Would you buy a Hyundai Sonata wagon?

...speaking of "spy shots", look closely at this cloak-and-dagger pic of a Hyundai Sonata station wagon. This is what you get from a company on a roll. And Korea’s Hyundai-Kia Motors is definitely on a roll.

Combined Hyundai and Kia brands have sold 151,485 vehicles in Canada so far this year. In case you’re keeping score at home, that’s only behind first place Ford-Lincoln, second place General Motors (Chevrolet-Buick-GMC-Cadillac), and third place Chrysler-Dodge-Ram, but ahead of such Japanese stalwarts as Toyota-Lexus, Honda-Acura and Nissan-Infiniti.

Ignoring some of the self-inflicted wounds from the above-mentioned rivals (i.e. Toyota’s recalls or Honda’s hybrid flops) it’s safe to say much of the Korean automaker’s success is due to the continuous onslaught of new products. In the past year alone, Kia has launched the Soul wagon, Forte sedan, Koup two-door and Forte5 hatch, as well as the Sportage and the Sorento crossovers. While Hyundai has debuted an all-new Genesis Coupe, Tucson, Equus and Sonata sedans.

Not taking a break, next year we’ll get an all-new Kia Optima midsize sports sedan—a car that promises to marry Kia’s new European-inspired exterior looks and upscale, driver-oriented cabins, with a new turbocharged four-cylinder that promises class-leading horsepower and fuel economy. And that turbo motor will be added to the Sportage as well. Plus there’s a new Hyundai Elantra, Accent, Santa Fe and Tiburon replacement waiting in the wings…

So despite Mercedes-Benz (C Class), BMW (5 Touring) Subaru (Legacy), Mazda (6 Sport Wagon), and even Volvo (V70), to name only a few, having given up on selling wagons in North America in favour of crossovers, it looks like Hyundai-Kia may offer its midsize Sonata wagon—that’s already scheduled for other markets—here as well. According to a report at Autoblog.com, “American [Hyundai-Kia Motors] executives definitely want the car and are working to build a business case for it.”

Or perhaps in the form of an Optima sports wagon, an example of which I saw testing at the Hyundai-Kia Motors tech centre in Seoul, Korea, last May

Either way, it would be a sign that the Korean automaker has the chutzpah to go where other automakers fear to tread.

But will Hyundai-Kia Motors be rewarded?

Would you buy a Sonata/Optima wagon instead of a crossover?

Or is the wagon body style a thing of the past in North America?

[Sources: Autoblog.com, CarPix]

 

 

Comments

[Peter McDonald]

I would love to look at it at least. I'm on my second Focus wagon and was livid when the dolts at Ford announced 3 or 4 years ago that they were rededicating themselves to small cars and then promptly did away with the Focus wagon and hatch. I was starting to think my next car would be a VW but now Acura has a wagon coming and the Hyunday/Kia deal sounds good too. I don't feel like clambering up into crossovers, a word to my mind that means they do nothing well. Less space than a wagon not as useful as a real suv.
Wagons rule!

[John in Calgary]

I traded down/up from a Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd to a Volvo XC-70 turbo wagon. Loved the Jeep but the wagon was WAY better in terms of interior storage capacity, handling and gas mileage. I'd definitely give the wagon format a hard look as I enjoy a sportier driving experience.

[RP]

I'd definitely test drive the Sonata wagon especially with the Turbo motor. I've been in crossovers, SUV's and wagons and believe me the wagon driving experience is superior. They are also much better on fuel and you give up little, if anything in utility.

Regarding the TSX wagon, I contacted Acura regarding it and they've put it on hold in Canada. Stupid, stupid, stupid decision. They would have almost no competition in that market. Both the A4 Avant and CTS wagon would cost substantially more money. If Acura brought the TSX wagon I'd probably buy it. Very disappointing.

I own 2 wagons now, but one is getting old and I want to replace it in a year or two and replacements are few, especially in the mid size category. There is the Golf wagon, which is probably going to be the most likely replacement and probably with the diesel engine. It will be a bit of a tight squeeze though, for my 2 Labrador Retrievers to sit in the cargo area. But the Golf wagon is big enough for the trips to the dog park.

Hyundai/Kia PLEASE bring wagons to Canada !!!

[Goober]

I am the market for a wagon but will not go near anything German. Too expensive and unreliable to boot. Don't like the looks of the Honda crosstour or the lumpy drive of the Toyota Venza. Based on the new Sonata I will buy a Sonata wagon if it comes to Canada. It will give better gas milage than a SUV and will be easier to park. I am older and have trouble climbing up to a suv which is bigger than I need for my purposes.

[DD]

Yes. I'm currently driving a Suzuki Esteem wagon (my first car), which I love, but it's getting a bit old and beat up. I'd be happy to upgrade to something more powerful, comfortable, and quiet, that's not still quite fuel efficient. I suppose I should be looking at the VW Jetta Wagon but I don't trust VW quality. Please please please with a manual transmission too :)

[Donald Gillmore]

Our family of 4 has an Esteem wagon too. While tiny, with 24/61 cu ft it is almost as spacious as much larger wagons in terms of cargo capacity so I'm in no hurry to replace it.

Driving small cars has spoiled me. The Esteem has a smaller turning radius than Honda Fit while offering much more room behind the rear seats. I'm waiting for the manufacturers to make some quantum leaps and put some more clever engineering into their products. Honda sort of has the right idea with the Fit with its relocated gas tank/low floor but it is cut off too short behind the rear wheels (seats). If it was longer then it would be much more versatile. It also gets about the same fuel economy as my old Esteem. It seems as if the automakers are not making meaningful progress in terms of how to transport families and their stuff using the least amount of fuel

[ermis]

righ now only ONE wagon on the market that meets my buying criteria of 4 cyl. diesel engine, 6 speed manual transmission, under 30k price and level or NOT sloping roof line. We all know it as Golf wagon. I wonder if i will see a korean or japanese models in next 5 yrs. Can only hope

[Alan]

Wow...didn't realize there were so many wagon lovers out there. You'd think with all the SUVs that there was no demand or was it the manufacturers telling the consumers that they'd like to us something that gives them more margin. Since SUVs are considered trucks, they're not as stringent with emissions and such. But I digress.

Looking for a wagon to replace my Subaru 02 wagon and there is nothing out there with comparable space except for Golf Wagon (leary with reliability) and Volvo V50. Nothing else. Every manufacturer has jumped on the crossover/SUV bandwagon producing bulky, heavy, less fuel efficient cars. What the heck is a crossover? If only someone would offer an AWD diesel wagon, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.