I think both have their place. The wagon gives you the sedan driving feel AND space. The best SUVs still don't feel like sedans. Wagons also have about the same cargo capacity as a compact or midsized 2 row SUV. So, if you needed a Yak-rack on a wagon you probably would have needed one on an SUV too.

Personally I don't love the sedan driving experience so much that I would get a wagon over an SUV. If I was going to spend $95k on an E450 wagon for instance I would get a GLE580...or an X5 V8, or a Range Rover Sport. But, people are out there who love those wagons. I have a friend who has an RS6 Avant and he loves it.

 

so I see it the other way, which is the opportunity to blend better drive and handling than an SUV with more utility and capability than the equivalent sedan. I’ve always loved wagons, or estates as you and I would otherwise call them, and regret that the US market doesn’t really embrace them the way other markets do. First car I ever bought new was a wagon, and I expect I’ll have one again.

 

I'll take the driving dynamics of a station wagon every day over a pig SUV.

 

Hence my choice of wagon, but with 8.7" ground clearance and with the beefier RSB almost no body roll, over or under steer.

 

Most people don't care about that though

 

True. Otherwise we might have a better selection of wagons to choose from

 

Lazy ragebait!

 

THIS ^

Most wagons have comparable or larger cargo space to the SUVs in their segments due to longer cargo space (though height is usually less), ie A6 allroad has the same cargo capacity as the larger Q8, and more cargo with the seats folded down.

 

You're a little behind the times. SUVS and crossovers aren't the Roly-Poly, Flip-Over machines they once were, for several reasons....better suspensions, steering systems, tires, center-of-gravity engineering, and electronic roll/stability systems.

 

They still don't handle or feel like a sedan. Just a function of center of gravity.

 

With the Outback and Encore GX, the two crossovers I've owned, I haven't noticed much difference in handling from my sedans, although I'll admit I am usually not a very aggressive driver. In reviews, however, I did corner a little harder to test the handling.....within safety and common-sense.

Probably the worst-handling SUV I ever sampled was the gargantuan 7000-lb. Ford Excursion. That thing was simply awful. Even trying to drive in a straight line, it was all over the road. It scared me....and I was used to test-driving and reviewing many different vehicles. The miniscule Smart-for-Two, a the other end of the spectrum, was also terrible, but in a different kind of way.

 

Well the Outback you owned is a wagon, not a crossover. That generation Outback was unquestionably a wagon. The Encore GX is small, but in a corner you’ll still be able to tell it’s a taller vehicle. It’s a subtle difference with modern crossovers though.

For me, comparing my big sedan to say a Range Rover or a GLS or X7 or something, you can definitely feel a difference.