Having European genetic material coursing through my veins means that I had a fondness for wagons (don't you dare call them that horrible term "station wagon") ... especially when mated to a powerful engine. I was thinking about trading out my S4 sedan for a wagon that's still sporty and fun to drive. I have NO options! There is no S4 (or S6 for that matter) new Audi Avant imported any more. The E-class Merc is only available as an E350 Wagon, the decent E550 reserved for sedan duty only (and don't even ask about the E63 Wagon, only Hans and Franz can get pumped up on that bad boy). Heck, I'd take the E350 CDI wagon if it was available and at least get enough torque to make a Freghtliner nervous. The boys from Beamer say "nine" when it comes to a 335i wagon too.

Oh well... I'm leaning toward adding a 2011 Tourareg TDI when it comes out (and funds are available).

 

I've heard great things about new Cayenne, handles like a fine-tuned sports car!

 

I test-drove the Cayenne S earlier this year. Horribly unimpressed. Transmission may have come straight out of an Oldsmobile 88. It uses a unique mix of lethargy and intransigence to maximise operator frustration. Driving the Tourareg (same chassis, basic design) paired with a much better transmission and torquey diesel engine was MUCH sportier, if you can believe that!

 

New Touareg TDI are already out and what's wrong with the 63 Wagon?

 

I don't think the 2011 Touaregs are in dealerships yet. Getting very good reviews, mostly because of losing 400+ LBs (at the cost of losing some of the advanced off-road features that most never used).

One problem with the E63 Wagon is that it is not sold in this country any more. The other problem with the E63 in general is that it DESPERATELY needs AWD. I owned an E63 sedan for a year, which was about 364 days too many -- the transmission is very "thumpy" and putting any pressure on the right-pedal just started a fight between the engine and the traction control ... even at 60+ mph .... in the dry!

 

Strange, never thought my Treg was too heavy, never noticed it. Also never had that issue with the 55 wagon. Have two friends with the 63 (1 sedan and 1 wagon) and both drive them daily with no negative reports.

Maybe you're right foot is a bit too heavy in your daily driver Paul ;-)

 

Well, compared to LR Defender and a Gelandewagen, the Treg is a veritable nimble little ankle biter!!

The problem with the E63 that I had was mainly the transmission. For day-to-day driving it was just ungainly, especially gentle slowing down approaching a stop with no gas -- it would "thunk" in its down shifting. Just irritated the snot out of me. I'm very sensitive to transmission ugliness. The other thing is waiting for a day-or-two for the transmission to reluctantly kick-down a gear or two. Now that I have the S4, I'm spoiled -- it's just perfection and does everything so well. The DSG is just sublime in every respect, whether you're toodling along or being a complete hooligan.

The S4 is faster than the E63 in real-world usage. It's point-and-shoot. Waiting for a gap in traffic .... squeeze the throttle and BOOM, you're in traffic, you can do it in confidence because the AWD will be able to put the power down. Passing is a breeze because you dump the throttle, the gearbox will immediately dump 3 gears, the superchargers are hot immediately, and you're off... The E63 would beat the S4 in a straight-line drag race, but not by a huge amount, and that isn't really that useful day-to-day.

 

They make the S6 in a wagon, no? I would look at Audi if you want a wagon. Not sure if they have the 335i in a wagon.

 

The last S6 Avant was 2002... I had one... great car.

They have the CTS-V in wagon form coming out. That would be fun... I personally need AWD in my daily.

I'm also extremely bummed that they did not bring the new S4 Avant to the states. Here's to hoping they make an RS4 Avant available for us.

You can also check out the Audi Q5... now has the same engine as the new S4 (just detuned 3.0 supercharged v6) but that can be fixed with APR's chip, which is about to be available. I may go that route the next time around if they don't bring an S4/RS4 Avant here soon.

 

The RS6 was a nice option, in 2003.

A wagon CTS-V might be enough to <gulp> make me conisder buying an American vehicle. I don't believe I just typed that.

 

I guess my biggest question is which generation of Cayenne have you driven and have you driven the Tourareg as well? I believe they would have a similar transmission since they are both on shared platforms.

I say if you really like your S4 why not just buy a used S4 wagon? It sounds like you really want a new car though...

A CTS-V wagon would be kool, but you'll be in the same position as the E63...lack of traction.

Wagons really aren't that cool in the US...which makes me question why Cadillac wasted their money developing the CTS wagon in the first place.

 

I love wagons... the rest of the country does not, or not enough to warranty the manuf. actually selling them here...

If your wagon has to be new -- then you are out of luck... not much new to choose from... BMW cancelled wagon importation, MB limited it to 6 cyl only and not very many (less than 250), Audi... no s or rs avant options..

Acura is bringing a wagon this year -- 4 cyl auto only (lame)
Caddillac -- while I think they should be commended for bringing ctsV wagon, they will ultimately regret it as very few will buy it IMHO (see srt8 wagon failure etc)

If you insist on AWD, I think Subaru is your only hope in the USA.


since you are a man of means and taste (although questionable of late since dumping your scud for the new 458 hiroshima NSX... I mean italia) ... you could go full custom...

 

I confess to really liking the Ferrari 456 and Porsche "Shooting Brakes".

Subaru don't make any wagons with more than 300hp(!)

I'm leaning towards either an ML320 CDI or a 2011 VW Touareg TDI, and keeping the S4 for most days, if budget allows...

 

So did you drive the new model Cayenne S? It just came to the dealer lots in June or July so if you drove one earlier this year it was probably not the new one. If not go try one!

 

I drove one in February, so no it wasn't the new one...