Wagon Stoke

[simple]

Dude Motor Trend has been bullshit for decades. Their CATY award has been ad driven forever.

[BmillsSkier]

I need to jump into the Worst cars thread apparently. Solid bump there.

To my credit, I did pull a Wayne most mornings when my buddy tried to get in the car



Another shitty car story - There was a really smug douche in high school who used to ride to school on some little bespoke cafe racer that he built. He never stopped talking about it. He was basically the "I gave my love a cherry..." twerp from Animal House but with a motorcycle instead of a guitar. By senior year, the Tempo had destroyed itself between foreign objects in the engine bay, hard use, and well, being a Tempo, and I found a beat up Cherokee that I could afford. For all its faults, it had on overly powerful rear windshield fluid dispenser, When you pulled the lever, the water/solution shot over the back and drenched the top of the car, it was like a mini fire hose.

So, i repositioned the angle of ejection, pointing it straight backwards. My HS had two ways into the student parking lot. One was up a super steep hill in the front and then there was a small neighborhood side street that intersected it near the top that people rarely used and was pretty nonobvious. I would sit on that side street until I heard the douche puttering up the steep hill. I would time it to pull in front of him before entry into the parking lot and then send a rear facing blast of whatever I had filled the reservoir with straight to his dome. The dispenser was the perfect height, like the Cherokee was built just for this guy's face. It started with water and never got worse than old Dr. Pepper. I wasn't a mean kid in HS so for purposes of the story, just know that this guy deserved it. After a few run ins, he would swerve around like madman behind me while I shot fluids at him.

Holy shit Art, you're killing me!

Wait, are you actually PJ O'Rourke? I loved your automotive books.


BONUS:

Does anyone remember what the car was named in The Wonder Years? I think I do, but I'd rather use TRGoogle than look it up.

[frorider]

Hey guys, it’s the 2022 Outback Wilderness:



Those wheel arches are fucking hideous. 9.5” ground clearance but 20 deg approach angle is still the weak point.

Expect to see a shitload of these with rooftop tents in your town.

[snowaddict91]

Gonna replace the crosstrek for the mountain-chick-yoga vehicle. I just hope my wife doesn't decide she wants one.

[JohnF]

Does an outback count as a true wagon?

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[snowaddict91]

Does an outback count as a true wagon?

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Not since 2009.

[jackattack]

I sorta like those wheels, but that’s about it.

[JohnF]

Not since 2009.

I think a good metric is that the space behind the 2nd row seats has a depth greater than or equal to the width.

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[waveshello]

Hey guys, it’s the 2022 Outback Wilderness:



Those wheel arches are fucking hideous. 9.5” ground clearance but 20 deg approach angle is still the weak point.

Expect to see a shitload of these with rooftop tents in your town.

Trying to capture the rust belt market with the plastic wheel arches?

Coming to a TH near you this summer complete with wag more bark less and the mountains are calling stickers.

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[waveshello]

I think a good metric is that the space behind the 2nd row seats has a depth greater than or equal to the width.

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Is there a wagon made after 2000 that actually meets that spec??

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[BmillsSkier]

The reflectors on the overly-fat roof rack are nifty.

[54-46]

Is there a wagon made after 2000 that actually meets that spec??

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BMW 3 series GT has a huge back seat

[joeshek]

Volvo still makes some riteous wagons....Loved my XC70 and the V90 has to come close

[BmillsSkier]

Agreed. We had that same XC70T6 but in blue and whenever I see one I still think, man, that’s a sharp car.

[glademaster]

My parents had an XC70 when I was growing up. Incredibly comfortable seats, nice road trip car, but built like a POS. That thing was in the shop every week. They eventually got sick of making the 2.5 hour round trip drive to the nearest dealer for warranty work, and dumped it for an Acura MDX. They've yet to buy a non-MDX vehicle since.

[Name Redacted]

Volvo still makes some riteous wagons....Loved my XC70 and the V90 has to come close

Do those tight wheel wells suck in the winter? I’ve always wondered how they don’t constantly get packed with snow and ice. MIL has one but she rarely drives and parks in a heated garage.

Wife got a RAV4 TRD off road this winter. Drives really well in the snow, fun car, but not the power of the old 3.6L Outback.

[BmillsSkier]

My parents had an XC70 when I was growing up. Incredibly comfortable seats, nice road trip car, but built like a POS. That thing was in the shop every week. They eventually got sick of making the 2.5 hour round trip drive to the nearest dealer for warranty work, and dumped it for an Acura MDX. They've yet to buy a non-MDX vehicle since.

FWIW there was a massive mechanical and design shift from the first gen XC70s to the generation seen above. Ours a was trouble free.

Do those tight wheel wells suck in the winter? I’ve always wondered how they don’t constantly get packed with snow and ice. MIL has one but she rarely drives and parks in a heated garage.

Wife got a RAV4 TRD off road this winter. Drives really well in the snow, fun car, but not the power of the old 3.6L Outback.

Never had an issue with the wheel wells and we routinely road tripped that thing up north through Great Lakes blizzards. There was a ton of ground clearance and wheel travel in the first one posted above.

[joeshek]

FWIW there was a massive mechanical and design shift from the first gen XC70s to the generation seen above. Ours a was trouble free.


Never had an issue with the wheel wells and we routinely road tripped that thing up north through Great Lakes blizzards. There was a ton of ground clearance and wheel travel in the first one posted above.

Yeah, I got my 09 T6 over 200k with almost no issues. Would have driven it until the wheels fell off, but a massive hailstorm destroyed it. Super comfortable, 300hp, AWD with good ground clearance and a massive amount of space behind the rear seats.

[MontuckyFried]

Yeah, I got my 09 T6 over 200k with almost no issues. Would have driven it until the wheels fell off, but a massive hailstorm destroyed it. Super comfortable, 300hp, AWD with good ground clearance and a massive amount of space behind the rear seats.

While I should maybe refrain from chiming in as I my '08 XC70 sits in my garage broken down with a blown water pump, I really have to agree overall. Mine's at close to 200K and up until the last couple years, it's been supremely reliable. NOW it's getting quirky, but's it's been a solid freaking car for most its life. Planning on fixing and getting it over the 200K mark. Not giving up on the old girl just yet. That interior is just SSSOOOOOOOO nice and everything within my car budget seems like such a POS compared to it. Worth fixing! Wish I had the T6 though as my NA 3.2 is slow as balls. Maybe I should just pretend its a 240D. Haha

[BmillsSkier]

Our T6 had some balls. There’s an on ramp by our house that I used to (still do, but different wagon) floor the shit out of it to get our kid all fired up. 300hp and 300 torques and awd from a dead stop got moving. Love the looks you get when you blast by people in a wagon.

[bagtagley]

Topic for debate: is a lifted/crossover/sport utility wagon truly considered a wagon?

I never really considered a Forester or Outback a wagon. I went out of my way to find a Legacy wagon because I didn’t like the way the Outback drove. I felt the same way about the XC70. Much nicer to drive than an Outback, but not as nice as an equivalent Volvo wagon.

Pedantic? Absolutely, but that’s the fuel that keeps TGR running.

[simple]

That discussion gets lots of people heated.

The traditional wagon is just about dead. The cute utes are basically lifted wagons. "Truly" is a silly word. That horse is beaten to death. If you have a RS6 avant you can claim wagon superiority otherwise get over it.

[The Tortoise]

I see the cute utes being more of a lifted hatchback. A wagon equivalent would have more space because of 'dat ass.

I finally got the roofbox on ours for an Easter trip to Le Massif. '15 TDI.

[BmillsSkier]

Topic for debate: is a lifted/crossover/sport utility wagon truly considered a wagon?

I never really considered a Forester or Outback a wagon. I went out of my way to find a Legacy wagon because I didn’t like the way the Outback drove. I felt the same way about the XC70. Much nicer to drive than an Outback, but not as nice as an equivalent Volvo wagon.

Pedantic? Absolutely, but that’s the fuel that keeps TGR running.

Love the triggering post to start the day.

I think if the car shares the same body with the regular wagon (save the off-roady bits and cladding) and is just lifted, then it’s definitely a wagon. See V90, E wagon, A6 Avant, A4... all have their burly tough off-road relative but it’s the same car more or less.

The Outback treads a different line these days. I’m of the opinion it’s a wagon, and the Forrester is not.

(ducks)

[joeshek]

Yeah, I dont think suspension tweaks change the class of vehicle.

Is a Hyundai Elantra not a sedan because it's suspension is mushy and drives like crap compared to an BWM M5?



Bigger question that I will never understand - how is this a coupe?