| Ten years ago if you walked into a car dealership | | | | SUV you wouldn't be wrong. As little as 3% of |
| and told a salesperson you were interested in a | | | | SUV's have actually been taken off |
| station wagon you'd likely get a sympathetic pat | | | | road. The gravel driveway leading to the cottage |
| on the back and a 10 page report on why | | | | doesn't count.For most people it's been so long |
| wagons have gone the way of disco music and | | | | since the Wagon was popular that they forget |
| moon shoes. Ultimately, wagons sales petered out | | | | why |
| as customers lined up in droves to buy mini vans | | | | they left it. Wagons offer better handling, fuel |
| and SUVs. Since the introduction of the | | | | efficiency and are still able to carry |
| aforementioned mini van, which was introduced in | | | | the kids (and their gear) to hockey practice. |
| the early 1980's, most families abandoned the | | | | European manufacturers such as Audi, |
| wagon in hopes of regaining a sense of coolness | | | | Volvo, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz offer |
| that was somehow missing from a 1983 | | | | wagons. Even BMW has increased their |
| Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon with wood | | | | wagon line-up with the introduction of the 530xiT |
| grain side panels.As mini vans grew in popularity | | | | last year. And these |
| they too began to become less desirable to | | | | manufacturers know a little something about |
| families | | | | vehicle dynamics. Sure most marketing |
| looking for that next big thing. As any 12 year | | | | managers cringe at the term wagon, favouring |
| old can tell you, once too many | | | | terms like Sport Touring and Avant. |
| people start doing the same thing it becomes | | | | Perhaps they've been reading |
| dated and opens the door for | | | | Shakespeare."What's in a name? That which we |
| something else. Remember The Power Rangers, | | | | call a rose by any other word would smell as |
| Pokemon, or Pogs? Neither do I. In | | | | sweet".Sure, but I like giving a dozen roses and I |
| this case the successor to the mini van was the | | | | call a car with a rear hatch and an |
| SUV. Throughout the 1990's, SUV's | | | | extended roof line between the c and d pillars, a |
| grew to new heights of popularity, filling Wal-Mart | | | | wagon.But younger audiences have yet to jump |
| parking lots and emptying the | | | | onto this bandwagon (pun intended). |
| strategic oil reserve at an unprecedented rate. | | | | Rappers, actors, and sports icons continue to roll |
| Although even more popular than the | | | | around in Escalades wearing 24's. |
| mini van, SUV's have remained the vehicle of | | | | So perhaps this is just a sideshow to the storied |
| choice for North America's "with it" | | | | SUV. Then again maybe not. A few |
| families for well over a decade.Times are | | | | months ago I saw something I thought I would |
| changing. Today, as gas prices reach new heights | | | | never see. I saw a popular rap video |
| more people are | | | | showcasing a black Dodge Magnum, undoubtedly |
| reconsidering the SUV option in favour of | | | | a wagon, driving up and down the |
| something more fuel-efficient. | | | | boulevard. Could this singer be a trailblazer (oddly |
| Manufacturers have done their homework, | | | | the name for a SUV from |
| introducing wagons with AWD, | | | | Chevrolet)? Let's hope so. Put down that gas |
| panoramic sunroofs and rear DVD players. Just | | | | pump and get rid of your SUV. You |
| like many SUV's. And if by now | | | | want a wagon, uh sorry, a sport touring. Get |
| you've noticed that most people aren't interested | | | | with the program. What's old is new |
| in the off-road capabilities of their | | | | again. |