By Gary Anderson
Road Test
Three alternatives to the SUV
Audi S6 Avant
Audi uses the term Avant for its station wagons. Its largest is the A6 Avant. The true enthusiast will know that the S6 version is the high-performance version.
By installing a sophisticated five-valve-per-cylinder 4.2-liter V-8, with 340 horsepower and 310 foot-pounds of torque, Audi offers a utility vehicle that can go zero to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds. Using all-aluminum subframes, it has 24 pounds less unsprung weight than its A6 sibling.
Adding sport-tuned shocks, stiffened springs, large stabilizer bars and 17-inch wheels to its four-wheel drive Quattro system, Audi has created a large station wagon with near-sports car performance. Powerful brakes and responsive steering offer confidence, and the ride is firm but not harsh.
With all this performance, the car still has excellent back-seat leg room and 36 cubic feet of luggage space, double that of many sedans. Put the rear seats down and 73.2 cubic feet of carrying space is available, more than adequate for a serious day of antiquing.
All of this performance and utility doesn’t come cheap, however. The version I drove, with all the standard upscale options, stickers for just under $62,000. After a week of driving, we’d call it the car for the driver who wanted a Porsche until reminded that there were still children at home.
Price as tested: $61,600.
Mercedes C320 Sport Wagon
For those who don’t want to pay luxury sedan prices and don’t need sports car performance, several alternatives are available in the $30,000-$40,000 range.
At the top of this range is the Mercedes C320, powered by a 3.2-liter V6 producing 215 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. This is more than enough car to offer competent acceleration and confidence-inspiring handling.
Mercedes’ electronic stability control and five-speed automatic transmission that automatically adjusts shift points to a driver’s style add to the typical Mercedes feeling of confidence. Nearly all controls are accessible from the steering wheel by cycling through menu pages on the instrument cluster. This feature took a little practice to master, but didn’t require a driver’s manual to figure out.
I liked the sleek exterior styling of the C-series station wagon, first introduced earlier this year. Inside, there’s no question this is a Mercedes, with a feeling of sturdy luxury built into seating and trim details.
With seating for four or five, 16.4 cubic feet of luggage space is available. With the seats folded, nearly 50 cubic feet of space is ready to swallow a large-screen TV in its box.
Overall, I think Mercedes has done an intelligent job adapting the attributes of its C-series sedans to the world of family realities while still offering the satisfaction that a Mercedes is expected to provide.
Price as tested: $41,580.
Ford Focus ZX-5
Need to haul a computer home from the store, or a pile of camping equipment for the scout trip?
For most people, needs like these are met by their sport-utility vehicle, a pseudo-car with a towering body that is typically built on a truck chassis and gets low gas mileage.
Now there is a practical alternative: the station wagon.
But this time, these aren’t the wood-trimmed behemoths of the past. Instead, there are a variety of types, tailored to specific customers and life styles.
I recently drove three that show the breadth of the choices available.
For something completely different, I drove the new five-door Ford Focus. My wife Genie and I went on a picnic with friends and then made a run to the nursery for spring fertilizer and several flats of annuals to put some color in our garden.
Though not a wagon in the strictest sense, the Focus is still more than just another hatchback. With the rear seats and luggage cover in place, it’s like a basic sedan, though offering more headroom than most. Fold the seats forward and remove the luggage cover and the large rear door lifts up to expose a surprising 18.6 cubic feet of carrying space.
The ZX5 isn’t designed to blow the other rockets off the road. Nevertheless the 2-liter 16-valve Zetec engine and automatic transaxle with 130 horsepower and 135 pound-feet of torque is more than adequate to Bay area driving demands.
On our way over to the coast, we had no problems pulling the grades over the hills. The power is complimented by a multilink independent rear suspension and MacPherson strut front suspension that minimize lean on corners while taking up very little interior space.
Our informal jury was split on the exterior styling, which Ford characterizes as “European” and “edgy.” We did agree that the gain in carrying space, five-door convenience and exceptional headroom in front and rear seats proves the benefits of form following function.
At less than $20,000, we think this will be a great car for the young, outdoor-loving single who still needs a practical hauler when getting back and forth to college or furnishing that first apartment. With its up-to-date safety equipment, it even seems like a practical alternative to giving the kids that used SUV sitting in the driveway.
Price as tested: $19,620.
Anderson is editor and publisher of British Car Magazine, published bimonthly and distributed internationally from offices in downtown Los Altos (949-9680; (www.britishcar.com).
