June 21, 201213 yr Which would you rather have, if you were in the market for a compact wagon and GM were to offer one of these wagon models in the US? Chevrolet Cruze Wagon: Opel Astra Sports Tourer (as a Buick Verano Estate): Edited June 21, 201213 yr by GMTruckGuy74
June 21, 201213 yr Author I'd hope GM would give the wagon style to Buick and the 5-door hatchback to Chevy to differentiate these two products:
June 21, 201213 yr If you have both products coming, then the 5 door hatch to Chevy and a lux version of the station wagon to Buick. With that said, I just do not see the market for station wagons in the US. I can see the 5 door Hatch coming here as a Chevy, but I think the station wagon should and will stay in Europe. Buick does not need this model. IMLTHO
June 21, 201213 yr Cruze hatch is honestly a bit frumpy compared to Focus and Elantra GT, but both of those wagons are quite handsome. I'd like to see a Cruze wagon since Buick is getting the little Encore here. Come to think of it, the Cruze hatch in its frumpiness reminds me of the AMC Encore hatch of yore, haha.
June 21, 201213 yr The Cruze hatch fixes much of my design gripes with the sedan. The wagon replaces one gripe with another. I agree with the masses though....giive us the Cruze hatch and the Opel wagon.
June 21, 201213 yr Even though I voted for the Cruze hatchback (given the competition), isn't the idea of a wagon the reason the market ditched them for minivans (since 1984) and crossovers (since ~1994)? I really do not see a need for wagons when the Equinox/Terrain/SRX and the upcoming Encore would fill in the needs of wagon buyers better.
June 21, 201213 yr I find these two compact GM wagons to be very classy. And there are a lot of Jetta Sportwagens and Elantra Touring wagons in my urrea, plus a good number of Focus wagons. Even a few Cavalier wagons left running around, including one square-front one ('88?) that's been turned into a Z24 by its devoted owner, distinctive 60-degree V6 burble and all. Yes, I know a tide has turned, but when I look at these and see how nice they look and how they'd match the maneuverability and fuel mileage of a sedan while having comparable cargo space to a similarly-sized CUV, I wonder how this happened. It was the car companies telling people what they wanted, and customers fell in line. A shame. What if GM built an "All-Road" or "Outback" version of the Cruze wagon, with AWD, the diesel, and a six-speed manual? It would be awesome. Edited June 21, 201213 yr by ocnblu
June 21, 201213 yr Author If the Opel Astra Sports Tourer was offered here in the States as a Buick Verano Estate, I would very seriously look into buying one. Heck, I've been hoping and waiting all these years for a Holden Commodore wagon to come to the states, first as a Pontiac and now as a Chevy. Build me a wagon and I shall come!!
June 21, 201213 yr Author Even though I voted for the Cruze hatchback (given the competition), isn't the idea of a wagon the reason the market ditched them for minivans (since 1984) and crossovers (since ~1994)? I really do not see a need for wagons when the Equinox/Terrain/SRX and the upcoming Encore would fill in the needs of wagon buyers better. My wife is in love with the Encore, and it would make for a nice commuter car for the two of us to go to work in - but I seriously doubt it would suffice for our family duty needs. The Terrain/Equinox due are nice, but are not my cup o' tea (I like real SUVs, not these warm & fuzzy CUVs). If I was going to buy a wagon, I want it to be car based entirely and not a CUV wannabe SUV thing (which I also think they are too short in the cargo area to really be considered wagons anyway). The Commodore would be the best offering for me, but I would consider a Verano wagon (I'd love a CTS Wagon, but those are way to expensive for my wallets).
June 21, 201213 yr Because the development costs to sell either of these in the U.S. are as close to zero as you can get, I say bring them both over, each at different price points obviously.
June 21, 201213 yr Because the development costs to sell either of these in the U.S. are as close to zero as you can get, I say bring them both over, each at different price points obviously. While choice is obviously a good thing, I wonder how many of these wagons will be left on the dealer lots for weeks at a time. I am not sure if there is a market for these anymore.
June 22, 201213 yr Both sedans are excellently competitive in their markets. Wagon versions would be likewise.
June 22, 201213 yr Speaking of Cruze, it is 4 years into world's market place. We should see it being replaced in the next 2 years.
June 22, 201213 yr I'd hope GM would give the wagon style to Buick and the 5-door hatchback to Chevy to differentiate these two products: This.
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