate is one of the most mocked wagons in the UK. It was badly built, totally uninspiring, and outdated even when it was brand new. Rust was also a huge problem, and it was just cheap in every way imaginable.
Hyundai Excel Wagon
The Excel Wagon was dirt cheap, but the quality was equally low. It had a weak engine, was made with flimsy materials, and constant breakdowns made it a nightmare to own. It helped give Hyundai a bad reputation in the early days.
Pontiac 6000 Safari
The 6000 Safari was Pontiac’s attempt at a fun family wagon. But it was forgettable at best with dull styling, weak engines, and nothing exciting about it. People didn’t hate it - it was just boring, and that’s almost worse, right?
Mercury Zephyr Wagon
The Mercury Zephyr Wagon looked plain and drove plain. It was cheap and underpowered, and it blended into the background so much that people forgot it existed. It tried hard to be practical, but it ended up being forgettable.
Chevrolet Celebrity Wagon
Chevy’s Celebrity Wagon was reliable enough, but it was boring to the core. It had plain, boxy looks, weak engines, and nothing fun about it. Families only chose them because they were cheap and available, and not because they wanted to.
Ford Fairmont Wagon
The Fairmont Wagon was uninspiring. It gave a weak performance, had clumsy handling, and a boring design. It did its job as a family car, but it never sparked any excitement. Buyers moved on quickly, and today it’s only remembered as a dull ‘80s wagon - if at all.
Dodge Aspen Wagon
The Aspen Wagon had promise. Sadly, it was plagued by rust, recalls, and poor build quality. People lost trust in it way too quickly, and the constant troubles made it more trouble than it was worth. It was Dodge’s biggest disappointment.
Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser
The Cutlass Cruiser of the ‘80s was nothing like the stylish Oldsmobiles of the past. It was cheaply built, lacked power, and was oh so dull. It was bought out of necessity for space, not love. And over time, it became one of those cars nobody really misses.
Renault Medallion Wagon
The Medallion Wagon was a bit of an oddball. It was imported and sold under different names, so it never caught on. It had a so-so performance and poor reliability. By the time it showed up in the U.S., buyers had plenty of better choices.
Eagle Premier Wagon
The Eagle Premier Wagon is another forgotten oddity. It was built through partnerships with Renault, but it never impressed any buyers. It looked plain, felt cheap, and had way too many problems. Needless to say, it didn’t last long and is just another failed experiment.
