10th November 2006.
  Every year at this time, my Porsche 944 is put to bed and I have to acquire some winter wheels.

This year the transportation device turns out to be a very low mileage 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon.

The spin doctors at the various manufacturers will now shudder that I used the term "wagon" instead of crossover or CUV or whatever.

The reason, apparently that the term wagon is de riguer is because Americans won't buy wagons, hatchbacks or diesels.
They don't know what they're missing.

This old wagon will easily carry a twenty- four foot ladder mounted on its roof rack, or a ten foot counter top inside.
If you have just a few parcels, the tailgate glass opens seperately .

So far the car is getting about 27 mpg and has a lot of neat features, but nothing complicated like four wheel drive or GPS navigation.

Of course, ones' driving habits change. It's no good trying to drive fast in something that won't corner, stop fast or accelerate that well.

I doubt that I'll ever get a moving violation traffic ticket with this wagon, but it's sometimes fun to out corner some kid in a Honda Civic
with his hat on backwards, just to reassure oneself that ones' driving ability is still there and not stuffed away in the glove compartment
of the sleeping Porsche.

I think wagons are just terrific family cars.
I think that a lot of people who have bought minivans have made a mistake.
I think that Volvo and Mazda6 wagons are really a better choice for many many people.

If you have to drive a full team of junior soccer or hockey players around, I can appreciate the value of sliding doors.

But unless this is a pre requisite that cannot be avoided, the wagon offers so many advantages over a minivan that it's hard to imagine
why wagons have fallen so far out of favour.

Chrysler just announced that the Pacifica wagon is to be discontinued, which just goes to show you how unpopular these wagons really
are. I truly do not understand why this is so and I give full marks to those manufacturers that are still offering wagons as part of their range
of vehicles. For my purposes, the Pacifica now becomes a target for a future winter car acquisition, because discontinuance means that
the used model price will drop and I might actually be able to afford one!

A recent article in the New York Times seems to confirm most of my first impressions in driving a good old American station wagon:-

"As disgruntled S.U.V. owners try to sell their gas-guzzling vehicles for more economical but equally roomy alternatives, one obvious
choice will not be on most peoples’ short list: station wagons.

Wagons, however, are some of the most space-efficient vehicles available, generally offering better fuel economy than sport-utility vehicles.
A large wagon has similar total cargo capacity to a mid sized S.U.V.

Conjuring images of 1950’s housewives dropping off their husbands for the 6:05 into Manhattan, the station wagon remains as desirable
as bad breath. Yet todays' wagons are a far cry from the behemoths of the past, clad in fake-wood panelling.

To shed their negative image, automakers now call them such names as Avant, SportCombi and Sportwagon.

Wagons remain a strong vehicle of choice in Europe, where narrow streets and small parking spaces seem to call for practical decisions, although many wagons are smaller in Europe and preferable to minivans.

In the United States, however, the wagon-makeover campaign has been a bust. Whatever you call them, wagons account for a minuscule
number of American sales. Wagon versions of sedans made by Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volkswagen and others sell just a few thousand units a year each, despite their good gas mileage, car like ride and large carrying capacities.

Despite their ability to ford streams, ride above the crowd and take up loads of parking space, king-size S.U.Vs as a group are often less-capable cargo carriers than wagons, as well as minivans and crossover vehicles. For example, Cadillacs' Escalade S.U.V. has just
16.3 cubic feet of carrying space behind its third row of seats, about the same as the trunk space of many sedans.

To increase space, the third row must be physically removed.

When it comes to space in cars, raw size really may not be that critical. How that space is used can be just as important.
When professional organizations compare available cargo space between S.U.Vs and station wagons, it is the sport utility vehicle
that often comes up short.

Contrast the Escalades' limited cargo space to the new Honda Fit subcompact. Offering 41.9 cubic feet of volume with the rear seat
down, the Fit also uses a variety of seat folding options to maximize the space. 

Audis A3 hatchback has almost the same cargo capacity (54.6 cubic feet) as its larger A4 wagon (56 cubic feet) does.
Volvos V50 wagon has less cargo space (62.6 cubic feet) than the larger V70 (71.4), but taller objects can be carried in the V50
because it is almost three inches higher inside.

The Infiniti FX and the Nissan Murano, both small S.U.Vs, do not use their space well.
Both these cars are mid sized, but they have such curved backs that you cannot even get a small refrigerator in.

Because S.U.Vs are tall, much of their cargo space may be found in height rather than the length of the vehicle, not too useful when
you want to haul lumber or groceries. The VW Tuareg, a tall S.U.V., actually has less usable storage space than the VW Passat wagon.

Unfortunately, it is not easy to find these things out. While manufacturers measure and report the passenger volume of their vehicles in
the same way, cargo capacity can be measured any way a company wants.

The Society of Automotive Engineers has a standard that defines cargo capacity, but manufacturers are free to not use it, and even those
who do may not bother to put the figures in their brochures or on their Web sites.

If a buyer can find the cargo volume, it may not reflect what is really available. The societys' standard for cargo volume is measured in a manufacturers base vehicle offering. If a customer then buys an upgraded model with an additional row of seats, the actual cargo volume
may be less than the manufacturer reports.

Still, raw numbers, even if accurate, do not always translate into real-world experience. Which is why some car makers use benchmarks to determine if their vehicles can carry enough stuff.

Golf bags are the signature item for the Audi A6. In their research and development area, you will find golf bags, strollers and boxes
as they physically try to fit them into the A4 and A6 wagons.

When Honda developed the Fit (called the Jazz outside of North America), it set a 7-foot-10-inch surfboard as its benchmark item to
carry in the car, a feat it accomplishes by having a front passenger seat that folds flat. The rear seats also fold out of the way, creating a 50-inch-tall space that can hold a bicycle.

For most peoples’ needs, little is given up by switching from a standard or large S.U.V. to a wagon except, prestige and ego fulfilment.

And for people who must have a big vehicle to tow a boat, go  rent a vehicle with a hitch when you need one, maybe once or twice a year."