Five Things: our favourite jacked-up wagons pretending to be SUVs
Monday, 24 May 2021
A few weeks back we took a look at our five favourite wagons still on sale in New Zealand, but we excluded jacked-up wagons pretending to be SUVs. This meant we had to leave out our beloved Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.
So today we are righting that particular wrong with our five favourite jacked-up wagons on sale in New Zealand. Including the Cross Turismo and one that isn’t actually on sale in New Zealand, and never will be…
Subaru Outback
Subaru (with Volvo following close behind) basically invented the jacked-up wagon with off-road cladding category and the Outback remains one of the best at it.
**READ MORE:
* Five Things: the coolest wagons you can still buy
* Everything electric coming in 2021
* Five Things: when four wheels isn't enough
* Meet Porsche's all-electric gravel warrior - the Taycan Cross Turismo
**
Originating as a version of the Legacy wagon, the Outback would eventually become a standalone model, before becoming a de facto Legacy wagon again when the actual Legacy wagon was dropped. Because the Outback was brutally outselling it.
While we may be calling this a list of ‘pretend’ SUVs, there is nothing pretend about the Outback’s actual off-road abilities – it really is capable of tackling some quite rough stuff. While it won't be tackling the Rubicon Trail, it is capable of going far further than most buyers would be willing to take it.
Skoda Superb Scout
While a lot of people would be expecting to see the Audi A6 allroad in this list, it’s harsh ride and a rear end that is overly sensitive to bumps puts us off it. Which is exactly why we love the Superb Scout.
The Scout is sublime over bumps and road imperfections in a way that the Audi should be, but isn’t, plus it also looks sensational. Packing some real off-road additions, like underbody protection, the Scout isn’t just for show, but while it has a slightly raised ride height, it is still more of a gravel road warrior than something a bit more mud-capable like the Outback.
Volvo V90 Cross Country
It might be getting on a bit now, but the V90 Cross Country is still a fantastic package and a stunning looking thing.
With 204mm of ground clearance and a brilliantly minimalist aesthetic, the big Volvo would be our pick over the admittedly still-excellent XC90 SUV every day of the week, just for the way it looks.
Luckily, it is still a superb drive as well, with a strong emphasis on comfort (as you would expect) and plenty of space inside for the whole family. Plus, at the end of it all, it’s still a Volvo wagon, so is inherently cooler than the majority of other cars on the road…
Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
While we have emphatically declared our love for the Panamera Sport Turismo wagon, the one car that can beat it for sheer wagon sexiness has to be the all-electric Taycan Cross Turismo.
While a high performance, all electric, off-road wagon probably doesn’t really need to be a thing, no one would have expected such a thing to look so stunning if you described the concept to them. But it is.
Again, not one for the hardcore off-roaders, the Cross Turismo comes packing all the spec, power and performance of the equivalent Taycan models, but with added ground clearance (well, just a smidge) and that fantastic wagon roofline.
Mercedes-Benz E400 All-Terrain 4x4²
Okay, this one is a true wildcard because, not only do Mercedes-benz most emphatically do not sell the All-Terrain E-Class here (and have no desire to), the awesome 4x4² is a one-off that will also never see production.
But just look at it! We desperately desire a properly jacked-up E-Class wagon and so, it seems, did a lone Mercedes-Benz engineer called Jürgen Eberle who is responsible for the mighty 4x4².
In G-Wagen terms, the 4x4² label means portal axles and a ridiculously wide track, which is exactly what Eberle did here. It is quite mad, utterly superb, and we dearly wish Mercedes-Benz would put it into production.