Best Luxury Station Wagons
Best Luxury Station Wagons – Thanks to European automakers the body style still has plenty of life left.
No vehicle class has been more affected by the rise of the SUV than the station wagon.
Once a fixture of American roads, the body style was dealt a serious blow by the introduction of the mini-van in the 1980s before basically being finished off a decade later by the larger, more versatile people movers.
Best Luxury Station Wagons – In 2024, Car and Drive reports, just one percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. were wagons.
Despite this, some life is still left in the body style—especially in the luxury segment.
Longroof lovers have Europe to thank for this.
Marques like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo continue to bring long-roof models to our shores, much to our delight.
They’ve also, in recent years, finally started bringing over the high-performance wagons enthusiasts have coveted for so long, like the Audi RS 6 Avant Performance and BMW M5 Touring.
Best Luxury Station Wagons – The options aren’t exactly plentiful, but there’s enough choice out there to find the perfect wagon for you.
Best Luxury Station Wagons – RS 6 Avant
No automaker seems more committed to the idea of the performance wagon than Audi.
The German marque has been building the kind of longroofs enthusiasts lust after since the 1980s.
There’s no model that better fits this bill stateside right now better than the RS 6 Avant Performance.
Not only is it an Audi that looks sharp, but it’s also powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that generates a brutish 621 hp and 627 ft lbs of power.
The power is routed to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission, the wagon can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds and hit a top speed of 155 mph, two numbers that help explain why it costs over $125,000.
In Production Since: 2002
Powertrain: Twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8
Power: 621 hp and 627 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.3 seconds
Top Speed: 155 mph
Starting Price: $126,600
Mercedes-Benz E 450 4MATIC All-Terrain
Mercedes-Benz wasn’t about to let Audi have all the wagon fun.
In 2023, the luxury marque announced that it was bringing a long-roof variant of the redesigned E-Class to the U.S.
The standard version is the E450 4Matic All Terrain, an attractive wagon that you can take off-road with confidence.
It may not look as rugged as Audi’s A6 Allroad, but this Merc’s 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six and all-wheel-drive system make it a match for all but the most punishing of terrain.
It’s also got some pep, with its mill pumping out 375 hp, enough to push it from zero to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
In Production Since: 1993
Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharge inline-six
Power: 375 hp and 369 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 4.6 seconds
Top Speed: 130 mph
Starting Price: $71,600
Best Luxury Station Wagons – BMW 5 Touring
Sometimes, if you wish for something hard enough—it happens.
Just ask the BMW enthusiast who’s been praying the company would bring one of its vaunted M5 wagons, currently known as the M5 Touring, to the U.S.
Well, after three long decades, it’s finally happening.
The company began teasing the M-badged long roof earlier this year before pulling back the curtain on the vehicle during Monterey Car Week.
And the fearsome estate car does not disappoint.
The M5 Touring is an aggressively styled beast, with some legitimate everyday functionality thanks to its 57.6 cubic feet of “flexible load-carrying capacity.”
The big story here, of course, is the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8 lurking under the hood.
The mill produces 717 horses, which is enough to rocket the wagon from zero to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds to a top speed of 190 mph.
In Production Since: 1992 (2025 in the U.S.)
Top Powertrain Option: Twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8
Power: 717 hp and 738 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.5 seconds
Top Speed: 190 mph
Starting Price: $122,675
Best for Off-Roading: Audi A6 Allroad
The Audi A6 Allroad may lack the flat-out performance of the RS 6 Avant Performance, but it is the more versatile of the marque’s current wagons (the A4 Allroad was discontinued after last year).
That’s because the cult-favorite model, which was introduced as the tail end of the last century, was designed for specifically for off-roading.
It’s powered by a 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 that makes 335 hp and 369 ft lbs of torque, which is sent to all four corners via Audi’s trademark quattro all-wheel-drive system.
It’s not as visually striking as the Autobahn-conquering RS6 Avant, but it’s raised ride height, chunky protective cladding, and all-terrain tires make it a welcome alternative to the brand’s sometimes generic-looking SUVs.
In Production Since: 1999
Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6
Power: 335 hp and 369 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 5.4 seconds
Top Speed: 130 mph
Starting Price: $70,500
Best Luxury Station Wagons -Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid Wagon 4MATIC+
The Mercedes-AMG E 53 Hybrid Wagon is more than just a high-performance variant of the standard E-Class longroof.
It’s another beast entirely, thanks to a hybrid powertrain.
The new setup pairs a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with an electric motor that combine to pump out 577 hp (604 hp in Race Start mode) and 553 ft lbs of torque.
Thanks to all that oomph, the AMG E 53 Hybrid Wagon can sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 174 mph.
But no matter how fast it’s going, the wagon looks good.
It’s been given the AMG treatment, which means it sports a more sculpted look than the standard E-Class, making it one of the best-looking entries in its class.
In Production Since: 2005
Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with an electric motor
Power: 577 hp (604 hp in Race Start mode) and 553 ft lbs of torque
Zero to 60 mph: 3.8 seconds
Top Speed: 174 mph
Starting Price: Est. $95,000
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