By Dan Lyons

Motor Matters

Those readers with a few miles on their odometers may recall that, up until the 1980’s, the family vehicle of choice was the station wagon. As a breed, they were roomy and practical. Generations of Americans grew up with memories of childhood seen through the back seat windows of a wagon.

In the early 1980s, Chrysler introduced the minivan. It was roomy and practical, too, and buying one allowed young people not to feel like they were becoming their parents. In the 1990’s, minivans started to lose market share to sport utility vehicles.

Heretofore, SUVs were known mainly to a small following of off-road enthusiasts. Utes, as they were sometimes called, were for people who wanted/needed to get to places that normal vehicles wouldn’t take them. Form followed function, with stout, four wheel drive chassis and dual transfer cases to pull through treacherous terrain.

Mainstream sport utility vehicles descended from military Jeeps of the second World War. As SUVs evolved over the years, they got slightly bigger and more civilized. But, once the mass market caught on to them, the development process hit the fast forward button.

Suddenly, SUVs of every conceivable size emerged from every possible source. As bigger models became available, they were snapped up by an ever increasing number of buyers, most of whom only drove off-road when they misjudged a U-turn and plowed through their neighbor’s petunia patch. Still, these SUVs looked tough, sat high for a good look over traffic, shrugged off rough weather and rough terrain, and, like the wagons and minivans of yore, had room enough for passengers and cargo.

The big SUV boom had surprising longevity. Even spiking gas prices didn’t shake people from their notoriously thirsty heavy vehicles. As we turned the corner on the new millennium, an interesting trend started to be set.

Big SUV sales crested, and a new breed of vehicles started to emerge. They are known by many names: hybrids, crossovers, sport tourers — everything, it seems, but that which they most closely resemble — station wagons. Not the Ozzie and Harriet, fifties flashback variety of wagons, of course.

This time around, the concept has been reinvented as part wagon (big dimensions to hold travelers and their trappings), part sport utility (all-wheel drive for all-season traction), and sometimes, part sport sedan (lower ride heights and more car-like handling).

A few recent examples illustrate the current crop of crossovers. Like most of the new breed, the Chrysler Pacifica is available with all-wheel drive, for all-weather driving. Inside, it is large and luxurious. Outside, deft styling makes it look smaller than it is. The smooth riding Pacifica fuses the combined talents of Daimler and Chrysler into a package that works very well.

Volkswagen’s first SUV just may be the best, bang for the buck, dual duty SUV on the market. The Touareg has midsize wagon dimensions, and a comfortably appointed cabin. Its road ride and handling are more sport sedan than sport utility. Off-road, though, Touareg is plenty tough.

Full-time four-wheel drive, advanced electronics, a strong chassis and supple suspension make it capable of traversing terrain that only the hardest core SUVs would attempt. For the money, no vehicle works as well, on/off road.

Lexus RX300 was one of the pioneers of the crossover movement — a SUV/wagon body on a car-based, all wheel drive chassis. Its successor, the new, RX330, refines the concept even further. The car-like ride and luxurious cabin are still in evidence. Now added are state of the art smarts like optional pivoting headlights (the better to follow a curving road) and a rear backup camera (a true rear view, minus blind spots).

At a recent press event, a spokesman said that the large SUV market is “maturing,” that is, slowing down. The decreasing numbers suggest that many people have found the truck-based, super-sized SUVs to be more than they need.

Reflecting on that over the life of a loan payment book, a lot of those buyers have focused on what’s really important to them: enough room to comfortably take the family (and their belongings) along.

In the snow belt – enough traction to avoid getting stuck in winter. The market is responding by building a new generation of all weather, all purpose vehicles to fill the bill. Welcome to the era of the New Age station wagon. Just remember, don’t call it a station wagon!