Big, cheap, fast wagons | Six of the Best
You know you want to...
Chrysler 300C SRT-8, 2009, 60k, £14,950
If we’re prepared to credit North America with the invention of the estate - via its long-established obsession with the station wagon - it is remarkable that they haven’t done more with the concept when it came to the business of making it go hugely quicker than is strictly necessary. But the hulking 300C, itself another attempt to gatecrash the European market, was among the notable exceptions, thanks to the similarly chunky 6.1-litre V8 that delivered SRT status. You got 425hp from the Hemi unit - but perhaps more importantly, it came with the roadside presence of a Mack truck. Accordingly, if you like your fast wagons with plenty of real estate and a burbly, laid-back attitude (not to mention seldom-seen exclusivity), then look no further.
Volvo V60 T6 R, 2012, 50k, £10,990
Of course, it is Europeans who eventually seized on the wider benefits of a much roomier sort of saloon - most notably Northern Europeans. Volvo has a rich history of fast wagons, one that famously includes racing them, but you don’t even have to go full Polestar to find something interesting. For a significant saving, you can have something like this: a V60 T6 that used a detuned variant of the same 3.0-litre inline six. Only this one has been breathed on (by Polestar) to provide very nearly the same output as the tuner’s flagship, mated to the kind of all-weather, AWD chassis that is so acutely well-suited to estating. Presumably its import status and lack of history is factored into the £10,990 asking price, but if you can see your way past its Japanese origins, you’re looking at a performance bargain.
Vauxhall Insignia ST, 2018, 130k, £7,495
Did we say bargain? A JDM-supplied V60 is virtually royalty when measured against a car that has spent its entire working life absorbing the kind of punishment that undercover duties entail. Atop its glorified panda car status, we must also acknowledge that this is a Vauxhall Insignia, not automatically in the running for wider fast wagon fame - but weigh that against the asking price and its punchy 260hp Ecotec Turbo unit. Sure, its odometer is well into six figures and it’ll have been treated with all the mechanical sympathy afforded to a crowbar, yet it offers a comprehensive service history, four-wheel-drive security and all the usual toys that come with its Elite status. Granted, Vauxhall’s favourite word is even harder to square than usual. But he who dares.
Audi S6, 1996, 128k, PH Auctions
The new Audi RS5, formidably fast though it’ll most certainly be, is a lot. Of everything. A lot of power, a lot of tech, a lot going on inside… and, of course, a lot of money. Any hope of truly discreet performance Audis now seems long gone. But there are plenty from the back catalogue still to enjoy, and they don’t come much subtler (or rarer) than the very first S6 from the C4 generation. It ticks all the classic hot Audi boxes: five-cylinder turbo power, Quattro four-wheel drive, a six-speed manual and the build quality of a seawall. How else do you explain it looking this good after 30 years? A proper old fast Audi wagon, complete with RS2-style seats, some useful upgrades and a recent cambelt. Fit for many more winters, yet, basically. And in the sort of style a new one could only dream of.
Subaru Legacy GT-B, 2003, 65k, £11,685
While we did get one or two more potent Legacys over here (the flat-six 3.0R being the most notable), the very best of the breed were kept for the Japanese Domestic Market. Cars like this GT-B estate and the RSK saloons basically packaged the spiciest Impreza powertrains in larger, more mature Subarus (note how modest the bonnet scoop is here). The power was in no doubt, though, with 280hp from the famously force-fed flat four, and all the boxer warble you could ever crave. The reputation of these Legacys became such that it wasn’t long before they were being imported to Britain. And still are, in fact: this is a fresh, Grade 4 arrival, and as an S-Edition gets the lovely BBS wheels and better brakes. With an auto ‘box and four-wheel drive (of course), it’s another fast family holdall ready for anything. At little more than £10k, too.
BMW 550i, 2006, 92k, £11,995
Now here’s a really rare one. Because while it looks like any other mid-'00s 5 Series Touring, albeit one in a very fetching shade of green, this is actually a 367hp, 4.8-litre 550i. Plus it’s debadged, for maximum under-the-radar cool points. And it gets better still, because this is a manual 550i Touring. Bit more interesting now, right? Green paint, wood trim, a nat-asp 4.8 V8 and a six-speed manual. Talk about unique. While this engine never had the best reliability rep, the novelty of it being hooked up to an actual gearlever makes it hard to worry too much about the bad bits. Having now made it 20 years and almost 100,000 miles, it’s surely still got something left to give. Apparently this two-owner example has been ‘fastidiously maintained’ by BMW throughout its life, and has a fault-free MOT until 2027. Even by the standards of this group, a very cool old bus.
The S6 is lovely too thoughThe BMW is a lovely looking thing but really does highlight how much the industry has progressed in 20 years.
7mpg on the dashboard readout, admittedly that will be shunting it around, and mid-5s is supercar fuel costs for very little performance gain over a modern 2.0 TD PHEV.
You've really got to love your V8 warble to stomach that.
I’d probably take the Volvo or Vauxhall as I’d imagine they’re safest bet. And what about the car tax on these now too? Yikes.
Although it looks better with the optional 10 spokes
https://www.encycarpedia.com/audi/94-s6-avant-esta...
The wheels could have an aftermarket shadow chrome finish.
Perhaps they're aftermarket but wider or the wheels have spacers behind them?
That image suggests they may be D2 S8 Avus rims?:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/283390380062197/po...
The 300C is quite a cool looking thing I must admit and with the V8 that is pretty cool. That said for nearly £15k, I can't help prefer an E55/63 AMG. Pretty sure the 300C is built on the W211 E Class platform anyway.
I d probably take the Volvo or Vauxhall as I d imagine they re safest bet. And what about the car tax on these now too? Yikes.
The BMW, these have gone up, but not that much try and sell one and you will see, apart from the odd BMW spec beard, who wants it ? Nearly 20 years old with an engine with a reputation for giving agro.
Subaru looks alright, Audi could be an interesting project.
I d probably take the Volvo or Vauxhall as I d imagine they re safest bet. And what about the car tax on these now too? Yikes.
I wouldn't want any of them where they're pitched but there are mugs everywhere.
Let's see if they sell.
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