Station Wagons: Reviews

Updated April 2009
 

Best sport wagon

2009 Subaru Outback *Est. $22,295 to $32,095 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org ranks the Subaru Outback alongside other station wagons and hatchbacks, based on road tests. The review also ...

Edmunds.com: Edmunds.com testers praise the Subaru Outback wagon's true car handling, as opposed to that of overweight "crossovers." However, ...

The Truth About Cars: Michael Martineck tests the manual-transmission version of the Subaru Outback wagon. He wonders why a stick shift is necessary -- ...

ConsumerGuide.com: Testers here rate four different Subaru Outback wagon trims in 11 different categories and overall, comparing it with the "class ...

FuelEconomy.gov: This chart shows government fuel-economy estimates, as well as annual fuel-cost projections and pollution ratings, for the ...

SaferCars.gov: The Subaru Outback is one of the safest station wagons you can buy, according to government crash tests. The Outback earns ...

Kelley Blue Book: Kelley Blue Book names the Subaru Outback to its Recommended Shopping List for wagons. The Outback is a good all-wheel-drive ...

Car and Driver: Testers here give the Subaru Outback six points (out of 10) for consumer appeal, but only three points for enthusiast appeal. ...

GreenerCars.org: The Subaru Outback is one of the most environmentally friendly midsize wagons you can buy, according to this website of the ...

 

Best premium station wagon

2009 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon *Est. $36,025 to $37,925 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org ranks the BMW 3 Series wagon against other station wagons, based on its own expert tests and consumer ...

FuelEconomy.gov: This chart shows how various 2009 small wagons -- including the BMW 3 Series -- stack up in terms of government fuel economy ...

SaferCars.gov: The BMW 3 Series wagon achieves perfect five-star ratings in side-impact government crash tests, and four-star frontal and ...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: The BMW 3 Series is named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, with good scores in frontal, side and rear crash tests. The ratings are ...

ConsumerGuide.com: Consumer Guide road tests many new cars on the market, with concise write-ups that explain their numeric scores. The BMW 3 Series ...

Car and Driver: The BMW 3 Series is yet again one of Car and Driver's 10Best Cars. This brief review explains why, and it links to a capsule ...

Automobile Magazine: This brief review of the BMW 3 Series explains why Automobile Magazine picks it as a 2009 Automobile All-Star -- for the 14th ...

Kelley Blue Book: The BMW 328xi all-wheel-drive wagon is one of Kelley Blue Book's top recommended wagons. Links lead to information on pricing, ...

 

Budget seven-seat wagon

2009 Kia Rondo *Est. $17,495 to $22,295 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org thoroughly tests the Kia Rondo, ranking it alongside 19 other wagons and hatchbacks. An easy-to-read chart ...

Edmunds.com: The Kia Rondo is one of Edmunds.com's Top Recommended Wagons under $20,000, along with the five-passenger Pontiac Vibe. This full ...

SaferCars.gov: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash-tests 2009 vehicles and posts the results here. The Kia Rondo earns ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Kia Rondo is the most fuel-efficient midsize station wagon you can buy, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. ...

GreenerCars.com: A partial zero-emissions version of the Kia Rondo is the greenest midsize wagon you can buy, according to this website of the ...

ConsumerGuide.com: The Kia Rondo is named a Best Buy midsize car at ConsumerGuide.com, which includes both sedans and wagons. Editors rate the Rondo ...

The Truth About Cars: Williams pits the Kia Rondo wagon against the similarly sized Mazda5 microvan. He prefers the peppier, more comfortable Rondo, ...

Kelley Blue Book: Kelley Blue Book predicts how much the 2009 Kia Rondo will be worth after two, three, four or five years. Editors make ...

 

Compact, fuel-sipping wagon

2009 Pontiac Vibe *Est. $16,735 to $21,510 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org reviews the Pontiac Vibe wagon and its twin, the Toyota Matrix. In fact, editors base the Vibe's ratings on ...

MotherProof.com: Emily Hansen tests the Pontiac Vibe with her children, ages 7, 9 and 16. She concentrates on practical matters other reviewers ...

About.com: The Pontiac Vibe is the only wagon on About.com's list of the best 2009 cars. After road testing the Vibe, Aaron Gold, ...

Edmunds.com: Edmunds.com names the Pontiac Vibe one of its top wagons under $20,000. Testers judge the Vibe's design and performance, ...

Motor Week: PBS's auto program tests a top-of-the-line Pontiac Vibe GT, which has a more powerful engine than the base model. Testers find ...

FuelEconomy.gov: This chart shows government fuel-economy estimates for most 2009 small wagons, including all five versions of the Pontiac Vibe; ...

SaferCars.gov: The Pontiac Vibe's government crash-test ratings place it in the middle of the wagon category for safety. It earns perfect ...

Car and Driver: Car and Driver reviewers tend to concentrate on whether a car is fun to drive. For the Pontiac Vibe, the answer is an emphatic ...

The Wall Street Journal: This review, in slideshow format, shows various photos of the Pontiac Vibe's interior and exterior features along with two-or ...

GreenerCars.com: GreenerCars.org is part of the nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. It rates cars' emission standards and ...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: This chart shows how small cars compare in IIHS's crash tests. The Toyota Matrix/Pontiac Vibe fall in the middle of the pack, but ...

 

Station Wagons Runners Up:

2009 Ford Flex *Est. $28,550 to $34,960

5 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Canadian Driver…

2009 Scion xB *Est. $15,750 to $16,700

5 picks including: About.com, FuelEconomy.gov…

2009 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen *Est. $19,075 to $23,870

5 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Volkswagen Passat wagon *Est. $29,690

5 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Audi A4 Avant *Est. $34,850

4 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Audi A3 *Est. $26,920 to $36,975

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 BMW 5 Series Sports Wagon *Est. $55,800

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, AskMen.com…

2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring *Est. $18,495 to $20,795

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class *Est. $57,250 to $88,500

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Edmunds.com…

2009 Saab 9-3 SportCombi *Est. $32,565 to $45,660

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Toyota Matrix *Est. $16,290 to $21,950

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Volvo V70 *Est. $32,900

3 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Canadian Driver…

2009 Audi A6 Avant *Est. $53,310

2 picks including: AskMen.com, Car and Driver…

2009 Chevrolet HHR *Est. $19,380 to $25,475

2 picks including: FuelEconomy.gov, Car and Driver…

2009 Toyota Venza *Est. $25,975 to $29,250

2 picks including: Business Week, FuelEconomy.gov…

Back to top