{"id":21813,"date":"2018-02-01T15:00:50","date_gmt":"2018-02-01T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=21813"},"modified":"2018-02-01T15:00:50","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T19:00:50","slug":"station-wagons-are-back-in-crossover-disguise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2018\/02\/station-wagons-are-back-in-crossover-disguise","title":{"rendered":"Station wagons are back \u2013 in crossover disguise"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/9ddb467e530c282d9c101d355e6531a65fc7e7f3\/c=504-0-3528-2268&amp;r=x404&amp;c=534x401\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38O.1-0.jpg\" alt=\"wagon_buick-tourx_silver-fr-offroad\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\"><em>Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The station wagon is undergoing a resurgence as a sexy, more nimble alternative to the common five-door SUV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Just don\u2019t call them station wagons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/2018\/01\/31\/station-wagons-back-crossover-disguise\/109993124\/\">Buick\u2019s 2018 Regal TourX<\/a>\u00a0is the latest addition to the growing stable of Europe-inspired, all-wheel-drive wagons that have been recast by automakers as lower-riding crossovers. They hope to capitalize on a new generation of millennials tired of their parents\u2019 lookalike SUVs \u2014 as well as an older generation of \u201cwagon orphans\u201d who are looking to buy again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The German-built TourX, its sleek, five-door wagon body disguised with black fender and rocker-panel cladding familiar to SUVs, joins other body-cladded new entries in the market: the Audi Allroad, Volkswagen Golf Alltrack, and Volvo\u2019s V60 and V90 Cross Country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cWe call it a TourX. It\u2019s a crossover vehicle with car-like driving characteristics,\u201d Doug Osterhoff, Buick chief of marketing for cars, said at the vehicle\u2019s media launch here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Audi, a pioneer in the crossover-wagon space dating back to the 1999 Allroad Quattro, calls its latest Allroad (introduced at the 2016 Detroit auto show) a \u201cluxury wagon\u201d with an \u201cadventurous spirit.\u201d Volvo dubs its Cross Country models, first seen in Detroit last year, \u201csport wagons.\u201d And VW calls its Golf Alltrack, which debuted on dealer lots in 2017, the \u201cultimate vehicle for adventure seekers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QnMFX3d-mCg\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/96256efd5c19165d6f460e5914edfda8dcd5db62\/c=166-0-2833-2000&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38Q.1-0.jpg\" alt=\"Volvo\u2019s V90 Cross Country is just one model in an increasingly\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38Q.1-0.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/4044b1e7645488621f157de466cf1a990870caa2\/r=500x333\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38Q.1-0.jpg\" \/>Volvo\u2019s V90 Cross Country is just one model in an increasingly crowded field of comeback crossovers.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Volvo)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">In a consumer marketplace that covets five-door utility, the resurgent wagon hopes to capitalize on its own practical utility. The TourX\u2019s 73.5 cubic feet of cargo space rivals some three-row SUVs, while offering better looks and more dynamic handling.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cSUVs are a generational thing,\u201d says Osterhoff. \u201cIf you have three kids, you\u2019re in a mid-size SUV. Kids who grew up in SUVs are looking for something different than they grew up in. Young millennials are open to vehicles like (the TourX) because they are active, and they have no preconceptions about wagons.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Rebecca Lindland, senior auto analyst for Kelley Blue Book, agrees. \u201cWe are SUV Nation because baby boomers rebelled against their parents growing up in station wagons,\u201d she says. \u201cSUVs were an opportunity to express themselves differently. What\u2019s interesting about wagons is we\u2019re coming full circle \u2014 millennials\u2019 version of rebelling is to drive a wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QnMFX3dbvI4\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/71564284f602a8695e4237c66464798416c671b2\/c=0-0-3000-2250&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38M.1-0.jpg\" alt=\"wagon_VW_Alltrack_naias17\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38M.1-0.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/3d5569507733ca056af5edaf0a2a8036c559fb13\/r=500x375\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GO21RF38M.1-0.jpg\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">Buy Photo<\/span><\/span>The VW Golf Alltrack is an inch higher than the standard Golf wagon &#8211; and adorned with fender cladding &#8211; in order to give it a more adventurous look. The Alltrack debuted in the US in 2017.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne \/ The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\u00a0Family station wagon sales began their nose dive in the 1980s after the federal government doubled the fuel economy mandate on cars. Families gravitated instead to SUVs like the Jeep Cherokee which were subject to less-strict gas-mileage requirements. Mom and Dad aside, says Osterhoff, wagons have always had core lifestyle-buyers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cA number of manufacturers left this market, like the Acura TSX or Saab wagons,\u201d he says. \u201cWe did a lot of research and owners would hold on to these vehicles because they couldn\u2019t find replacements that met their needs. They like the lower roof, the car-like handling \u2014 and first and foremost, the utility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Not surprisingly, most of the U.S. market\u2019s wagons (the Subaru Outback is an exception) are made in Europe, where crossover-like wagons have proved resistant to the SUV onslaught. The TourX is built on the same bones as the Insignia Country Tourer, which is made by GM\u2019s former German subsidiary, Opel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cUtility vehicles have taken longer to grab hold in Europe, but SUV sales have been increasing there \u2014 from 3.9 percent in 2000 to an estimated 26.5 percent in 2017,\u201d says IHS auto analyst Stephanie Brinley. \u201cSo far, the shift toward SUVs has had a worse impact on hatchbacks than wagons. Wagon sales have fluctuated between 9.3 to 10.7 percent share.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-QnMFX3cg9PI\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/e333c9c3a05dc4275f23fb6b3a36440221d80941\/c=523-0-2770-1689&amp;r=x408&amp;c=540x405\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GAD1RGFIS.1-0.jpg\" alt=\"A pioneer in the crossover-wagon segment, the all-new\" width=\"540\" height=\"405\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GAD1RGFIS.1-0.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/-mm-\/33d97f8a03d5ea06baca0f7a30eca34c8bd87643\/r=500x281\/local\/-\/media\/2018\/01\/31\/DetroitNews\/B99624509Z.1_20180131194700_000_GAD1RGFIS.1-0.jpg\" \/><span class=\"mycapture-btn-wrap\"><span class=\"mycapture-non-priority-horizontal-image mycapture-btn-with-text js-mycapture-btn js-mycapture-photo-asset\">Buy Photo<\/span><\/span>A pioneer in the crossover-wagon segment, the all-new 2017 Audi Allroad debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne \/ The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">\u00a0Brinley does not see similar demand in the U.S. Indeed, she sees sales remaining steady at about 1.3 percent of market to address the needs of consumers \u201cwho have become more interested in an SUV, but still prefer the dynamics of a car.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">KBB\u2019s Lindland says that the wagon segment \u2014 especially if populated by more vehicles like the $30,000-something TourX, which has received rave reviews \u2014 could grow. She also wishes everyone would please call them station wagons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">\u201cI think Buick\u2019s made a bold move,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s an opportunity to redefine the wagon class. It\u2019s an SUV alternative. It\u2019s for people who think outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phoenix\u00a0\u2014 The station wagon is undergoing a resurgence as a sexy, more nimble alternative to the common five-door SUV. Just don\u2019t call them station wagons. Buick\u2019s 2018 Regal TourX\u00a0is the latest addition to the growing stable of Europe-inspired, all-wheel-drive wagons that have been recast by automakers as lower-riding crossovers. They hope to capitalize on a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21813"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21814,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21813\/revisions\/21814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}