Station Wagons: Ratings of Sources
Total of 25 Sources
For an explanation of how we rank reviews, see our ratings criteria page.
1. ConsumerReports.org
Not Dated
Wagons
by Editors of Consumer Reports
Our Assessment
Consumer Reports tests most new cars, including station wagons. Cars with the highest ratings are endorsed by editors. Consumer Reports buys cars from dealerships anonymously, performs its own road tests and does not advertise for any car companies. Because Consumer Reports is a subscription site, we can't disclose their picks. Editors include wagons and hatchbacks in the same category.
2009 Best Buy and Recommended Awards
by Editors of Consumer Guide
Our Assessment
Consumer Guide is an excellent source for pricing and options information, and editors also include road-test results that concisely explain each car's numeric scores. Consumer Guide doesn't have a specific category for station wagons, but a number of vehicles that receive the Best Buy or Recommended designations are available as wagons.
Station Wagon Car Reviews
by Editors of Car and Driver
Our Assessment
Testers at Car and Driver magazine list the highs and lows of each 2009 wagon, and they rate each on a scale of one to 10 for "enthusiast rating" (driving pleasure) and "consumer appeal" (practical… considerations) -- neither of which takes price into account. The Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Chevrolet HHR and Audi A3 score the highest, all for different reasons. One of Car and Driver's 2009 10Best Cars -- the BMW 3 Series -- is available as a wagon.
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2009 Top Recommended Wagons
by Editors of Edmunds.com
Our Assessment
Edmunds.com reviews pretty much every car on the market, based on hands-on road tests. Editors recommend two wagons in each of four price categories, from under $20,000 to over $40,000 based on results of those tests; the Ford Flex is a new addition to the list for the 2009 model year.
Top Safety Picks 2009
by Staff of IIHS
Our Assessment
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducts front, side and rear crash tests on most cars. There is no station wagon category for crash-test results, but several Top Safety Picks are available as wagons, including the Ford Flex, the BMW 3 Series and several others.
5-Star Safety Ratings
by Editors of National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Our Assessment
NHTSA crash-tests 2009 vehicles and posts the results here. Vehicles are assigned a rating of one to five stars based on performance in front-impact, side-impact and rollover tests. There is no separate category for station wagons; they are scattered throughout the passenger-car and SUV categories. The Audi A4 Avant is the only wagon that earns a perfect five-star rating in every category.
2009 Most and Least Fuel Efficient Vehicles
by Environmental Protection Agency
Our Assessment
FuelEconomy.gov is the place to find EPA fuel-economy estimates for any given car. In addition to simply listing the vehicles, the site also provides a single page where users can look at the most and least… fuel-efficient vehicles in any class. The most fuel-efficient wagons are the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Kia Rondo and Saab 9-5. The least efficient wagons are the Saab 9-3 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.
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Review: 2009 Euro Wagon Shootout
by Alex Dykes
Our Assessment
This article discusses four contenders for the title of best European wagon: the BMW 535xi, Mercedes E350, Volvo XC70 and Volkswagen Passat. Alex Dykes compares the wagons' exteriors, interiors, engines,… handling, safety and value, picking a winner in each category and briefly explaining why. The BMW 535xi wins, outclassing all others in the power and handling departments, but Dykes gives nods to the Volvo for roominess and the Passat for value. A search-by-make turns up more wagon reviews, including head-to-head tests between the 2009 Ford Flex wagon and the more SUV-like Chevy Traverse (the reviewer finds them both ho-hum), the Kia Rondo vs. the Mazda5 minivan (the Rondo wins) and the 2009 Toyota Matrix vs. the Subaru Impreza 5-door (the Subaru wins). Single-car reviews pass judgment on several more 2009 or unchanged-since-2008 wagons, including favorable reviews for the Toyota Venza and Subaru Outback.
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2009 Automobile All-Stars
by Editors of Automobile Magazine
Our Assessment
Automobile Magazine names the Ford Flex a 2009 All-Star because it is roomy (at a time when most manufacturers are concentrating on tiny), stylish and practical. Meanwhile, the BMW 3 Series wins an All-Star award for the 14th time. Reviewers here are knowledgeable, and reviews are packed with interesting details about each car.
Recommended Shopping List: Hatchbacks and Wagons
by Editors of Kelley Blue Book
Our Assessment
KBB.com, the online home of Kelley Blue Book, offers reviews and automotive recommendations in addition to pricing info. Reviews are based on hands-on testing. Editors pick four top wagons, but one of the picks, the Dodge Magnum, has been discontinued. The Scion xB is one of Kelley editors' top 10 cars for resale value.
Test Drives 2009
by Editors of CanadianDriver.com
Our Assessment
CanadianDriver.com reviewers don't rate or rank wagons, but they thoroughly and expertly test seven 2009 wagons. With Canadian winters in mind, this site usually tests the all-wheel-drive version of a wagon whenever one is offered.
Rankings: Affordable Full Size Wagons
by Editors of U.S. News and World Report
Our Assessment
U.S. News and World Report has collected other publications' reviews of wagons and translated them into numeric scores for several 2009 models. Editors don't perform their own testing, and one of their top picks -- the Dodge Magnum -- was discontinued after the 2008 model year.
Car Reviews
by Editors of J.D. Power and Associates
Our Assessment
J.D. Power and Associates says it bases its ratings on feedback from product owners -- the result of massive owner-satisfaction surveys. Consumers can search by car type for top performers in three… categories: quality, dependability and performance, and design. There is no wagon category -- instead, wagons are sprinkled throughout other categories. When cars' numeric scores are low, the written review sometimes fails to explain why. J.D. Power's site is very helpful when searching for scores on specific cars, but less useful if you haven't narrowed down your choices. The Mercedes-Benz E-Class wins an award for initial quality, while the Volkswagen Passat and BMW 5 Series win for "automotive performance execution and layout." All are available as wagons.
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Road Test Search
by Editors of MotorWeek.com
Our Assessment
MotorWeek, PBS's auto program, tends to test cars that are new models -- or newly overhauled by automakers -- including several 2009 wagons. You can search for reviews by make and model. Cars are not rated or compared, but reviews here are thorough, and they include practical information such as fuel economy and passenger space.
2009 Mother Proof Awards
by Jennifer Newman
Our Assessment
MotherProof.com's Kristin Varela, a mother of two, founded this site in 2004 when she couldn't find the information she needed in other car reviews, such as, "How do booster seats fit?" or "Do kids have a… hard time with the seat belts in this car?" MotherProof.com's "mom-testers" pick the Volvo XC70 as the top 2009 station wagon; this page links to a full review. You can also browse reviews by body type. Most wagon reviews are from 2008, although a few 2009 models have been tested.
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New and Used Car Reviews
by Editors of NewCarTestDrive.com
Our Assessment
This site offers thorough single-car reviews, including reviews for a few 2009 wagons: the Ford Flex, Pontiac Vibe, Toyota Matrix and Toyota Venza. None are recommended over another. Each review includes prices, specs, an analysis of the car's features and an explanation of how the car performed during a test drive.
The Best of 2009
by Staff of GreenerCars.org
Our Assessment
GreenerCars.org is just what it sounds like: an environmentally friendly site that focuses on cars with the lowest levels of emissions, highest fuel efficiency, etc. The site has gathered together the… vehicles that have the highest "green scores" and put them on a single page for easy browsing. The greenest small wagons include the Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen, Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix (the page includes hatchbacks, too). The greenest midsize wagons include the Kia Rondo and Subaru Outback (the Mazda5 is also listed, but most reviews classify it as a minivan).
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Auto Reviews & Ratings
by Staff of The Wall Street Journal
Our Assessment
The Wall Street Journal's car reviews are better written, more critical and more thorough than most others. Unfortunately, the Journal thoroughly covers only two 2009 wagons (the Toyota Venza and Ford Flex); the Pontiac Vibe and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen get slideshows with brief comments from testers. No wagon is recommended over another.
Best New Cars of 2009
by Aaron Gold
Our Assessment
One wagon -- the Pontiac Vibe -- makes the best-of-2009 list by Aaron Gold, About.com's guide to cars. The list links to a full, test-based review. There are more 2009 wagon reviews here, but they aren't… all as thorough as the Vibe's. Reviews are grouped only by make, so this site doesn't make it easy to browse or compare wagons. (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
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2008 Best Wagons
by Editors of Kiplinger's Personal Finance
Our Assessment
Editors here don't write long, detailed reviews of their annual best car picks. Write-ups are short and to the point, but we appreciate the focus on practicality. Awards are given for best overall, most fuel efficient, best for safety, etc. However, we haven't seen a best-car feature from this magazine for the 2009 model year.
Best Overall Values of 2009
by Editors of IntelliChoice
Our Assessment
For the past 22 years, IntelliChoice has been giving selected vehicles Best Overall Value of the Year awards, selecting cars that deliver good quality and relatively low ownership costs. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI SportWagen wins the best Small/Midsize wagon category.
Wagon Reviews
by Editors of Motor Trend
Our Assessment
Reviewers here don't pick any favorites, and they rarely criticize the cars much. Reviews are heavy on powertrain information and specs. However, the wagon reviews do include some references to cargo room, convenience features, etc. This page includes test drives for several 2008 wagons that haven't changed much for 2009, plus the 2009 Audi A4 Avant and Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen.
The Car Family Reviews
by Editors of Motorists.org
Our Assessment
The National Motorist Association is an organization that attempts to represent the North American driving public by debating traffic-based legislation and the like. Its website, Motorists.org, includes an… auto-review column called "The Car Family," in which several family members judge cars from differing points of view. Several wagons get a mention in an article titled "2009's Best New Cars and the Worst," but there are no full reviews of the cars.
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2009 Toyota Venza
by Thane Peterson
Our Assessment
BusinessWeek's Thane Peterson road tests the new Venza and compares it, feature-wise, with several competitors. He concludes that it's pricier and less roomy than some alternatives.
5 Most Reliable Sedans and Station Wagons (Family)
by Editors of BuyingAdvice.com
Our Assessment
One wagon offered for 2009, the Subaru Outback, makes this site's list of most reliable sedans and wagons. It is not clear how the specific numeric scores were reached, although the site lists experienced automotive journalists as contributing writers and says it elicits online surveys from car owners. Write-ups are brief.
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