February 5: A dead horse, well and truly beaten?

Fleetingly caught out of the corner of my eye, while strolling thru Barcelona last month, was America's last hope at convincing a very unconvinced public, that a station wagon could actually be cool. You guessed it, this was what we sold over here as the Dodge Magnum, but in Europe a Chrysler front end was swapped in and it was renamed the Chrysler 300C (complete with a fuel friendly diesel motor). Looking like a chopped top custom car, the beloved Magnum (beloved by those who loved it!), failed to connect with our growing populace, who believed that the suv would be their salvation.

Of course, this hot looking ride was not an suv and also was too big for Europe, so it became a memory. But those Europeans for years had seen the benefit of wagons  -  lots of room, good handling and great looking. Corner quickly in an suv at your peril, folks. Nothing sporty about most sport utility vehicles. But back to those Europeans. Arriving in Spain, this was on display at the Barcelona airport........

Recognize it? If you do, it's not from seeing it on this side of the Atlantic. This is one of the beautiful Mercedes wagons that roam the continent, specifically the 2020 CLA. Have faith, though, as Benz still thinks that there are a few right minded buyers over here, since last year they added the C Class wagon below, to accompany the E Class, that has been in their line forever. And you can even get the E as a fire breathing AMG 63 with an earth shaking 603 hp! What do the more affluent among us know, that the rest of us don't?

Lusting after one of these beauts, but unless those lottery tickets, that you waste your weekly bucks on, strike gold, all you can do is window shop? Tough luck. Ah, but those Europeans don't have these worries. Don't belong to royalty or have gotten rich selling property in Monaco? Kia understands and would like to help......

This 2020 Proceed seen in Estoril, Portugal, mimics the swoopy Benz styling at a mere fraction of that German's very pricey price. And being a Kia, it has more standard equipment. Of course, you can get all that the Kia offers in a Benz, but you'll have to work the options list to do so. And that costs money, friendo. Those lucky Europeans.

Not a fan of these gorgeous wind tunnel designs (how could that be?), but a wagon still calls out to you?

Over here VW has bid farewell to the neat compact Golf wagon, the last bastion of the economy minded wagon buyer. Yeah, I know your pain. This little gem still haunts the highways and biways of Europe, but it's not a VW buyers only choice. Check out the VW dealer down the street.....

A more conservative approach than the Benz or Kia, VW has given those EU (and British) residents a nicely traditional Passat wagon. Remember those over here from many, many years gone by? Nice and square for those whose antiquing requires a bit more room.

Where did we go so wrong? When did we decide that the only solution was an suv?  When will I stop beating this dead horse?

Hope springs eternal, so I can only dream that there will come a time when the wagon once again reigns supreme. Don't be silly, Barry, but can we at least hope for a minor selection across the price spectrum? Is your blogger too much of a dreamer? Time as always will tell all.

Until next time.......