13 Station Wagons That Are Surprisingly Cool

While the haters may try to sway you otherwise, station wagons aren’t just for softball coaches and grandparents. A cross-country road trip in a loaded station wagon can be the next best thing to Easy Rider. Plus, car camping in a station wagon will put that musky tent out of business.  

Here are the 13 coolest station wagons that’ll make you want to trade in your car. We’ll include a mix of our favorite contemporary models and some classic wagons. 

Chevrolet Nomad

Muscle cars aren’t the only classic combos worth driving. The Chevrolet Nomad combines 50s flair with station wagon practicality, making it one of the coolest cars to cruise–period. Chevy used Nomad as a moniker for multiple wagon models over the years, but we’re talking about the OG 50s design.

Our choice Chevy Nomad was produced from 1955 to 1972 and fits the script of its time. Despite its length, the Nomad boasts a two-door body, sleek with fins, angles, and chrome, and a fly roofline. The Chevy Nomad is one of the coolest, most handsome cars in American history, making it a hot commodity among collectors. 

Audi A6 Allroad

This is a wagon for those looking for the ideal adventure. The Audi A6 Allroad is a power wagon stocked with a potent turbocharged 3-.0-liter V6 capable of 335 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. The Audi A6 station wagon edition is all-road-ready, with two extra inches of ground clearance compared to the A6 sedan.

The Audi A6 Allroad is a blast to drive on and off-road. With plenty of cargo space, refined engineering, wood trim, and a premium Bang and Olufsen sound system, it’s a luxurious way to travel cross-country. 

Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo might be an EV, but it’s also one of the fastest station wagons on the road. It lacks the storage space offered by some of the more robust wagons on the list, but with a 0–60 of 2.4 seconds, less might be more. 

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo’s legendary acceleration time is made possible by a highly refined electric power train. It has multiple configuration options to accommodate a fly futuristic aesthetic. So, while we never thought we’d hear ourselves say, “If you’re thinking about buying a Porsche, consider the station wagon,” the Cross Turismo is one of the fastest cars Porsche makes.

Volvo V90 Cross Country

The Volvo V90 ‌is an offroad-ready hybrid wagon with a turbocharged 2-liter four-cylinder motor. It’s Volvo’s largest wagon, with six extra inches of length and two inches of height over the smaller V60 wagon.

The V90’s extra cargo space pairs nicely with 310 ft-pound torque and 295 horsepower, making it a reliable car-camping adventurer. With a slew of safety features and high-placing safety ratings, the V90 also makes a ferocious family wagon. 

Pontiac Safari

For those less concerned with camping and more into cruising, an old-school station wagon might be worth considering. One classic station wagon worthy ‌of a trade-in is the Pontiac Safari. The Safari was a range of station wagons manufactured from 1956 to 1991, and they’re as fly as they are spacious.

The Pontiac Safari was a Wagon slab built on the Bonneville body also used for the Grand Ville. The Safari wagon was a whopping 19 feet long but as much of a low-to-the-ground creeper as the cars they took their frames from.

BMW 3-Series E30 Touring

The BMW 3-series is one of the most elegant lines of performance-oriented sedans on the market, but did you know BMW manufactured 103,000 station wagon E30 units?

The story goes that a BMW engineer was frustrated by the limited cargo and passengers of his power-packed E30 sedan, so he modded it into a station wagon. Once BMW’s higher-ups laid eyes on the majestic mod project, they saw a solution to market problems they didn’t even know they had. Thus, the E30 station wagon was launched. 

Mercedes-Benz E450 All-Terrain Wagon

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon has been a show-stopper for a while, but 2024 brought about a total re-design for the E450. This luxury car camper stocks a 3.0-liter six-cylinder capable of 369 ft-libs of torque and 375 horsepower. 

The E450 All-Terrain Wagon boasts class-leading handling and an elegant interior. Its 7-inch ground clearance allows it to bounce up rough dirt roads. Plus, a fat grill and sleek build make it one of the prettiest cars on this list. 

Subaru Outback

The Subaru Outback is the quintessential station wagon–an affordable adventure vehicle that’s so rugged they market it as an SUV. And with nine trim levels available, each focused on different aspects of the Outback’s potential, it’s one of the most accessible and flexible buys you can make. 

The Outback features Suburu’s celebrated All-Wheek Drive system, easy handling, ample cargo space, and standard off-road enhancements.

AMC Hornet Sportabout

The Hornet Cportabout is the muscle-car inverse of the mullet–party up-front, family in the back. Head-on, it looks just like the Hornet, with mean angles and a meaner front spoiler. But the rear was converted into a hatchback via a liftgate mechanism that was way ahead of their time.

The Hornet Sportabout was a best-seller between 72 and 77, like the standard Hornet that came before. It has all the style and power of any other AMC from the error poured into a practical mode. This makes it one of our favorite station wagons of all time. 

Ford LTD Country Squire

Look up “American Station wagon” in the dictionary, and the Ford LTD Country Squire is probably the picture we’ll find. This iconic, wood-paneled wonder was manufactured from 1950 to 1991, making it the quintessential family vehicle for over four decades. 

That means four generations of kids have memories of crawling through the “magic door” at the rear of their neighbor’s Country Squire to buckle into the sideways seats. And with a 19-foot length and an efficient V8, it makes a prime family vehicle.  

Mercury Commuter

While the later Commuters were classic four-door wagons,  the original design was a two-door luxury wagon unlike anything else. Manufactured from 1958 to 1962, the original Mercury Commuter stocked four round headlights, chrome-stripped fins, and white-wall tires. 

The Mercury Commuter kept a Lincoln V8 under the hood, making it a mold-shattering icon of the hard-boiled era we’d gladly trade our cars for. 

Audi RS6 Avant

It’s not just the extra cargo space that makes us want to trade for the Audi RS6 high-performance station wagon. It’s the supercar’s specs. A 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine pumps this race-rocket to the rhythm of 621 horses.

Oversized turbocharges, a PSI boost and 627 ft-lbs of torque take the Audi RS6 Avant from 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds. A variety of driving modes also make the RS6 a practical and comfortable wagon.

Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser

Another classic muscle wagon cool enough to trade our cars in for is the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, produced between 1964 and 1977. The Vista stocked a rear-facing third row of seats and skylights–perfect for slow creeps under the stars.

But the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser has a wild side, too. It coasts the same potent Rocket V8 as its contemporary Oldmobiles, cruising the middle path between muscle and mom car.