But about two months ago, Boedecker noticed a new Subaru Outback – one of a growing number of stylish crossover or sport-wagon vehicles that offer all-wheel drive, a fair amount of cargo capacity and room for five adults … and look a little like station wagons.

“It didn’t matter,” he said. “I traded my Honda Accord on one.”

He had plenty of company in the second quarter. While Americans still like the capabilities of a big SUV, many are turning to smaller alternatives such as the Outback, Honda Pilot, Volvo XC90 and others – a trend that is getting a push from high gas prices.

Many crossovers are at least 1,000 pounds lighter than big SUVs. Some are also considerably less expensive.

“I think what is really happening is the SUV has evolved into something more useful,” said Todd Lassa, Detroit editor for Motor Trend.

“Now, you have vehicles that are more manageable in size, rakish-looking and have better ride and performance. I think we’ll see more.”

Crossover sales increased 13.5 percent in a sluggish second quarter for the auto industry, and they shot up nearly 35 percent last year, according to U.S. sales data. Meanwhile, sales of SUVs such as the Chevrolet Tahoe, Toyota Sequoia and Ford Explorer dropped 6.8 percent in the second quarter and were down 3.7 percent last year.

“People are mainly looking for flexible space on the inside,” said Paul Taylor, who has been tracking the growth of crossovers for the last couple of years as chief economist at the National Automobile Dealers Association.

“I don’t expect trucks to really drop. But the way production is moving, the growth will be in vehicles like crossovers.”

Crossovers got a boost in June with the arrival of the striking Dodge Magnum and the graceful Subaru Legacy wagon. And more are arriving soon.

The Freestyle, one of Ford Motor Co.’s most important new vehicles and its second crossover, should be rolling into dealerships this fall.

Mercedes-Benz is building a sport wagon, and Pontiac is considering one.

Over the last 30 years, the family vehicle has moved from the station wagons of the 60s to the conversion vans of the 70s, the minivans of the 80s, the SUVs of the 90s and perhaps now to crossovers and sport wagons.

“My sense is what you have here is a natural incremental evolution of people saying they don’t really need a truck-based SUV,” said Jose Rosa, professor of marketing at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland.

“We’ve been moving in that direction for years. The Volvo XC90 is just a station wagon in high heels.”

Station wagons faded in the United States but didn’t go away, and they remain reasonably popular in Europe.

High-end makers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue to sell small numbers of them in the United States.

And Volvo and Volkswagen – among others – continue to build traditional station wagons.

One of the first mainstream crossovers was the successful Lexus RX 300, introduced in 1998. The segment’s ranks now include vehicles as varied as the compact Ford Escape, mid-size Chrysler Pacifica and upper-end Infiniti FX and Cadillac SRX.

Subaru’s Outback is viewed as one of the original crossovers, and the Legacy – which sits lower and has a more high-performance image – is considered a strong newcomer.

The Outback and Legacy – which are built on the same platform – are expected to help push overall Subaru unit sales past 200,000 this year, a 9 percent increase.

Some dealerships are already seeing the trend. David Thomas, managing partner of a Subaru dealership, said his dealership has taken 13 trucks in trade for Subaru vehicles over the last few weeks – comprising about one-fourth of recent trades.

“Manufacturers got consumers in tune with the need for cargo space,” Thomas said. “But they’re not willing to pay 14 miles per gallon to get it. With these (crossovers and sport wagons), you’ve got the best of all worlds, and you don’t look like your grandmother driving around in one.”