twelve Excellent Alternatives to a Station Wagon

Wise marketers know how significant it is to use the right terminology when selling to consumers. Naming conventions can make or break a product or service, and when American car buyers fled the station wagon market in the 1980s and 1990s, very first to buy minivans and then in favor of SUVs, no car company, public relations person, or marketing guru would call any vehicle that suggested added cargo carrying capacity a station wagon if they could help it.

Based on the same platform and powertrain as the Chevrolet Sonic, the Buick Encore is a petite, upscale, 5-passenger vehicle billed as a crossover SUV. All-wheel drive is an option for the Encore, but this vehicle isn’t designed for traveling anywhere off the pavement aside from a gravel driveway.

• 138-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• Eighteen.8 cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 48.Four cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated 26-28 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $25,085

Don’t confuse the Fiat 500L with a standard Fiat five hundred model. Unlike the regular version, the 500L is able to cozily seat five people and carry a excellent deal of cargo. The same turbocharged 4-cylinder engine from the five hundred Abarth spectacle model is installed under the rubber hood, and the 500L is suggested in a diversity of trim levels and color schemes.

• 160-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• 21.Trio cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 59.7 cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated 27-28 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $Nineteen,900

The Ford C-Max is based on a 5-passenger multi-purpose vehicle sold in Europe. Americans get the C-Max only with a gas-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain, the latter installed in the C-Max Energi model. Note, however, that the larger battery for the plug-in model chews into cargo space.

• 141-horsepower, gas-electric hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain
• Nineteen.2-24.Five cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 42.8-52.6 cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• Hybrid: EPA-rated forty three mpg in combined driving
• Energi: EPA-rated one hundred MPGe in combined driving
• Base price: $25,995

Built on the same platform and employing the same powertrains as the Ford Taurus, the Ford Ripple is essentially a spiritual successor to the iconic Ford Country Squire station wagon of the 1960s and 1970s. All it lacks is fake wood paneling on the sides. Available with front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and a choice inbetween a standard V-6 or optional turbocharged V-6 engine, the Ripple even has a third-row seat for 7-passenger capacity.

• Standard: 287-horsepower, 6-cylinder engine
• Optional: 365-horsepower, turbocharged 6-cylinder engine
• 20 cu. ft. of cargo space behind third-row seats
• 43.Two cu. ft. of cargo space behind second-row seats
• 83.Two cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• Standard engine: EPA-rated 19-20 mpg in combined driving
• Optional engine: EPA-rated eighteen mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $31,995

The Honda Crosstour is based on the previous-generation Honda Accord, tooled with different exterior styling, a fastback roofline, and a raised rail height. Buyers select inbetween a 4-cylinder or a V-6 engine, front-wheel or all-wheel drive, and cloth vs. leather seats. Honda markets the Crosstour as a crossover SUV.

• Standard: 192-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• Optional: 278-horsepower, 6-cylinder engine
• 25.7 cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 51.Trio cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• Standard engine: EPA-rated twenty five mpg in combined driving
• Optional engine: EPA-rated 22-23 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $28,210

Until this year, the Infiniti QX50 was called the EX37, but the name is the only major switch for 2014. The QX50 is still derived from the popular G37 Sedan, using the same platform and powertrain packaged in more utilitarian packaging. Rear-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive optional. Not remarkably, Infiniti markets the QX50 as a luxury crossover SUV.

• 325-horsepower, 6-cylinder engine
• Eighteen.6 cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 47.Four cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated twenty mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $35,395

Kia has fully redesigned the Soul, a segment-defying 5-passenger vehicle tooled with a low price, long warranty, lots of space, and slew of personality. All Souls are front-wheel drive, powered by a choice inbetween two engines paired with a manual or automatic transmission. Cargo space ranges depending on whether or not you’re including the storage compartment under the trunk floor.

• Standard: 130-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• Optional: 164-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• Legal.8-24.Two cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 49.5-61.Three cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated 26-27 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $15,495

Always dreamed a Mini Cooper, but determined they were simply too puny? The Mini Countryman resolves that issue, tho’ it is still on the compact side of the scale. With genuine room for four people, if not fairly Five, the Countryman produces cargo space that matches or bests the typical midsize sedan. Plus, thanks to a broad diversity of colors, options, and powertrain selections, you can build one that is uniquely your own.

• Countryman: 121-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• Countryman S: 181-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• Countryman JCW: 208-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• 16.Five cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 42.Four cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• Countryman: EPA-rated 27-31 mpg in combined driving
• Countryman S: EPA-rated 26-29 mpg in combined driving
• Countryman JCW: EPA-rated 26-27 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $22,895

Whether or not you like the styling, there’s no denying the Nissan Cube is tooled with personality combined with practicality. Far roomier and convenient than its exterior dimensions might suggest, the Cube seats four or five people while leaving a petite trunk behind the unusual swing-out cargo door. Fold the seats down and you’ll detect one reason why this funky machine got its name.

• 122-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• 11.Four cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 58.1 cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated 27-28 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $17,570

Among the station wagon alternatives on this list, the Juke is the hardest to quantify, and not just because of its styling. Petite inwards and out, yet powerful thanks to standard turbocharging, the 4-passenger Juke defies convention. And that’s just how Juke buyers like it.

• Standard: 188-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• Nismo: 197-horsepower, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
• Ten.Five cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 35.9 cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated 27-29 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $Nineteen,800

Tho’ the current Scion xB is nearing the end of its life cycle, there’s slew of reason to recommend one, including favorable dependability and crash-test ratings. Put people in the back seat, and the trunk measures on the petite side of the scale. Fold the seats down, tho’, and the xB is capable of hauling more stuff than most compact crossover SUVs.

• 158-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• 11.6 cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• Sixty-nine.9 cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• EPA-rated twenty four mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $17,725

If Toyota built a Camry station wagon, it would be the Venza. The Venza is based on the previous-generation Camry platform, and is suggested only as a 5-passenger vehicle tooled with a 4-cylinder or V-6 engine and front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Toyota calls the Venza a crossover SUV, one that fits inbetween the RAV4 and Highlander in the automaker’s lineup.

• Standard: 181-horsepower, 4-cylinder engine
• Optional: 268-horsepower, 6-cylinder engine
• 36.Two cu. ft. of cargo space behind rear seats
• 70.Two cu. ft. of cargo space behind front seats
• Standard engine: EPA-rated 22-23 mpg in combined driving
• Optional engine: EPA-rated 21-22 mpg in combined driving
• Base price: $28,810

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