"All we are saying is give wagons a chance"

Crossovers are red hot and every automaker has at least one or more of them in their line-up. You can choose from a compact, mid-sized and large crossovers. There are seven-seat options and even a convertible option from Land Rover. We wish that we could go back to the days when wagons were popular. Crossovers maybe cool but it is not as cool as the mighty wagon and we've decided to compose a list of wagons that we wish were sold here in the U.S. (Part one) 

Ford Fusion Estate (or Ford Mondeo Estate)

What is it? A wagon version of the Fusion sedan.
Europe gets a wagon version of the Fusion sedan that wears its portions well. We love the way it looks on the outside and the fact that it has an enormous boot to match. The Fusion Estate would be a option for those who don't want a crossover. Ford could offer this with the 1.5 and 2-liter ecoboost engines here and offer all-wheel-drive standard to appeal to buyers looking at Subaru and even Volkswagen. Ford has a great wagon on its hands in Europe and well with the lack of wagons sold here (mostly due to slow sales) Ford could spark interest back into the wagon segment. We'd even be happy with a Subaru Outback fighter if that's the only way we could get a Fusion Estate on our shores.
Side note: Ford maybe offering a lifted version of the Mondeo Estate to compete with the Subaru Outback as the market shifts more towards crossovers. Here's a rendered look of what it might possibly look like. 

Audi A4 Avant, Audi A6 Avant, Audi A6 All-road
What is it? The wagon version of the Audi A4 and A6 sedan.

Audi calls their wagons avant and well they are some of the most stylish wagons on-sale. We would love to see the Audi A4 Avant sold here to compete with the BMW 3-series touring. It may not sell in large numbers that Audi would like but it would provide some stiff competition against the Volvo V60 and of course the BMW 3-series Touring. The 2-liter turbo engine used the A4 would be perfect in the A4 Avant. Audi could also consider the A6 Avant here as a special order wagon, seeing that you can buy a Volvo V90 Wagon here on special order. The A6 All-road would be the  perfect Volvo V90 CC (Cross-country) fighter as the Audi A6 All-road is stylish and quite elegant on the inside. These raised wagons are getting popular so Audi could offer something a bit bigger and roomier than the A4 based All-road currently on sale now.
Happy note: Audi has confirmed that the A6 estate will be returning to the United States in 2020 along with a possible high performance version as well. It might be thanks to the Jaguar XF Sportbrake being sold her and being well received by critics. 


What is it? Well we all know what it is. BMW once sold this here but discontinued it.

BMW should give the 5-series touring another shot here in the U.S. Especially with Volvo offering the V90 here as special order. We would love to see the 5-series Touring here with the new turbocharged six-cylinder engine that it used to offer when it was sold here. Jaguar is bringing the XF Sportbrake here so why not offer the 5-series Touring with M-sport package standard and that excellent turbocharged six-cylinder engine? It may not sell in high numbers like the X-range does but it will certainly provide a great number of options for those who don't want to settle with a crossover.



Subaru Levorg
What is it? A wagon version of the Subaru Impreza
Subaru sells more of the Impreza hatchback than sedans. The Levorg could be the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen fighter Subaru needs to really steal away sales from Volkswagen. Subaru has better reliability and build quality. Subaru is known for being utlitarian vehicles, so why not offer this handsome wagon here in the U.S.? It would certainly grab more people who want a proper wagon with standard all-wheel-drive. It would be nice if Subaru used the Legacy standard 2.5 engine and the WRX turbo engine as an option for the sportier trim.

Toyota Auris Touirng
What is it? A wagon version of the Toyota IM
This could be the redesigned Prius V or maybe just a wagon on hand for those who don't want a crossover. It would be a welcome surprise if Toyota brought this wagon over even if it were just a hybrid option or maybe a nifty Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen fighter. Toyota has legendary build quality and would be on the shortlist for those who want a reliable vehicle and not have to pay the premium from its German Rivals to get a proper wagon. We know that it wouldn't be the most exciting option out there but it wouldn't hurt to have at least one wagon that could be used as a work horse.

Mazda 6 wagon
What is it? The wagon version of the Mazda 6 sedan.
We once had the Mazda 6 wagon here and it was one of the best wagons you could buy. It offered both four-cylinder and six-cylinder engines with a roomy boot to match. The new Mazda 6 is roomier and much more stylish than the outgoing wagon. We wish that Mazda sold this wagon here because it would provide another reason to not have to buy a crossover. If Mazda sold there here and priced it at the same price as the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen, Mazda would have a real winner on its hands. We would even be happy if Mazda sold a lifted version of the Mazda 6 wagon here. We just want the wagon!


Mercedes C-class Estate
What is it? A wagon version of the C-class sedan.
The E-class Estate soldiers on by itself here in the U.S. But it would be great if Mercedes spiced things up and offered a proper rival against the BMW 3-series touring and Volvo V60. The 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder sold in the C-class would  be great here in the C-class touring with standard 4-matic all-wheel-drive. We love how elegant the C-class Estate looks compared to the sedan and well if Mercedes ever does bring back the CDI diesel engine, this would be a great start. The only other diesel wagon you can option for is a 3-series Touring an well those aren't exactly easy to find.



Kia Optima Wagon
What is it? A wagon version of the Kia Optima.
This is one stylish wagon that we would love to see here in the U.S. It would be awesome if Kia made a Subaru Outback fighter version of this with the 1.6 turbo and 2-liter turbo offered and all-wheel-drive optional. We would even be happy with the wagon itself here period with a $30k price tag and all the bells and whistles of the EX standard. It's a niche market here in the U.S. for wagons but we want to see them make a comeback if sedans are slowly disappearing.

US vs UK (Part one) Entry-level engines

Have you ever wondered what an entry-level Volkswagen Golf looks like in UK vs what we get here in the US? Well fret not here is our blog focusing on entry-level engines offered in UK vs US.



Volkswagen Golf (U.S. vs U.K.)
Golf S (U.S.) 1.8t 170hp ($19,895)
Golf S (U.K.) 1.0t 83hp ($23,743)

The 1-liter turbocharged three-cylinder sold in Europe has 129lb-ft torque at low revs. It has diesel like torque which should help it feel flexible around town and on the highway. This engine only comes with a five-speed manual gearbox which is the proper way to go with this engine. We find it quite interesting that despite it being more expensive than the U.S. version, this engine has really low running costs and still seems decently kitted.



BMW 3-series Sedan (U.S. vs U.K.)
320i (U.S.) 2.0t 180hp ($33,450)
318i (U.K.) 1.5t 136hp ($33,124)

The 318i sedan uses the same engine from the Cooper trim that’s sold here. It’s a 1.5 turbo three-cylinder which is great in the Mini Cooper Hardtop 5-door. It’s an interesting option for the entry-level 3-series considering that it’s a larger vehicle, but the rear-wheel-drive platform should make it more fun to drive.



Mercedes CLA (US vs UK)
CLA 250 (US) 2.0t 208hp ($32,700)
CLA 180 (UK) 1.6t 122hp ($32,577)

We do complain about how Europe gets better product than us, but with an engine like this and a price tag as steep as ours. We should be happy this CLA 180 stayed in Europe, however with stricter emissions standards coming. We too could be seeing less is more aspect of new engines. The turbo really does give low-end torque so it shouldn’t feel too weak but a 86hp drop won’t go unnoticed.



Toyota Yaris
L (US) 1.5-liter 106hp ($16,375)
Active (UK) 1-liter 69hp ($16,079)

The Yaris sold here gets 37hp for $296 more than the UK version which has only 69hp. The standard 5-speed manual gearbox should help make it feel peppy around town. Running costs on the Euro version should be way lower than the US version in theory, but if we had this engine here. You’ll have to really thrash it to keep up with traffic and that means that you won’t be driving it as economically as it should be driven.



Jaguar XE
25t (US) 2.0t 247hp ($35,725)
20d (UK) 2.0d (diesel) 163hp ($36,412)

Jaguar already offers a fantastic diesel engine here for about $2-3k more than the 2-liter turbo. The diesel engine we get is also a 2-liter but pumps out 180hp instead of the more efficient 163hp found in this example here and it also is the base engine for those in the UK. We loved the 2-liter diesel engine that was offered in the Passat here because it had such high torque at low revs and never felt underpowered. The XE here may not be to everyone’s taste considering that it’s near $40k with only 163hp but with such a premium feeling interior and the looks of a Jaguar. It’s basically a win – win when you think about it.



Honda Civic Hatch
LX (US) 1.5T 174hp ($19,700)
SE (UK) 1.0T 127hp ($24,021)

The trend we are starting to notice here is that turbocharged three-cylinders are starting to make a comeback in Europe. The 1-liter turbo three cylinder offered in UK could serve as a great engine option in the Honda Fit to rival the Ford Fiesta Ecoboost three-cylinder engine. Also, it would be quite an interesting option against the Focus here as well. We know that the 2-liter is plenty efficient, but if Honda ever did decide to bring the Civic Hybrid back. This engine coupled with an electric motor would be a great start.



Land Rover Discovery
SE (US) 3-liter supercharged 340hp ($49,990)
S (UK) 2-liter Sd4 240hp ($60,539)

It really doesn't surprise us that the Discovery is far more expensive in the UK than in the US considering the vast number of stringent fuel economy and emissions standards. What we would love to see here is that 2-liter turbo-diesel engine. We've had the opportunity to drive on in the Velar and it is a great engine and should be optional on at least the Disco Sport.

US vs UK (Part two) Entry-level engines

We take a look at entry-level engines that's offered in UK vs US to see who gets the better engine choices.



Mercedes E-class
E200D SE (UK) 2-liter (turbo-diesel) 150hp ($44,019)
E300 (US) 2-liter turbo 241hp ($52,150)

We would gladly choose the 2-liter turbo-diesel offered in Europe with an AMG package. You get everything you love about the E-class with the running costs and the range of a small hatchback. It kind of sucks when you think about it, we associate luxury with engine size. If it doesn't get from zero to sixty quicker than a VW Golf then it's clearly not luxurious! (Sigh!)



Audi A6
SE Executive (UK) 2-liter (turbo-diesel) 187hp ($42,334)
Premium (US) 2-liter turbo 252hp ($47,600)

We really do miss the TDI engine options that we used to get here, but due to the emissions scandal we won't be seeing them anymore here. This is also quite interesting that both the A6 in UK and here are evenly kitted but the engine is what makes ours more expensive at $5,266. How many of you would pick the diesel over the gasoline engine? We certainly would.



BMW 5-series
520d SE (UK) 2-liter (turbo-diesel) 188hp ($46,695)
530i (US) 2-liter turbo 248hp ($51,400)

The previous generation of the 5-series used to come with a silky smooth 3-liter turbo-diesel which we loved. Sadly, it hasn't made it in the newest generation yet. The 3-series diesel has the same engine but with 8hp less and we love it despite the diesel clatter at idle. It would be nice to see this engine offered here in the US as luxury shouldn't be all about size and horsepower figures.



Lexus GS
GS 300h Executive Edition (UK) 2.5-liter 181hp ($46,192)
GS Turbo (US) 2-liter turbo 241hp ($46,310)

We aren't huge fans of hybrids and well to be frank, the hybrid offered in the UK version of the GS can stay there. It took us by surprise that Lexus even offered a turbo four-cylinder in the first place. The GS hybrid makes more sense as a company car buy and for anyone who drives tons of miles in the city and some on the highway. You'll have to do tons of driving to make up for what you paid for it in the hybrid premium. The turbo is way better, trust us on this one!



Volvo S90
Momentum D4 Automatic (UK) 2-liter (turbo-diesel) 187hp ($43,395)
T5 FWD (US) 2-liter turbo 250hp ($48,100)

We have yet to see a diesel Volvo sold here. It would be an interesting alternative to the T5 and the fact that it has nearly 300lb-ft torque means that it has tons of low-end torque. You can't really complain about the torque figures especially considering that most who will buy the S90 won't drive it like hooligans anyway. Low running costs and sexy Swede styling. Volvo would have a real winner on its hands.



Jaguar XF
Prestige (UK) 2-liter (turbo-diesel) 163hp ($41,635)
XF 25t (US) 2-liter turbo 247hp ($47,775)

We do get a 2-liter turbo-diesel here with 180hp but it is almost $6k more expensive than this entry-level diesel offered in the UK. Manual gearboxes aren't as common as they used to be in the US and it is a little sad too because we would be getting so many efficient and intelligent engines here. We do have a weird perception on luxury and well horsepower isn't everything. This XF is clear proof.