Family Car Guide To 2011 Luxury Wagons

It’s a fact. Wagons today are more exciting than ever. Lone gone are the days when driving a station wagon was considered the kiss of death. Getting past stereotypes takes some time – and a lot of new styling, features, and technology on the part of automakers. And these car companies have certainly listened, as witnessed by the numbers of very stylish product offerings available today. Here’s a brief overview of 2011 luxury wagons.

Audi A4 Avant – The compact five-passenger 2011 Audi A4 Avant, available in three models (2.0T Premium, 2.0T Premium Plus, and 2.0T Prestige), features standard Audi Quattro full-time all-wheel drive (AWD) and 211-hp 2.0 TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine and eight-speed Tiptronic transmission.

Audi A6 Avant – Moving up to the mid-size 2011 Audi A6 Avant, the wagon version of the A6 lineup is also offered in three models (3.0T Premium, 3.0T Premium Plus, and 3.0T Prestige). Powered by a 300-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V-6 engine mated to a six-speed Tiptronic transmission, all models and feature standard Audi Quattro AWD.

BMW 3-Series Sports Wagon – The fifth generation BMW 3-Series wagon variant includes the rear-drive 328i Sports Wagon and 328i xDrive Sports Wagon with intelligent AWD. Both models are powered by the 230-hp 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission.

Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon – The 5-passenger mid-size 2011 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon is available in five trims. Base trim comes with standard all-wheel drive (AWD) and a 270-hp 3.0-liter direct injection V-6 engine. Other trims feature the 304-hp 3.6-liter direct injection V-6. Both engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Mercedes-Benz E350 4Matic Wagon – The single wagon offering from Mercedes-Benz for 2011 is the full-size E350 4Matic Wagon. Powered by the 268-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine mated to seven-speed automatic transmission and featuring 4Matic AWD, the E350 4Matic Wagon seats five adults and two children in three rows and has 20.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the second row down.

Volvo V50 Sport Wagon – The compact premium wagon from Scandinavian automaker Volvo is the V50 Sport Wagon. For 2011, the five-passenger front-wheel drive (FWD) V50 is available in T5 and R-Design. V50 is powered by a 227-hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine paired with five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode.

For a more in-depth look at these models, see the two-part series:

The Family Car Guide: 2011 Luxury Wagons, Part One

The Family Car Guide: 2011 Luxury Wagons, Part Two