Better Than An SUV? 5 Best Station Wagons for €35,000

Marek Drives in English

Is it time to stop buying SUVs? In this video, we explore why a station wagon (estate car) might be the smarter choice for your next €35,000 purchase, offering better handling, efficiency, and surprising space. While everyone seems to be flocking to crossovers, the €35k price point offers some incredible value in the station wagon segment. We’re breaking down the top contenders that challenge the SUV status quo. Whether you&#039;re looking for a family car with massive boot space or a premium long-distance cruiser, these alternatives provide a better driving experience without the &quot;SUV tax.&quot;  In this video, I cover:  Why station wagons are making a comeback in 2026. The best station wagons you can buy for around €35,000. Estate vs. SUV: Comparing fuel economy, cargo room, and driving dynamics. My top pick for the ultimate practical daily driver.   What would you choose for €35k? Are you sticking with an SUV, or has the estate car won you over? Let me know in the comments!  🎯 Do you like my channel? Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/SubMarekDrivesENG  💥 Follow me here: https://www.wieruszewski.com https://facebook.com/marekdrives https://twitter.com/mwieruszewski https://instagram.com/mar

Transcript

00:00you know that feeling when everybody around you tells you what to do and you get the feeling that

00:06it's nonsense that's how it is with buying cars these days for years car companies have been

00:11telling you that you need an suv that you'll enjoy the commanding view of the road the extra safety

00:16but they forget to tell you that that comes at the price of driving a small barn and let's face

00:24it

00:24a higher car means greater wind resistance so more noise on the motorway and higher fuel consumption

00:30also higher center of gravity means poor handling but not everything is lost there is still hope

00:36on the used and new car market i made a list of five estates or station wagons if you're american

00:42which you can still buy for 35 000 euro new or new ish i've divided them into three groups the

00:52pragmatic choice the executive choice and the one for the enthusiast so what's worth considering

00:58instead of a trendy crossover

01:07dacia may claim to be value for money but i think it's just cheap if you're looking for real value

01:13look no further than skoda especially the fourth generation octavia 35 000 euro will get you not

01:19just some barely broken in examples but even new cars sitting on dealer lots visually this car has

01:26grown and become more substantial gone are the controversial split headlights from the third

01:31generation facelift the current generation fascia still looks modern and audi-esque but you're not

01:36looking at a skoda for audi design it's the boot you're after and 640 liters makes many a parent think

01:43if perhaps another baby isn't in order this is the absolute benchmark in the compact and even mid-size

01:49segment moreover as usual skoda delivers simply clever features like velcro dividers and hooks and

01:57one click cargo cover with the backrests folded there's 1650 liters to fill think of all the gears

02:04strollers and diy supplies you'll fit in the back unfortunately the magic is gone when you sit in the

02:10front this car was designed in the vw groups we can do it better than tesla era this meant getting

02:16rid of most physical switch gear and replacing them with a tablet to change the temperature or to

02:22activate the seat heating you have to click on the screen and to change the volume there's this bar below

02:28the screen that isn't illuminated the multimedia system in the early production models had a mind of its own

02:35and like to crash on the plus side the seats are very comfortable and there is enough leg room in

02:41the

02:41rear to make that baby or at least try as for the drivetrain the better equipment the smaller the engine

02:48a 2 liter tdi would be nice but a 1.5 tsi is more likely both are economical but taking

02:57into account

02:57current uncertainty regarding the future of diesel petrol may be a safer choice in the long run so octavia

03:05is a solid choice but you have to accept that the interior controls are like a smartphone that

03:10constantly needs updating if you are old enough to remember times before wikipedia take out your

03:19paper encyclopedia and check the word pragmatic chances are you'll find a picture of the toyota

03:25corolla touring sports which is japanese for a state funny story in 2006 someone at toyota had the brilliant

03:33idea that after 40 years the corolla was just for the old folks while the new generation of buyers

03:39needed something fresh so for europe they rebatched the corolla hatchback in a state as the auris

03:45leaving the corolla badge on the sedan for olden eastern europeans with moustaches who think hatchbacks

03:51are for sissies because real men they drive limousines this model lasted two generations after

03:59which toyota decided that since the corolla is one of the most recognizable models in the world

04:03returning to the nameplate made sense the corolla touring sports has a 270 centimeters wheelbase which

04:10is six centimeters longer than the hatchback the sedan has the same wheelbase as the station wagon but

04:15if you want more space and prestige without the lexus badge there's a camry with a wheelbase of 282 and

04:23a

04:23centimeters but limousines are a topic for another episode leave a comment if you'd like me to make a

04:30comparison like this now let's take a look at the boot the tailgate opens electrically also with a foot

04:37gesture in early models that could have been part of an optional equipment package and just like in the

04:42rough four of the era it takes forever specifically seven seconds to open 10 seconds to close the boot

04:49capacity is 581 liters there's a double floor led lighting shopping bag hooks and a 12 volt socket

04:56you can flip the floor upside down to protect the upholstery and use the plastic side to carry dirty

05:01stuff unfortunately there is no hook to keep the floor in its raised position when you're looking for

05:07something in the underfloor storage compartment and what's it like in the back seat you open the door

05:14and at first glance it looks like the roofline is high but you have to watch your head when getting

05:20in other than that the leg room and headroom are okay foot room under the seat is less so rear

05:27passengers have air conditioning vents and two cup holders in the armrest unfortunately there are no usb

05:32ports nor is there a 12 volt power outlet in the front the upholstery is decent though the cockpit can

05:39sometimes creak especially near the screen or when you drive over bumps the dashboard has traditional

05:44physical knobs and buttons for temperature controls the dials are partially digital with traditional

05:49analog gauges for fuel and coolant temperature the head-up display is large and easy to read

05:56showing you the speed limits as well as navigation information the multimedia screen in this older

06:01version falls short of today's standards and the factory navigation system looks like an old computer game

06:07at this price you'll find not only the 140 horsepower version with a 1.8 liter hybrid but also the

06:132.0 liter

06:14hybrid dynamic force with 178 horsepower the powertrain relies on a unique operation of the e-cvt which

06:22maintains the engine at constant revs to ensure optimal acceleration above 120 kilometers per hour the

06:28wind noise around wing mirrors and road noise become obtrusive

06:36moving on to the executive or maybe compact executive ish category we have a strong contender

06:42the ninth generation volkswagen passat the b9 it's hard to find a new one for under 35 000 euro but

06:50it's not

06:50impossible on the used car market one or two year old cars with low mileage are up for grabs one

06:56important

06:57update with the b9 generation is that there is no sedan only the estate or the variant as vw calls

07:03it

07:03the car has grown to nearly 492 centimeters in length the wheelbase has increased by five centimeters

07:09the result visually it looks like a powerful modern road cruiser whose front end draws stylistic cues from

07:17the electric id family and no that's not necessarily a good thing the b9's interior is a technological

07:23revolution and more screens a massive protruding multimedia screen dominates the dashboard it's

07:30up to 15 inches across which happens to be larger than the laptop that i'm going to use to edit

07:36this video

07:36fortunately the germans heard the criticism the touch strip below the screen is now backlit and the physical

07:42buttons are back on the steering wheel instead of those fingerprint magnet touchpads in the earlier generation

07:48there's now only automatic transmission and the gear selector is behind the steering wheel

07:53freeing some space on the center console the boot capacity increased by another 40 liters to 690 liters

07:59under the bonnet you'll most often find a 1.5 etsi engine with 150 horsepower a mild hybrid or a

08:07classic

08:08tdi diesel with 122 or 193 horsepower the b9's cabin soundproofing has been improved thanks to optional

08:16double glazed side windows so at motorway speeds it's relatively quiet inside adaptive cruise control and

08:22lane keeping assist work with the driver not against them plus the seats are comfortable you can cover

08:28hundreds of kilometers this way

08:34however if you have an eye for scandinavian design rather than german pragmatism the second generation

08:40volvo v60 should be on your radar this premium station wagon is built on the spa platform the same

08:47platform used by the larger v90 and xc90 at its debut the v60 had the longest wheelbase in its segment

08:55and after all these years its design still holds up these proportions the long bonnet the distinctive

09:01lights make it arguably the most beautiful station wagon on the market for a budget of up to 35 000

09:08euro you'll

09:08easily find well-maintained examples that are two three years old the interior is scandinavian minimalism

09:15instead of a million buttons there's a large vertical infotainment screen that resembles an ipad and it

09:20is embedded in the dashboard this looks better than the tablet protruding above the dash but moving

09:26temperature controls to the screen means you have to take your eyes off the road the swedes are renowned

09:32for their orthopedic approach to seating the seats are superbly ergonomic though some myself included

09:40might say they are a bit too firm there's plenty of leg room in the rear but the designers have

09:45prepared

09:46a surprise for passengers a high tunnel so the middle seat is a real punishment the boot measures 529

09:53liters that's less than in the passat but it makes up for it with a clever lift up partition with

09:59an

09:59elasticated strap to hold your shopping in place under the bonnet depending on the price and age you'll find

10:06most likely a 2 liter petrol with 163 or 197 horsepower and if you don't mind higher mileage 349 horsepower

10:15all-wheel drive PHEVs pop up as well 310 horsepower for older models the steering is direct and the

10:22suspension is stiff therefore i recommend avoiding models with large rims it's not a bmw so just relax

10:28and enjoy eating up motorway miles the pilot assist system works very well on the highway

10:37and finally something for those who are on a tight budget but don't want to give up the pleasure they

10:43derive from driving the fourth generation Ford Focus Estate handles brilliantly regardless of whether

10:49you pick a 1.0 EcoBoost or a 2.3 EcoBoost ST when you take this car through a series

10:56of tight corners you

10:57forget there's a huge boot behind you the steering responds instantly and the suspension strikes the

11:03perfect balance between agility and comfort when it comes to space the Focus has nothing to be ashamed of

11:11the boot has an impressive 608 liters capacity and the back seats fall down with a pull of a lever

11:18any cost cutting unfortunately on the interior trim while the materials at eye level are decent the lower

11:25dashboard and door panels are made of cheap hard plastic the infotainment system looks good and is

11:31legible but opening android auto takes forever physical buttons and knobs for the radio and air conditioning

11:37are a plus for 35 000 euro you can even find a relatively new ST model but there is a

11:45wide

11:45selection of new cars with a 1.0 EcoBoost you can also easily find a compromised a lightly used 1

11:52.5

11:52EcoBoost with 150 or 182 horsepower and a mild hybrid so what do you think a station wagon instead of

12:00an

12:00SUV a few years ago i would have said no because after all an SUV has all-wheel drive and

12:06this is what you pay

12:06for these days however when every other SUV offers all-wheel drive as an option maybe it's time to return

12:16to traditional body styles let's summarize briefly if boot space and space for passengers are your

12:23priority the skoda octavia is your answer if you're looking for a hybrid that will do a million miles in

12:29the city and you don't care if the tailgate takes a week to lift choose the toyota corolla if you

12:35want

12:35the most modern large highway cruiser choose the Passat b9 and if you prefer unparalleled style choose

12:42the scandinavian volvo v60 and if you simply enjoy driving on twisty country roads the only right

12:49choice is the ford focus all these cars are available for 35 000 euro or less offering fresh safe designs

12:57that are much better to drive than any crossover what do you think about traditional station wagons have you

13:04succumbed to the suv craze or do you still value low center of gravity let me know in the comment

13:10section

13:10below if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every

13:19friday at 3 pm central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video as it helps me

13:25with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one

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