Coolest wagons of the 21st century

Wagons are cool. If you're struggling to understand how I can possibly think that, the rest of this list is going to be a struggle.

Admittedly, there was a time when wagons were most definitely not cool. Vast family land yachts like the Ford Country Squire or Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser cemented the wagon's status as depressing family transport. Clark Griswald's Wagon Queen Family Truckster made them a punch line. Minivans and then big SUVs made them extinct. And extinct they are.

To be clear, those are not the wagons we're talking about.

Over in Europe, the wagon or "estate car" if you're British, continued to flourish. These were smaller, "long-roof" versions of compact and midsize sedans. They drove just as well as their sedan counterparts but provided superior cargo space and versatility. True, we got some of them over here in the 1990s along with comparable examples like the Ford Taurus, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry wagons. Things really started to pick up in the 21st century, though, even as the number of available wagons continued to dwindle. That's because carmakers increasingly started applying the high-performance engine and chassis upgrades of sport sedan models to their wagon counterparts. This seemingly oxymoronic fusion of max fun and max practicality is probably why car enthusiasts love them so much. That they are better to drive and often just as practical as high-performance SUVs are another feather in their cap.

While we're pretty sure every wagon sold in the 21st century is at least somewhat cool (we welcome your examples to the contrary), there are definitely ones that are cooler than others. Most are those max fun versions, be it in terms of high-performance or occasionally off-road prowess. It's also important to boldly state the following: We're only considering those wagons sold in the United States. As much as we'd love to call out wagon versions of the V10-powered M5, Mercedes C63, Volkswagen Golf R and various Audi RS models, plus the beautiful Alfa Romeo 159 and any number of hot Subarus from Japan, we wanted to keep things local so maybe, just maybe, this can inspire an actual car purchase.

Every Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG

Big power, big space. The Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG has been delivering that since the ball dropped on the new millennium. OK, so the AMG version of the E-Class wagon was originally dubbed the E55 AMG due to its smaller-displacement supercharged V8 and then the Mercedes-AMG E 63 because Mercedes decided to futz around with its naming order. In any event, they've all been sensational.

Special attention goes to the original, S211 generation E63 AMG, which swapped that E55 V8 for one of the coolest, snarliest V8s of all time: the 6.2-liter AMG V8. That marvel would live on in the greatly superior S212 generation (above in silver with the German plates) for only a handful of years before a downsized turbocharged V8 replaced it. Today's AMG E 63, pictured above in blue, has an even smaller displacement V8, but it's the most powerful yet with 603 horsepower.

Some have made better noises than others (the 6.2-liter, no question), but all have been great to drive and, get this, have seating for seven. That's right, it has an old-fashioned, rear-facing third-row seat that pops up from the cargo floor.

BMW 540i (E39 or 1999-2003) 

The E39 BMW 5 Series is widely considered the quintessential sport sedan. Possibly THE best sport sedan. Logic would therefore dictate that the 5 Series Touring is the quintessential sport wagon, right? Well, not quite, but it's still a damn fine example of the breed. The trouble, if you could call it that, was powertrain combinations. First of all, there was no E39 M5 Touring, which is a tragedy (the following generation would get an M5 wagon, but it wasn't sold here).

That meant the zestiest 5 Series Touring was the 540i with its 4.0-liter V8 good for 282 or 290 hp depending on model year. Great, but unlike the 540i sedan, you couldn't get it with a manual transmission. Booo! That doesn't mean rowing your own wasn't a possibility. For 1999 and 2000, you could get the 528i and its 193-hp 2.8-liter inline-six paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Yay! Sadly, the 528i was discontinued for 2001 and the succeeding 530i was never offered in the Touring. Booo!

Taking its place as the entry-level 5 Touring was the 525i. You could get it with the manual, and they do in fact pop up with some frequency these days on auction sites. Unfortunately, its 2.5-liter inline-six might have made basically the same power as the old 2.8, but it produced only 181 lb-ft of torque, a 26 lb-ft drop. It was subsequently quite slow, meaning you were/are left with the choice of fast-but-auto, or manual-but-slow. At the very least, you'll be treated to the same exceptional E39 chassis and classic good looks.

Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac made its fame producing grand luxury sedans, coupes and convertibles the size of Connecticut. Then it became something your grandpa drove. So when Cadillac decided to sell a fire-breathing, V8-powered monster of a BMW M5 fighter … well, it was a change in direction. There was almost an irony to the CTS-V. That Cadillac sold it as a wagon, and with a manual no less, almost felt like a joke. Even those, like us, who thought it was the best thing ever had to admit we thought it was crazy that Cadillac was actually making the thing. Values on these suckers will only go up as the years go on. You can read our first drive of the CTS-V Wagon here from way back in the day.

Audi RS6 Avant

This is one of the greatest cars on sale today. Giant power, razor-sharp handling, ample practicality and killer looks. And by “killer” I mean both “excellent” and “looks like a professional killer from a movie would look right driving it.” That Audi chose to sell this RS6 Avant in the United States, in seemingly the dying days of of wagondom, when it chose not to for previous generations is equal parts inspired and perplexing. Whatever, we love it. Maybe not as much as the E 63, but really, comparing those two was like trying to rank your children. You could, but you ultimately do love'em both.

Volvo V70 R (2004-2007)

One word: spaceball! No, not the Mel Brooks spoof, but the unique manual transmission shifter found in the most-desirable versions of arguably the hottest Volvo wagon (another one on this list might have something to say about that). The spaceball shifter was basically a shifter with metal-look shift boot that moved with the stick, rather than a stick that moved around shrouded in a leather shift boot. It’s extremely cool. More things should have a spaceball.

The rest of the V70 R wagon was rad, too, with its standard all-wheel-drive and big turbo power. Its body add-ons, blue gauges and unique interior colors (Atacama brown or Nordkap blue) clearly differentiated it from sedate V70s.

The previous-generation V70 R was sold in the year 2000, and I guess I could've included it, but as it just snuck into the century, I felt OK simply leaving it here as an honorable mention.

Subaru Outback Wilderness

And now for something completely different. A cool wagon doesn’t have to achieve its coolness with performance upgrades that align it with their sport sedan siblings. The Outback Wilderness goes in the exact opposite direction, going beyond the Outback’s usual off-road capability with all-terrain tires, beefy roof rails, meaner styling and an absurdly high lift that eclipses the vast majority of SUVs. It can go almost anywhere, and that’s cool. Of course, if it had bigger power, we wouldn’t complain.

Dodge Magnum

Speaking of big power, the Dodge Magnum R/T packed a good, old-fashion Hemi V8 under its blocky hood packing 340 hp. The Magnum SRT8 had a bigger Hemi good for 425 hp. Either way, nothing like lightin’em up on the way to school. While its Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger platformates would live on with multiple updates, the Magnum only lasted a single generation. Jerks. There assuredly would’ve been a Magnum SRT 392 Scat Pack Widebody Daytona by now available in purple, orange and slime green. So sad.

Saab 9-3 Turbo X Sport Combi

This is probably the best car on this list no one has ever heard of. Or at least ever seen, as Saab sold only about 250 in America. But damn it, I not only saw one, but drove one when it was new, and it was shockingly good. I can still recall the sharp, feelsome steering; exceptional road holding courtesy a sport-tuned suspension, Haldex all-wheel-drive system and eLSD; and characterful snarl of its 2.8-liter 280-hp V6. Up to 90% of that power could go to the rear, by the way, thanks to that Haldex AWD.