My beloved 1988 Volvo 740 Turbo!
I’m a big wagon fan, which is tough since wagons go in and out of style in the US. I also hate FWD and automatic transmissions. So here are my requirements:
- Wagon chassis
- RWD or AWD
- Manual Transmission
- High Performance (0-60 in under 7 secs)
Without further ado, here is the data:
| Car Model | Year Range | Cargo Seats Up | Max Cargo | Weight | HP | Manual Trans (in US) | 0-60 | Mileage | HP/lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volvo 740 Turbo | 1986-1992 | 39.3 | 74.9 | 3100 | 190 | Y | 7 | 22 | 0.06 |
| VW Golf A4 | 2000-2004 | 18 | 41.8 | 2700 | 90 | Y | 15 | 0.03 | |
| Audi C4 S6 Avant | 1994-1997 | 22 | 46 | 3814 | 227 | Y | 0.06 | ||
| Audi C5 S6 Avant | 1999-2003 | 36 | 73 | 4004 | 335 | N | 0.08 | ||
| Audi C6 S6 Avant | 2006-2011 | 34 | 59 | 4343 | 429 | N | 0.10 | ||
| Audi B5 S4 Avant | 1994-2001 | 17 | 31 | 3704 | 250 | Y | 6.2 | 0.07 | |
| Audi B6 S4 Avant | 2001-2006 | 27.8 | 60.6 | 3936 | 340 | Y | 5.4 | 0.09 | |
| Audi B7 S4 Avant | 2006-2008 | 27.8 | 59 | 3861 | 340 | Y | 5.4 | 0.09 | |
| BMW E34 540iT | 1987-1995 | 3725 | 286 | Y | 6.2 | 16 | 0.08 | ||
| BMW E39 540iT | 1996-2004 | 3839 | 286 | N | 6.5 | 18.7 | 0.07 | ||
| BMW E61 545iT | 2005-2010 | 3958 | 333 | N | 20 | 0.08 | |||
| BMW E61 550iT | 2005-2010 | 4024 | 368 | N | 20 | 0.09 | |||
| Volvo V70R P1 | 1998-2000 | 37.2 | 67 | 3700 | 296 | Y | 21 | 0.08 | |
| Volvo V70R P2 | 2004-2007 | 37.4 | 58 | 3750 | 300 | Y | 5.6 | 19 | 0.08 |
| Mercedes 300TE/E320 | 1989-1996 | 3600 | 220 | N | 0.06 | ||||
| Cadillac CTS-V Wagon | 2011-2013 | 25 | 58 | 4400 | 556 | Y | 3.9 | 14 | 0.13 |
| Subaru Legacy GT | 2003-2009 | 33.5 | 66.2 | 3289 | 250 | Y | 5.8 | 26 | 0.076 |
My data is still a bit incomplete, but the trends are clear. There aren’t many manual transmission fast wagons available, but Audi has the most. The 740 is a big winner on internal space, and is significantly lighter weight than any “modern” offerings. A manual swapped E39 540iT could be an interesting option, but wasn’t available in the US so requires a slight science fair. It also isn’t particularly fast, although is good in the cargo capacity category. The S4 Avant’s are a slick package, but significantly smaller than the old 740. No decisions made yet!
Some good roundup links (all with questionable data):
Edit 1/21/2015: Added Subaru Legacy GT