Dads rejoice – this one’s for you. It’s an excuse to have a mid-life crisis of a maturely immature kind, and a cool one at that. Just bring a fresh pair of New Balance 530s. You know you deserve it, so ditch the SUV and instead buy a car that celebrates your life stage without too much compromise. Go buy a performance wagon.
Okay, but let’s get real first. As a car community, we love wagons and what they bring: style, utility, and uniqueness that sticks out in a sea of dull SUVs. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that the wagon was once the world’s SUV, but it just lacked the ground clearance. Again, as a car community, there’s a stigma that we all froth over wagons, but we hate to buy them. However, if you’re thinking of breaking that stigma, here are 8 Performance wagons that you can (sort of) buy today:
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BMW M5 Touring
Twin Turb-Charged V8 with an electric motor to make 717 hp, 0-60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. They complained when the M5 went turbocharged, and they complained when it went All-wheel drive, but what are they saying now when the M5 goes hybrid? Oh, and who are “they”?
“They” are probably the ones who will never buy an M5 anyway. For those who can, the all-wheel drive works, and judging by the outgoing competition model, which I had the pleasure of testing, it is an absolute rocket ship. This hybrid, in a touring version, will undoubtedly be sublime in its all-German fight with Audi’s RS6.
7
Mercedes AMG E63 S Wagon
Although discontinued in 2023 before this new craze relaunched (perhaps Mercedes is kicking themselves), a few examples are still floating around, sporting the trusty W213 platform Biturbo powerplant of the AMG’s V8, along with the silky lines of the E-Class, this time in Wagon mode.
The output was 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, and it could rocket this people mover from 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds, equipped with a 9-speed Automatic all-wheel drive. That’s supercar territory, but with luggage! I’d be childish to harp on the point around why we don’t have these for sale anymore, new, but what would an all-German Touring Wagon trio be without this? This is the real automotive holy trinity that I signed up for.
6
Volvo V90 Cross Country
A worthy performance car, but not for those seeking brute force acceleration, as other options might offer. This is more of a well-rounded crossover car that can be taken both on and off road, thanks to its 7.9-inch ground clearance. If you’re looking for some overlanding nuggets to enhance your V90 experience further, happy hunting in here. Volvo has a history of building performance Wagons. The British Touring Car Volvo 850R is what I’m referring to, so perhaps the V90 carries some of that legend forward and has some spice.
Sporting Mild-Hybrid Technology and no plug-in required, the V90 Cross Country comes loaded with driver-focused tech. The Swedish firm knows how to make an off-road cross version, and the Swedes know how to make a performance wagon, but don’t expect fire-breathing performance here from the 295 hp that delivers a respectable 0-60mph time in 6.1 seconds.
5
BMWs M3 Touring
BMW started the resurgence of performance tourers with the M4 Touring, and now that the world has calmed down somewhat over that front end, it might be okay to admit that this is a great-looking car. Under those aggressive features lies a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine producing 530 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. All this translates to a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds, achieved through the 8-speed M Steptronic Sport transmission.
Again, as an ongoing trend, there’s the M Xdrive with active M differential, and yes, you can light up the rear wheels in DSC-off mode. But be warned. This car will bite back in true BMW M tradition. It will not suffer foolish behavior. Despite the divided opinions on design, one can’t deny the striking presence of arguably one of the coolest and unique wagons to grace our roads of late.
4
Subaru Outback Wilderness
Another less-stressful option to consider for joining our Volvo V90 is the Subaru Outback Wilderness. Subaru’s legacy (no pun intended) lives on in the outback. Although you may not be getting the M-Sport Forrester version of the past, you’re getting the DNA, and that’s a cool thing, as well as buying into the assurance that comes with a sound history and a solid platform to venture out and have fun.
The 2025 Subaru Outback Wilderness will feature the legendary 2.4-liter turbocharged BOXER engine, which produces 260hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Although no manuals are offered, you’ll be getting a CVT with it, and if it’s anything like the outgoing model, it won’t be the worst compromise. I would still, however, prefer one with a manual transmission, in true Subaru style. It just feels right.
3
Volkswagen Golf R Avant
Volkswagen has also jumped onto the performance wagon hype train with the Golf 8 R platform. It’s an all-wheel-drive dad mobile. One drawback is that it’s not available everywhere in the world, including America, but it does have “future classic” written all over it if you can get your hands on one. 330 hp and 309 lb-ft are healthy numbers from the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that will get you to 60 mph from 0 in 4.7 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155 mph.
I had the pleasure of testing both the Golf 8 R and Tiguan R and can state that if the Wagon version is as good, this will be a proper working-class hero. Grip for days, balanced chassis with a low center of gravity, and the ability to do the job and carve up some canyons on the breakfast run.
2
Porsche Taycan (4S) Cross Turismo
911s aren’t just getting the Safari-esque ground clearance treatment, but so is all-electric, all-wheel-drive Taycan with the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo. Porsche’s ambitious touring wagon comes with 690hp and 449 lb-ft of torque, featuring motors on both the front and rear wheels, and a curb weight of 5,090 lbs, which is 156 lbs less than the outgoing model.
The Taycan Cross Turismo is a 320kW fast-charging unit based on Porsche’s 800-V technology, which roughly means you can go from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes and add another 160 miles to your daily journey. That’s only if you’re not planning on using the launch control to achieve the 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds. The top speed on this model is limited to 155 mph.
1
Audi RS6 Avant
Entering its “GOAT” era is the latest Audi RS6, featuring a twin-turbo 4-liter V8 that produces 621 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. With the 8-speed transmission, it reaches 60 mph from 0 in just 3.3 seconds (so tell the kids to pack their neck braces). If there were a car that could do it all, this is it. Plenty of performance, and I stress plenty. Utility to boot. Looks to kill with its stage presence and boasts a certified “Zaddy” aficionado ranking, thanks to that all-important Audi lineage that dates back to the granddaddy of them all, the Audi RS2.
No one can knock the Ingolstadt heroes for how to make a sports wagon, and no one dares to share. Secretly, despite everyone’s feelings about the brand, if you ask anyone, this is the one they want to own. It’s the kingmaker that ticks all the boxes.
Not that I’m demanding at all, but if Toyota could get to producing a GR Corolla Wagon, we could officially be living in the most exciting time for wagons. At the same time, everyone keeps saying that motoring is getting boring with all these SUVs. Whether we’d finally convince the masses to stop frothing over wagons and start buying them, that would be a tall ask, but having these types of offerings shows us that, as a motoring industry, we haven’t all quite lost the plot yet.