The station wagon was once a common sight on North American roadways. Their incredible practicality meant that many families swore by them as their daily runabouts. However, since the advent of the SUV, these long-roofed family haulers have been largely forgotten. In order for automakers to continue making their beloved station wagons, there needed to be more to a wagon than its practicality. Thus enters the sport wagon.

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Most wagons are based on a sedan platform and architecture. They generally maintain most of the handling characteristics of their sedan siblings. In order to remain in the spotlight, automakers like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and Volvo set out to add some spice to their practical-but-sedate wagons. Modifications generally included stiffer suspension setups along with a hopped-up engine.

This rarely attempted formula resulted in the creation of some of the most well-loved and coveted cars today. These vehicles combine the sporty handling of a sedan and the practicality of a box-truck. In some cases, these practical wagons can put to shame many of their sports car contemporaries while still carrying the kids in the back seat. Today we will explore 10 staggering station wagons that are quicker than sports cars.

10 Audi RS2

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Arguably one of the most important trendsetters in the fast wagon market was the Audi RS2. Originally developed as a joint venture project between Audi and Porsche, this compact wagon came with a 311 horsepower turbocharged 5-cylinder engine connected to Audi's signature Quattro AWD system.

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It's a shame that the little wagon never made it to North American shores, as it was able to embarrass most of the European supercars available at the time. With its incredible 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds, it would smoke both a Ferrari 348tb and Ferrari 512 TR off the line. Those incredible numbers mean the RS2 is still quick by today's standards, and its also known to be Audi's first RS model.

9 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX Wagon

Japanese automakers seem to keep some of the coolest cars for their domestic market, meaning that enthusiasts need to wait years to get their hands on one. The Lancer Evo IX wagon was no exception. Under the hood of the aggressively styled wagon sat Mitshubishi's crown jewel, the 4G63 engine. The 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder pumped out an impressive 286 horsepower. Paired to Mitsubishi's AWD system, the Lancer Evo IX wagon was a rally-ready family hauler. Even more incredible was the fact it could out-accelerate Japan's finest, the Acura/Honda NSX, to 60 mph with a time of 4.8 seconds.

8 Dodge Magnum SRT8

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For drivers longing for a station wagon that also satisfied their craving for a muscular V8, the Dodge Magnum SRT8 is one of the very few American-made options available. Based on the same platform as the Chrysler 300C, the Magnum shared the same, low-slung, chop-top appearance. These wagons were equipped with the legendary 6.1 liter, 425 horsepower Hemi V8 driving the rear wheels, meaning it was a family burnout machine straight out of the factory. Despite its size and weight, the Magnum SRT8 was faster than the 2005 Mustang GT with a 0-60 sprint of 5.1 seconds.

7 BMW E61 M5 Wagon

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Germany has made some of the craziest super-sedans and wagons in the world. At the top of that list, along with its sedan variant, is BMW's E61 M5 wagon. Unfortunately, as with a sizable number of other performance station wagons, the M5 wagon was never sold in North America.

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Under the hood of the sleek wagon was the utterly ridiculous S85 5.0 liter V10, giving it 500 horsepower. Even better than its looks was the sound of the S85 V10, which let out a howl that no other sport sedan/wagon could ever hope to match. Understandably, the V10 engine meant that the M5 wagon was a true supercar slayer in its day. In a sprint to 60 mph, the M5 would leave the Aston Martin DB9 in the dust with a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds.

6 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

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The title of the undisputed American super wagon king, without a doubt, goes to the Cadillac CTS-V wagon. The team of insane engineers behind the CTS-V decided to lift the 556 horsepower, 6.2 liter V8 out of the C6 Corvette and shoehorn it into a sedate Cadillac sedan/wagon platform. Those incredible numbers meant that the CTS-V wagon could rocket up to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, making it faster than the Porsche 911 Carrera S along with a large array of other sports and supercars. Over recent years, these wagons are increasingly expensive to find used, especially when equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission.

5 Volkswagen Golf R SportWagen

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By far one of the most affordable sport wagons available today is the Volkswagen Golf R SportWagen. Built on the same platform as the Golf R hatchback, the SportWagen receives all of the same internals as its compact brother. The 2.0 liter, turbocharged inline-4 under the hood outputs a respectable 288 horsepower and can accelerate to 60 mph in 5 seconds. Although these numbers are relatively modest compared to the other sport wagons on sale today, the Golf R wagon can still beat a Jaguar F-type P380 coupe by a respectable margin. It's a terrible shame that the Golf R wagon isn't sold in North America, as it would serve as a fun performance wagon for those who find the regular Golf R too small.

4 Volvo V60 T8 Polestar

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Volvo is no stranger to making fast wagons. Starting with the 740 Turbo wagon in the 1980s, Volvo built the legendary 850R and V70R in subsequent years. For their newest generation of the V60 Polestar, the highly regarded 5 and 6 cylinder turbo motors were tossed aside in favor of a twin-charged 2.0-liter inline-4 hybrid setup. Thanks to tweaks done by the engineers at Polestar, Volvo's performance marque, the hopped-up 4-cylinder makes an impressive 415 horsepower and nearly 500 ft-lbs of torque. Despite the extreme weight of the stylish Swede, it can sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. This puts it in front of the Lexus LC500 and ties it with the Porsche Cayman 4.0 GTS in terms of acceleration.

3 Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo

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After many years of production, the Porsche Panamera finally got the wagon variant it deserved. The Sport Turismo variant of the Panamera fixes most of the awkward rear styling of its hunchback sedan counterpart while also greatly increasing the car's practicality. For the Turbo trim, this super wagon comes standard with a 550 horsepower, 4.0 liter twin-turbocharged V8 mated to Porsche's excellent PDK gearbox. When ordered with the Sport Chrono package, the Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo rockets to 60 mph in a staggering 3.6 seconds. That 0-60 means it can out-accelerate most sports cars, including the Aston Martin DB11 v12.

2 Audi RS6 Avant

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In an automotive landscape where station wagons are disappearing by the day, Audi looks to repeat their success in the sport wagon segment with the brand new RS6 Avant. Thankfully for us, this crazy station wagon will be available in North America. Under its sculpted hood lies a 4-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 591 horsepower. Although the car has not been officially tested yet, Audi claims that the RS6 will sprint to 60 mph in under 4 seconds. Other estimates suggest that number may be closer to 3.5 seconds, meaning the RS6 may prove to be faster than the 2020 Porsche 911 Carrerra S and the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso.

1 Mercedes E63 AMG

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For the past decade, the undisputed king of the sport wagon has always been the Mercedes E63 AMG, and for good reason. Every new iteration of the E63 is more powerful than the last, with the current generation making a mindblowing 603 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged 4 liter V8. The immense power figures in tandem with Mercedes' 4matic AWD system means the E63 wagon can rocket to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. Not only does that time make it faster than almost any 4-door on the market, but the E63 also has the ability to embarrass most sports and supercars alike.

One such vehicle is the brand new 760 horsepower, Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Despite the GT500's lighter weight and greater power figure, it can only manage a 0-60 mph sprint in 3.6 seconds.

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