Station wagons and hot hatches are like the Swiss Army Knives of the automotive world because they are excellent all-rounders. But lately, station wagons have been on a steady demise, as customer preference shifts towards crossovers. Still, there are several reasons to buy a station wagon over the heavier crossovers before they go extinct because they are more versatile and have better driving dynamics. They are also unique and come with features that make them as capable as the crossovers.
Luckily, a few manufacturers are still producing station wagons. German manufacturers, for instance, have been churning out performance station wagons for years that are capable of keeping up with supercars while hauling a whole family and cargo on the Autobahn. So forget the stereotype and unpopular opinions about the body styling of station wagons, and enjoy these uber-powerful German station wagons.
10 BMW E61 M5 Wagon
The BMW M5 sedan is already an iconic car, with the high-performance variant of the BMW 5 Series remaining in production since 1984 while offering endless thrills on four wheels. The M5 E61 was only the second of two M5 Touring ever made by BMW, which makes them extremely rare. This wagon was identical to the E60 sedan with a tweak in body styling.
Under the hood was a 5.0-liter V10 engine punching 500 hp which enabled the E61 to launch to 60mph in about four seconds. This gave the wagon a perfect blend of motorsport and cargo-hauling capabilities.
9 VW Passat Wagon W8
The Volkswagen Passat Wagon W8 was built when the group chairman mistakenly wanted to move the brand upmarket, as evident with the infamous VW Phaeton luxury sedan. While the W8 didn't realize much sales success, its engine design was fascinating, featuring two VR4s arranged in a V-shape with a common crank. The car's ride quality is up there with other German luxury brands, and its performance was so impressive that it was said to take on a Corvette comfortably.
With only 97 units sold in America, the Passat Wagon W8 is a rarity and is a unique option to a Cadillac CTS-V Wagon. That is, if you can put up with its reliability issues.
8 Brabus Mercedes C63 S Wagon
Brabus is known to take already high-performance Benz cars and put a magical touch on them, thus taking their performance a notch higher. They did the same with the C63 Wagon and added a pair of new turbochargers with bigger compression units, among other upgrades. The result was an increase of 138hp and 88lb-ft of torque to a staggering 641hp and 604lb-ft. Consequently, this version of the C63 was good for a 3.7second sprint to 60mph.
The C63 Wagon was beautifully designed, with plenty of luxury features throughout the cabin. Add the Brabus touch, and you had a contender for the fastest and most powerful wagons.
7 Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon
Remove the Tri-Star badge from this wagon, and it transforms into a sleeper no one will see coming. Except for the unconcealable roar of the 4-liter twin-turbo V8 that will let out the secret that beneath the family-hauling cargo-ferrying façade is an ultimate performance monster. This prides numbers that will make your favorite supercars run scared. 603 horsepower, and 627lb-ft of torque that helps it launch to 60mph in 3 seconds flat.
The E63 S Wagon comes standard with AWD, but a Drift Mode switches all power to the rear wheels for smoke-filled drifts.
6 Volkswagen Golf Estate R
The Volkswagen Golf R wagon was already a capable sports car, with its 290hp from a 2-liter turbo engine and carbon fiber cladding to complete its aggressive styling. Now, VW decided to unlock a new level of performance with this Golf Estate R FighterR. It comes with 395hp and a widebody kit.
The FighteR was part of VW's duo of concept cars; the other is the GTI Aurora. This is bad news to fans since they won't be mass producing this 400hp hot hatch.
5 Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo
The BMW E61 M5 wagon also featured on this list was the last M5 wagon by BMW. So Alpina took a BMW 5 Series Touring and jam-packed it with a heap of performance upgrades, resulting in an elongated BMW that could scramble to 60mph in 3.7 and reach a staggering top speed of 202mpg. The B5 is good for 608hp, and this will rival any performance car from Mercedes, Audi, or Porsche.
The B5 is so elegant that it will sit comfortably with the most luxurious offerings on the market, while being so powerful and fast that it can send chills through your spine every time you floor the gas.
4 Mercedes CLS AMG Shooting Brake
Mercedes have had plenty of station wagons in their lineup over the years. This CLS AMG Shooting Brake is among the most powerful and fastest wagons produced in recent times. Though discontinued, it was a desirable, moderately nutcase of a five-door wagon based on the CLS. The 63 AMG in the name indicates it has had the magical touch of Mercedes in-house performance division. And rightly so, it made more than 500hp from the twin-turbo V8 motor to make it one of the most potent station wagons built by the Germans.
Inside the cabin is a plethora of luxury features and technology gizmos, and gadgets. Also, according to Mercedes engineers, it is more dynamic and comfortable than the more premium E-Class wagon.
3 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
If you are looking to drive faster while saving the planet, kind of, then you wouldn't go wrong with the latest Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid Sport Turismo. Weirdly long name choice by Porsche, and this wagon will launch faster than you can read its name; it sprints from zero to 60mph in under three seconds.
This rapid acceleration is thanks to a twin-turbo V8 engine assisted by an electric motor that churns out a combined 690hp and 642 lb-ft of torque. Also, even with all this power, this wagon drives like a gentleman, showing high levels of refinement.
2 Audi RS6 Avant
The Audi RS6 Avant is the case of matching intimating looks with monstrous performance. Thanks to a roaring 591hp, the latest RS6 Avant can sprint from a stop to 60mph in just 3.1seconds and tops at 190mph, making it a wicked station wagon. It helped change the perception of wagons by bucking all the previous trends by bringing style to a class reputed for primarily delivering dependable family vehicles.
Coming with a thrilling soundtrack and a driving engagement that exceeds its performance figures helps justify the six-figure price tag Audi demands for the RS6 Avant.
1 Porsche Taycan Cross / Sport Turismo
If by now you still think stations wagons are lame, then you haven't met the Porsche Taycan yet. The Taycan Cross Turismo wagon comes with everything awesome about the sedan but in a more practical package. It is a wagon with sports car handling, rapid and repeatable acceleration explosions, much bigger cargo space, and more back seat legroom than the sedan sibling.
Powering the Taycan wagon are two electric motors with an output ranging from 469 to 750hp, and with the pioneering two-speed transmission on the rear axle, the Taycan Turbo S trim rockets from a stop to 60mph in just 2.4 seconds.
sources: caranddriver.com, robbreport.com, hotcars.com, bmwusa.com