Originally Posted by
John E
I am a rabid fan of European-style sport sedan based station wagons/estates, which offer an unbeatable mix of practicality, safety, fuel efficiency, and driving pleasure. My wife's 2001 VW Passat wagon easily holds two bikes and two people inside, and the low roofline makes it very easy to load a bolt-on roof rack, expanding the capacity to 4-5 people inside and 3 bikes up top. I am pleased that Honda (Acura TSX Sportwagon) and Toyota (Prius V wagon) have seen the light, but disappointed that Volvo will stop importing wagons to the US, and that there is no plan for a wagon version of the new made-in-USA Passat sedan, which is getting a little too big for my tastes, anyway. I hope to get another 10 years out of the Passat, but if I had to replace it today, I would have very few options -- Acura TSX wagon ($$), Audi A4 Avant ($$$), VW Jetta Sportwagen. Your Europeans and Asians don't know how lucky you are.
I like the "tall wagon" body type that drives like a small car but, with the rear seats folded flat or removed, has room for two or three bikes mounted upright facing rearward with front wheels removed and forks clamped to a mount on a board. I don't like hauling bikes laying on their side. In 2003, when I bought my PT Cruiser, there were very few choices of that type of vehicle sold in the US. I think there are more now, but I'm not in the market for a new car. the "best" car is the one that is already paid for.
