Allroad to Nowhere: what happened to lifted estates?

I can’t rather judge it: determination are present nary lifted property cars on sale successful the UK.

With confirmation that the new Subaru Outback won’t beryllium coming here, they’re each gone. What ever happened to the Seat Leon X-Perience, Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer and Toyota Corolla Trek? Then determination was the Skoda Octavia and Superb Scout duo, Mercedes’ All-Terrains, Volkswagen’s Alltracks, Volvo’s Cross Countrys and Audi’s Allroads.

If they’re seemingly truthful unpopular, wherefore do I emotion them? First, a past acquisition – and it starts with, of each people, the Americans. A federation of households owning aggregate onshore yachts creating a caller conception for applicable compact cars.

Enter, successful 1979, the AMC Eagle Wagon, with raised suspension and full-time four-wheel drive. It was different archetypal thought from an ingenious institution warring ‘the large three’ connected a shoestring. The Eagle struck a chord with buyers in rural and snow-prone areas – earlier being killed by Chrysler’s acquisition and eventual shuttering of AMC.

Spiritual successors followed successful the form of the 1994 Subaru Legacy Outback (the exemplary that truly kick-started the trend), the 1997 Volvo V70 XC and 1999’s A6-based Audi Allroad. Soon everybody was astatine it: Peugeot had the 508 RXH, Saab the 9-3 X and Alfa Romeo the 156 Crosswagon, to sanction a fewer more.

To me, specified cars contiguous themselves arsenic the perfect all-rounders. That is to say, somewhat much versatile estates. They harvester the benefits of amended handling, substance depletion and styling with the all-terrain quality of an SUV. In fact, astir of them could astir apt outperform the mean school-run SUV connected the unsmooth stuff.

And yet contempt the fig connected offer, they were ne'er really that popular. I accidental that sensible property car customers don’t request four-wheel-drive capabilities (let’s beryllium honest, with modern tyres, beauteous overmuch nary 1 does) and SUV buyers similar theirs purely due to the fact that they enjoy sitting higher up than different roadworthy users.

As a result, they’re present each gone successful this state (bar the six-figure Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo or a fewer much months of the front-wheel-drive Ford Focus Active Estate), and adjacent successful Europe Mercedes and Audi are the lone ones inactive pursuing the idea.

I’m an proprietor of a low-slung property who has nary existent request for four-wheel drive, but connected the apocalyptic roads of rural-ish Kent, I regularly find myself wishing for further suspension question and a chunk much tyre wall.

It turns retired that successful today’s Britain, the cleanable all-rounder is not a BMW 3 Series Touring but an Audi A4 Allroad (with a diesel V6, obviously). I’m disconnected to Autotrader, then, portion praying that Audi volition bring the adjacent A6 Allroad here.