Wagon News

If you's an SUV hater upset that Volkswagen dropped the Golf R wagon you’ve got something to look forward to because the brand’s cool Spanish cousin is filling the gap with its new 245kW Leon Sportstourer. Timed to coincide with the facelifted Cupra Leon hot hatch range due in April 2025, the long-roof Leon VZx will hit Australian shores a few months later. "We've been really pushing hard for the Australian introduction of the Sportstourer,” said Cupra Australia Head of Product and Marketing Jeff Shafer.“We are now expecting this to enter into Australia next year a couple of months after the Leon and Formentor."The petrol flagship in the Formentor, and we expect it in the Sporstourer, is now a 245kW engine and that's paired with the torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system. So effectively the drift mode and the ability to send torque to wherever it is needed," said Mr Shafer. Those 245kW and 420Nm outputs and torque vectoring all-wheel-drive system are the same that feature in the existing Golf R 20 Years edition which should make the Sportstourer suitably spicy. Final figures aren’t in yet but a 0-100km/h time under five seconds is very likely, giving it a leg up on the front-drive only 221kW Leon VZx hatch. Cupra may also offer the Leon Sportstourer with a plug-in hybrid powertrain as it has seen recent success with the set-up. The facelift will bring a new 19.7kWh battery that should equate to a circa-100km electric-only driving range. The list of performance-oriented wagons in Australia has shrunk though the genre is enjoying a resurgence among enthusiasts. In the affordable camp it’s only the Skoda Octavia RS that offers true performance. The Volkswagen Passat is dead in Oz and very few others remain beyond the Mazda6.Cupra will look to capitalise on the cult appeal of wagons: Audi’s RS4 and RS6’s as well as BMW’s critically acclaimed M3 wagon and soon-to-launch plug-in hybrid M5 Touring.Prices for the updated Cupra models are not confirmed. The current VZx hatch lists at $65,690 drive-away, while the Golf R wagon left the market at $71,990 before on-road costs. A starting price around $75K drive-away for the full-fat Leon Sportstourer VZx seems realistic.

Here are the popular models no longer available in Australia that are living an extended or second life elsewhere.

Skoda has kicked off 2024 with a three-pronged attack on the Australian new car market, announcing a run-out version of its compact Kamiq SUV, an entry-level variant of the mid-size Karoq SUV and a value-focused SportLine grade for the Octavia Liftback and Wagon line-up.

A station wagon is superior to an SUV in most respects. They often offer more rear passenger space, match or better cargo space, and generally provide superior fuel economy, not to mention are more dynamic to drive.

Do you want to see a Warrior version of the Nissan Pathfinder? With the ongoing success of Navara Warrior midsized ute as well as the very promising start experienced by the Patrol Warrior full-sized 4x4 wagon launched at the tail end of last year, Nissan Australia admits that it is now looking at – and crunching the numbers for – such an edition of its vastly-improved large seven/eight-seater SUV

Packing a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine supported by a single permanently excited synchronous electric motor, the new Mercedes-AMG E53 is a 430kW (585hp) / 750Nm plug-in hybrid powerhouse offered in sedan and wagon form.

Hyundai has said no to the return of the i30 wagon for Australia, citing consumer disinterest in an ever-contracting passenger-car market. With the company’s decision to source all i30 hatchback production globally out of the Czech Republic for 2024, there had been some conjecture that the stylish Tourer/estate model might have made a return to the local line-up.

Ineos has revealed the design for its long-awaited electric third model, which is set to be called the Fusilier, something it had confirmed was under development back in May 2022.The Fusilier joins the existing Grenadier - which is based on the licensed design of the original Land Rover Defender - in the brand’s line-up as the second badge name, but technically becoming the third ‘model’ alongside the Grenadier and its Grenadier Quartermaster ute sibling.The Fusilier’s specifications are yet to be confirmed, but the brand notes its design is different from that of the Grenadier for drag efficiency.While also being slightly shorter in length and height than the Grenadier, the Fusilier also does away with some of the sharp, boxy lines inherited from the Defender.“Chamfered edges and corners assist with uninterrupted airflow and maintaining that crucial unobstructed visibility over the road and terrain ahead,” Ineos said in a statement explaining the exterior design changes.“Updating the archetypal 4X4 for an electrified powertrain to minimise drag without impacting the functional design sees a smoothing of body lines and a more athletic style.”Additionally, the brand has incorporated active grille shutters to manage airflow based on range or cooling requirements.This will likely come into play later when Ineos introduces a range-extender-equipped version of the Fusilier, which will have a small engine to recharge the battery when needed.Ineos Chairman Jim Ratcliffe says the ranger extender will arrive to alleviate the ‘range anxiety’ perceived by some owners or aspirational owners of electric cars.“We’re excited to bring our electric 4X4 to market but we are beginning to understand the clear limitations of battery electric in certain situations,” Ratcliffe said.“As we developed this vehicle, we quickly concluded that in order to move towards decarbonisation but continue making cars that consumers want to drive, we need a mix of powertrain technologies. “BEVs are perfect for certain uses: shorter trips and urban deliveries, but industry and governments need to have realistic expectations around other technologies that can help accelerate the necessary pace of change. “That is the reason we are offering an additional powertrain for the Fusilier, one that dramatically reduces emissions but has the range and refuelling capabilities needed.”Ineos says the finer details of a range extender powertrain should be able to be announced by the northern hemisphere’s autumn this year, or effectively Q3.Similarly, Australian details in terms of availability and timing should arrive closer to the Fusilier’s launch date.Until then, Ineos will work with automotive supplier Magna to develop the Fusilier, including a “rigorous testing programme on Austria's Schöckl mountain” close to Magna’s facility in Graz.

While wagons lose market traction here in Australia and plenty of other markets around the world, Europe and parts of China seem to remain a bastion for the long-roof, and this incoming electric car from a (relatively) little-known brand is a new example.

Mahindra is expected to reveal a five-door version of its Wrangler-style in the coming weeks, with test cars having recently been spied, but Australia shouldn’t get its hopes up until the model’s design is confirmed.