Top 10 best station wagons of 2021

The station wagon, or family car, is characterized by an increased size of the luggage compartment and a two-volume design. And although it is believed that the sedan is the closest relative of the station wagon, the tailgate that opens upward looks like a hatchback, only with an elongated stern. It is the high roominess that makes this type of body so attractive for those who practice frequent trips with the whole family or who prefer to transport oversized cargo by their own transport.

How to choose a versatile family car

After interest in station wagons began to decline amid the growing popularity of crossovers with their increased cross-country ability, automakers decided to restore the status quo in a simple but effective way, improving the off-road characteristics of the former. Therefore, the best modern station wagon cars have increased ground clearance and some other parameters typical of crossovers and SUVs with the remaining increased roominess.

However, classical models are in no hurry to give up their positions in the market, being characterized by the following advantages:

• luggage carriers of record volumes;
• the possibility of transforming a spacious cabin;
• the ability to carry long loads, for which the capabilities of sedans or crossovers will not be enough;
• versatility, that is, the adaptability to transport many people and be used as a truck.

Of course, for the sake of possessing the listed advantages, I had to sacrifice a lot:

• the passability of station wagons is lower than that of crossovers;
• increased dimensions, primarily in length, make it difficult to maneuver in cities (in courtyards, in parking lots);
• Since station wagons are designed to carry loads, their suspension is more rigid than that of sedans / hatchbacks;
• do not forget about the higher cost compared to the next of kin.

Almost all car makers have station wagons, so choosing a family car can be tricky. What should you focus on in the first place?

We bring to your attention a list of criteria that can influence your choice:

• if you plan to use the vehicle mainly within the city, choose a classic city station wagon, otherwise - an off-road vehicle;
• in any case, the volume of the trunk is of great importance, as well as the ability and convenience of transforming the passenger compartment into a cargo-passenger or cargo version;
• ease of boarding passengers on the third row of seats;
• vehicle equipment;
• its dimensions;
• attractive appearance.

Do not discount the cost factor by choosing a reasonable compromise between price and quality (associated with the brand).

And now the promised rating of the station wagons of the 2021 model.

Kia ceed

The Ceed family has become a landmark for the South Korean automaker - it was with this model that Kia's expansion into the European market began. The station wagon itself survived three generations, the last one was shown to the general public in Geneva in 2018. It is this version of the golf class wagon that is currently available in domestic car dealerships. It is beautiful in its own way, very practical and well-equipped car, technically identical to the hatchback.

The Koreans claim that it is the Kia Ceed SW that has the record-breaking luggage capacity among the station wagons in its class (mid-size). The best station wagon of our rating is supplied to Russia in six trim levels with three power plant options.

This is a 100-horsepower 1.4-liter engine, a base 1.6-liter engine with 128 "horses" and a turbocharged 140-horsepower unit with a capacity of 140 hp. from.

The main advantage of the model is a 600-liter trunk, which, when the rear row of seats is folded down, increases to 1650 liters, while forming a perfectly flat floor.

Even in the basic Classic configuration, the car has six airbags, ABS / EBD / BAS / VSM systems, a full package of power windows, a light sensor, a modern media player with 6 speakers, air conditioning, power side mirrors, a multifunction steering wheel and other equipment.

More demanded is the Comfort equipment with a base 1.6-liter engine, which can be purchased for 1.27 million rubles with a manual gearbox (40 thousand will have to be paid for the machine).

Luxury Premium Plus equipment will cost you at least 1.85 million rubles, and in this case you will receive additional heating of all seats, side mirrors, windshield and steering wheel, alloy wheels with a diameter of 17 inches, parking sensors with a blind spot monitoring system, full LED optics , adaptive cruise control, an adapted traffic sign recognition system, a modern media center equipped with an eight-inch display, an auto-braking system and many more different "goodies".

Hyundai i40

If the best station wagon according to our version was designed on the basis of a hatchback, then in second place is the model, which is in many respects identical to the sedan of the same name. For the first time it was presented to the public in 2011, and in 2015 it underwent a serious restyling.

In terms of trunk roominess, this mid-size is inferior to the leader - 533 liters, but surpasses it in the total volume of the luggage compartment with the third row of seats folded down - 1720 liters. Finally, here we can note a fairly powerful 150-horsepower two-liter engine, quite responsive and quite economical. There are no mechanical boxes - only automatic machines, but today this is more an advantage than a disadvantage.

Considering the above, the Hyundai i40 is quite worthy to be presented in the top of the best station wagons in terms of an excellent quality-to-reliability ratio, although this model cannot be called a budget model. But since finding a foreign wagon cheaper than 1 million rubles is an almost unrealistic task, you will have to come to terms with this fact.

So, the initial Comfort equipment will cost you 1.3 million rubles. But even here there are 7 airbags, air conditioning, leather multifunctional steering wheel, full power accessories, high-quality audio system and other "goodies".

The Advance version starts at 1.7 million, but here you get a panoramic roof, parking sensors, navigation, heated all seats.

Lada largus

The car, produced since 2012, underwent a restyling in 2020, which turned out to be by no means cosmetic. Outwardly, it resembles a 1st generation Logan MCV with a recognizable Ladovsky front end, inside the updated model has acquired a resemblance to the Renault Duster (also of the first generation).

Largus got into our rating of the best station wagons not only because of its budget - there are not so many models with a seven-seater body in it. In appearance, this is a typical urban station wagon, characterized by a sloping bonnet, relatively small front / rear bumpers, and a large glass area of ​​the side windows. With a length of 4.47 meters, the car has a trunk volume of 135 liters (option with three rows of seats) or 560 liters (5-seater car), which can accommodate 2350 liters with the rear seats folded down.

Restyled inexpensive station wagon is offered in seven trim levels. The basic version of the Classic costs from 690 thousand rubles with one airbag and a 90-seat power unit.

The Luxe Prestige package will cost you 915 thousand rubles, and here the list of available options is much more impressive, reaching the level of the rating leaders.

Opel Insignia Sport Tourer

Unlike the leaders of the rating, this "five-door" belongs to the higher class (E according to the European classification), offering its owners a modern dynamic exterior, German reliability and practicality and excellent equipment.

Appearing on sale in 2018, the station wagon immediately won the love of Europeans, whose sedans are not in high esteem. Interestingly, it was designed on the basis of a liftback, differing from the prototype mainly only in the stern.

As for the volume of the trunk, it cannot be called impressive: 540 liters, even for a sedan, is the norm. With the seats folded down, you will already have 1640 liters of luggage space available for luggage, and the cargo area itself will be over 2 meters long.

The line of motors is represented by petrol 1.5-2.0-liter and diesel 1.6-2.0-liter units, the chassis practically does not differ from that on the liftback. Deliveries to Russia of the restyled version are expected in 2021; eight complete sets of the station wagon are already available in Germany. The basic version costs from 27,000 euros (this is about 2.3 million rubles), the maximum configuration will cost you 40 thousand euros (3.5 million rubles). Expensive, if we take into account the set of "bells and whistles" comparable to the leaders of the rating, but the vaunted German quality for many can outweigh the difference in prices, so that the fourth place in the list of the best station wagons is quite deserved.

Skoda Superb Combi

Since the brand prefers liftback bodies, it is not surprising that the flagship station wagon is designed on the basis of the three-box body of the same name. For the first time Superb Combi was demonstrated at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2015, and a year later the model reached Russia. In 2019, an update was made, affecting almost all aspects, from appearance to technical component.

This is a business class station wagon with a modern exterior, good equipment and ample roominess (660 liters normal and 1950 with the rear row of seats folded). For Russia, the 14.9-centimeter ground clearance was increased by 1.5 cm.In a word, an excellent car of the 2021 model in the station wagon, comfortable, safe and practical. A real family car.

In domestic car dealerships, the third generation Superb Combi is available with the same line of motors as the liftback (150-horsepower 1.4-liter or 190-sylg two-liter gasoline engine). Consumption for such a car is quite acceptable, in the combined cycle - 6.1-7.8 l / 100 km.

The five-door in the initial Ambition configuration costs from 2.2 million rubles, for the top-end modification of Laurin & Klement you need to pay at least 2.7 million. The equipment is exactly the same as that of the liftback.

Hyundai i30 Wagon

Closing our rating of the best station wagons is another model from Hyundai, the third generation of which was first demonstrated in Geneva in 2017. This is a typical representative of the "golf class", created on the basis of a hatchback, in its appearance is clearly focused on a purely European style. The volume of the trunk here is impressive - 600 liters, and if you fold the rear sofa, we get a solid increase of 1050 liters with a perfectly flat bottom, and this is one of the best indicators in its class.

All three engines available for the station wagon are turbocharged, two petrol 120/140 horsepower and a 110-horsepower diesel.

In domestic car dealerships, the i30 Wagon is available in 4 trim levels. The basic Classic is equipped with electric power steering, a full package of power windows, power side mirrors, 4 airbags, dual-zone climate control and other options. You will have to pay 1.019 million rubles for it. The top-of-the-line Vision equipment is much richer and costs at least 1.2 million rubles.

Which station wagon to choose

In general, the family car market is quite extensive, but not many models are supplied to the Russian market, therefore the choice is not so rich. Those who do not experience a shortage of funds can be advised quite expensive European models. For most, the best choice would be a Korean-made car, and a completely budgetary option is the domestic Lada Largus with an unpretentious design and not the most perfect model in terms of equipment, but adapted to Russian realities.