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12 station wagons still sold new somewhere in the world

The station wagon never really died in the way American car shoppers assume; it simply moved its showroom floor to Europe and Asia. Buyers there can still order a long-roof body built over familiar sedan and hatchback underpinnings, spanning budget-friendly haulers, all-wheel-drive crossovers, and 600-horsepower super-wagons alike. Here are twelve wagons that remain in production today.

1. Audi A4 Avant: The Long-Roof Standard Bearer

Audi A4 Avant — Image Credit: Alexander Migl - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Alexander Migl – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

Audi builds the A4 as a sedan for the United States but keeps the Avant wagon in production for European and other overseas markets, where a raised allroad variant also sells alongside it. Quattro all-wheel drive and a lengthened cargo floor separate it from the sedan.

For buyers who need more load space than a trunk but do not want an SUV’s height, the Avant offers roughly 500 liters of cargo room with the rear seats up, expanding well beyond that when they fold flat.

2. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate: A Luxury Hauler With A Trunk Up Top

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate — Image Credit: OWS Photography - CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: OWS Photography – CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class lineup has offered an Estate body style since the 1970s, and the current generation keeps it in production for global markets even as North America sells only the sedan. A power tailgate and a split rear glass hatch are standard fitments.

Air suspension and a nine-speed automatic carry over from the sedan, so the wagon trades none of the model’s ride comfort for its extra square footage behind the second row.

3. Volvo V60: Sweden’s Mid-Size Safety Wagon

Volvo V60 — Image Credit: Unknown author
Image Credit: Unknown author

Volvo has sold the V60 since 2010, building the compact-executive wagon on the same platform as the S60 sedan and pairing it with the brand’s standard suite of collision-avoidance technology. A Cross Country version adds ground clearance for gravel roads.

The V60 gives shoppers who want a Volvo’s safety record without an SUV’s bulk a lower center of gravity and a smaller footprint for city parking, while still swallowing flat-pack furniture.

4. Volvo V90: The Flagship Estate From Gothenburg

Volvo V90 — Image Credit: Dinkun Chen - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Dinkun Chen – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

Sitting above the V60, the V90 is Volvo’s full-size wagon, built on the same scalable architecture the brand uses for the S90 sedan and XC90 SUV. Scandinavian minimalism defines the cabin, with a portrait touchscreen replacing nearly every physical button on the dashboard.

Volvo positions the V90 as proof that a wagon can carry the same prestige as a large luxury sedan, aiming it at executives who want cargo capacity without stepping down in perceived status or ride comfort.

5. BMW 3 Series Touring: The Enthusiast’s Grocery Getter

BMW 3 Series Touring — Image Credit: Charles from Port Chester, New York - CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Charles from Port Chester, New York – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons

BMW has offered a Touring wagon version of the 3 Series since the 1980s, and it remains a fixture in Europe even though the sedan alone represents the nameplate in the United States. Rear-wheel drive and a near-50/50 weight balance carry over unchanged from the sedan.

Drivers who value the 3 Series for its handling do not have to give that up for cargo room, since the Touring shares its suspension tuning and engine lineup with the standard sedan.

6. Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo: The Sports Car Wagon

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo — Image Credit: Retired electrician - CC0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Retired electrician – CC0/Wiki Commons

Porsche’s Panamera lineup includes the Sport Turismo, a shooting-brake wagon body sold alongside the standard four-door and available with the same twin-turbo V8, V6, and plug-in hybrid powertrains as the rest of the range, including the range-topping Turbo S E-Hybrid.

Few automakers put a wagon roof on a genuine sports sedan, which makes the Sport Turismo a rare option for buyers chasing both cornering speed and a usable rear cargo hold with a nearly flat load floor.

7. Audi RS6 Avant: A 600-Horsepower Super-Wagon

Audi RS6 Avant — Image Credit: Calreyn88 - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Calreyn88 – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The RS6 Avant pairs a twin-turbo V8 producing around 600 horsepower with Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system and an eight-speed automatic, and unlike most performance flagships, it has never been sold as anything but a wagon in any generation.

Audi built its performance halo car around cargo capacity on purpose, betting that buyers who can afford a supercar-quick machine still want room for luggage, ski gear, and a stroller on the same trip.

8. Subaru Outback: The Wagon That Calls Itself An SUV

Subaru Outback — Image Credit: Raszbeary - CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Raszbeary – CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons

Subaru markets the Outback as a crossover, but underneath the raised suspension and plastic body cladding sits a Legacy wagon platform with standard all-wheel drive and roughly 220 mm of ground clearance, more than most rivals in its class.

That wagon foundation is why the Outback drives closer to a car than a truck-based SUV, giving it better fuel economy and sharper handling while still projecting the rugged image American buyers have come to expect.

9. Skoda Octavia Combi: Europe’s Value Wagon Champion

Skoda Octavia Combi — Image Credit: Charles from Port Chester, New York - CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Charles from Port Chester, New York – CC BY 2.0/Wiki Commons

Skoda’s Octavia Combi wagon shares its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Golf but undercuts VW pricing by a wide margin, and it consistently ranks among Europe’s best-selling wagons thanks to a cargo volume that rivals cars a full class larger than it.

Fleet buyers and families gravitate toward the Combi because it delivers roughly 640 liters of trunk space, more than many compact SUVs offer, at a fraction of a premium-badged wagon’s purchase price and upkeep.

10. Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate: The Compact Entry To Wagon Luxury

Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate — Image Credit: Alexander Migl - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Alexander Migl – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

One rung below the E-Class, the C-Class Estate gives buyers Mercedes styling and an MBUX infotainment system in a smaller, more affordable wagon body than its bigger sibling offers, without dropping the brand’s full suite of driver-assistance features.

It slots into markets where compact wagons still outsell small SUVs, letting Mercedes compete directly against the Audi A4 Avant and BMW 3 Series Touring on both sticker price and everyday cargo room for growing families.

11. Volkswagen Golf Variant: The Everyman Hatchback, Stretched

Volkswagen Golf Variant — Image Credit: Harvey Bold - CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Harvey Bold – CC BY 4.0/Wiki Commons

Volkswagen extends the Golf hatchback’s rear overhang to create the Variant, a wagon that adds cargo length without changing the compact car’s engines, interior layout, or overall width, keeping parts commonality high with the standard hatchback model.

The Variant remains a common sight on European roads specifically because it costs little more than the hatchback it is based on while adding meaningfully more trunk space for essentially the same parking footprint.

12. Peugeot 308 SW: France’s Compact Estate Entry

Peugeot 308 SW — Image Credit: Skye Haynes - CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons
Image Credit: Skye Haynes – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wiki Commons

The Peugeot 308 SW stretches the hatchback’s body into a compact estate, sold across Europe with the brand’s compact i-Cockpit dashboard and a choice of gasoline, diesel, and plug-in hybrid powertrains depending on the specific market.

Peugeot keeps the SW in its lineup because French and wider-European buyers still favor a low-slung wagon over a small crossover for everyday family duty, valuing its lower running costs and easier city parking.


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