2002 Midsize Wagons Comparison Test

It used to be that family car shoppers had more wagons at their disposal than minivans and SUVs, but as the 1980s spilled into the '90s, people found that vehicles like the Dodge Caravan and Ford Explorer were more practical, more stylish choices. Yet, the wagons didn't die out completely. From amidst the rubble of the gigantic rear-drive V8-powered station wagons that no one wanted to drive anymore arose a small population of front-wheel-drive midsize wagons.

These wagons traded size for increased maneuverability and fuel economy — and provided seating for five. Their shelf life was limited, though, due to the increasing supply of high-riding alternatives. By the mid-1990s, most of them were gone — the list of casualties includes wagon versions of the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Maxima, as well as General Motors' aged A-body wagons (the Buick Century, Chevrolet Celebrity, Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser and Pontiac 6000).

Now it seems that we've reached the hors d'oeuvre course of a new wagon movement, as some consumers have admitted to themselves (and their families) that the current midsize wagons are safer, less expensive, more fuel-efficient and easier to drive than sport-utes of similar size — while offering equal, if not better, cargo capacity. And with the availability of all-wheel drive for some models, wagons, too, can deal with harsh winter weather.

Perhaps you've settled on a wagon instead of an SUV for your next family vehicle purchase (or at least you're thinking about it), but aren't sure which one is best. To help out, we've assembled three popular midsize choices for a small comparison test — the "upscale" sibling of Ford's strong-selling Taurus, the Mercury Sable; the standard-issue wagon for New England and Montana, the Subaru Legacy; and our Most Wanted midsize wagon, the Volkswagen Passat.

The first question for some readers is sure to be "How could you leave out the Saturn L-Series wagon?" Please know that we didn't intend it as a slight to American cars. Rather, we made our request for an LW300 a little late in the game, and our contacts at Saturn were unable to come up with one for us. However, we plan to acquire the updated 2003 LW300 for a full road test later on.

As you read this comparison, you'll notice significant differences in prices and equipment among the participants — the Passat was a top-of-the-line GLX 4Motion model (W8s excepted) with a $32,000 price tag; the Sable was a loaded LS Premium model still digestibly priced under $26K; and the Legacy was a cloth-lined GT model with Subaru's boxer four-cylinder, a manual transmission and a $24K MSRP. We certainly would have preferred to evaluate more comparably trimmed cars; a front-drive Passat GLS with either the V6 or the 1.8T would have been a better fit for this test, but as we've said before, we're limited to whatever's available from the manufacturers' press fleets. Moreover, the Legacy Wagon simply isn't available with a six-cylinder engine and luxury features like leather; these are reserved for the all-terrain Outback Wagon, which competed in our 2002 Crossover SUV Comparison Test (coming soon) — and this time, we just wanted a plain old wagon.

With those qualifiers out of the way, we can assure you that each wagon participated in a rigorous simulation of family duty over the course of a week — we took them shopping in the suburbs; we drove them through congested city streets and on the highway; we gave them a workout on the sort of two-lane roads that you might encounter on the way to the lake cabin; we stuffed three enthusiastic editors into their backseats; we tested their willingness to accept large suitcases and child safety seats; and we put them through our usual battery of performance testing.

By the end of the week, none of the wagons seemed like a bad choice; in fact, only 13.5 points separated the first-place car from the third-place finisher. However, in the most subjective areas — the editors' 23-point evaluations and our personal and recommended picks — the hierarchy was very clear. Keep reading and find out which wagon most deserves a spot in your driveway.