I’m a Fan of the Wagon?

I've become a fan of crossover vehicles (CUVs), and at this time I'm completely smitten with the new 2010 Cadillac SRX Crossover. To me, crossover vehicles are SUV-like, but smaller and more efficient, which makes them better suited for my lifestyle and my wallet. I have to admit I haven't been a fan of every CUV that has hit the market, but over the last couple of years automotive manufacturers have upped their CUV game. I would have to assume they needed to find a happy medium vehicle that allowed Americans to still experience the comfort SUVs had provided while sizing them down to make them more efficient. With plummeting sales that can be (at least partially) attributed to the mass exodus of consumers suffering with rising fuel prices, as well as consumer and government pressure for more fuel efficient vehicles, the CUV has offered a reasonable alternative.

Until 2 days ago, as far as I was concerned, a CUV was a vehicle type similar to a SUV. I didn't put great thought into its vehicle classification until I read a commentary, by Automotive News' John K. Teahen Jr., discussing the CUVs impact on the car market. Mr. Teahen explains while CUVs are counted as trucks, they are the current day station wagon. Eeerrrr….Stop! Oh no, no, no, no, no! Please don't tell me I've been had. The latest and greatest vehicle type introduced to the automotive scene that has me so intrigued is a glorified station wagon? That just bites! While I hate the assertion, when I think about it and look at the evidence provided by Mr. Teahen, it does make sense. Don't get me wrong, the station wagon met certain needs and had its place (until the introduction of minivans) with moms, but I'm not a mom and a station wagon, even the label station wagon, is sooo….WACK (for lack of a better term). A wagon has no place in my life; my needs are on the opposite end of the spectrum.

My needs may be at the opposite end of the spectrum, but at least the manufacturers' have created a middle ground vehicle with the ability to merge the needs of more than one automotive consumer segment. It works for women with no family, such as me, and my solo income that can't sustain a gas guzzler. It also works for the mother who has the family, but is over the minivan and definitely isn't considering a wagon. As a future vehicle choice, it isn't a bad one. Unless lottery-like statistics work against me, and I become a mother to quadruplets, it is an option that has transition potential. I may be a SINK (single income, no kids) today, but who knows, that may change within the next five years and I may need the flexibility offered in a CUV. According to John Teahen's article, through November, there were 1.8 million CUVs sold in 2009 – this provides some comfort in knowing I'm not the lone fan of a wagon. Until the next great vehicle hits the market, I will submit to being a fan of the CROSSOVER-wagon (emphasis on crossover, please).

Quet