Ford just unveiled the second generation of the Focus ST Wagon, and unless you live outside the confines of the United States, you can’t have it. To make matters worse, you can’t even console yourself with the regular Focus ST hatch, because the Blue Oval cut U.S. availability of all sedans and hatches last year.
Just to make it sting a little sharper, the new ST Wagon looks fun—damn fun. Power comes from your choice of a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-banger with 276 horsepower and a whopping 310 lb-ft of torque or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with 187 horses. If you spec it incorrectly and outfit it with the diesel, a six-speed manual transmission is the sole gearbox, but the 2.3-liter comes with either a six-speed manual or a slick seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Just like the Focus ST hatch we took for granted, the wagon comes outfitted with go-fast goodies, including an active electronically controlled differential, rev-matching, active dampers, and multiple drive modes.
This is a bitter pill to take, and it got us all riled up on wagons. To rub salt into the wound, here’s a quick rundown of other neat five-door wagons we want but can’t have in the States. You’re not welcome.
Mercedes-AMG C 63 S Estate
We’re starting with the coolest forbidden-fruit wagon of them all. Sure, we’re thankful we get the E 63 S wagon, but we’d also very much like to charge around in the smaller and more agile C 63 five-door. If you’re familiar with the C 63 S sedan, figuring out the wagon is simple—same 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, same 503 horses and 516 lb-ft of torque.
All the Audi Avants
This one’s pretty bad. Pick your hi-po, hi-speed, all-wheel-drive poison; RS4 Avant (2.9-liter turbocharged V-6, 444 hp), the older RS6 Avant (4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, 553 hp), or the sweet RS6 Performance (4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8, 597 hp). Or how about the all-new S6 Avant, the sweetest one of all, thanks to its 3.0-liter mild-hybrid 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6 producing 349 horsepower and an eye-opening 516 lb-ft of torque. At least we can hang our hopes on the rumors that the next RS6 Avant might come to America.
BMW 5 Series Touring and 3 Series Touring
The M5 Estate was binned after the E60 generation, so if we can’t get it, at least no one else can, either. However, we still don’t get the regular 5 Series Estate here in the U.S., and we’re definitely salty about that, especially the 340-hp 540i xDrive M Sport Touring configuration. For a while, we consoled ourselves with the smaller 3 Series wagon, but it looks like the next-gen isn’t coming here, either. Thanks a lot, BMW.
Mazda6 Touring
We got the wagon variant of the Mazda 6 a couple generations back, but we’re out of luck for the shapely current-gen 6er. It’s a shame, as you can get the sharp-handling wagon with a six-speed manual and a diesel engine.
Volkswagen Golf R SportWagen
Nothing too complicated here. Take the existing (and very good) Golf SportWagen, fit it with the mechanicals of the sublime Golf R, and sprinkle on a few American tears. It has the same 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder as the hatch, putting down 296 horsepower to all-four-wheels through either the quick seven-speed DSG or six-speed manual transmission. To make matters worse, we’ve driven it, and it’s as excellent as we fear.
Subaru Levorg STI Sport
While we’re stuck here with a hatchless WRX and STI, Japan is busy enjoying the STI-ified Levorg wagon. While we don’t even get the regular Levorg, the STI Sport (think M Sport or AMG Sport) model packs a 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four from the WRX, boosted up to a mighty 296 horsepower. It also has uprated suspension, brakes, tires, and wheels to keep up with that extra power, so it’s probably a riot. There is one flaw—one which we point out with much schadenfreude. Even in Japan, it comes exclusively with a CVT transmission.
Škoda Octavia vRS Estate 245
We don’t get any Škodas of any flavor, but if we got to choose, we’d take the Octavia vRS Estate. Essentially, this is a GTI wagon, with the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder putting out 242 horsepower in the top trim. Spring for the aforementioned “245” version and it’s fitted with a limited-slip diff, and your choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG transmission. Is it good? We guess we’ll have to wait until 2044 to find out, which is when we’ll be able to legally import one.
Mercedes-AMG CLA35 Shooting Brake
Technically, this doesn’t exist yet, but if the last generation of CLA 45 Shooting Brake is anything to go by, then the new generation of CLA should spawn an AMG-ified wagon soon enough. Of course, we’re not getting this one either—probably. That would be a shame, because the regular CLA 35 looks like a hoot, with a 2.0-liter turbo-four packing 302 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. And you can bet that another CLA 45 is on the way, too.
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