Wagons

Many wagons available today come from European luxury brands. These include hatchback versions of popular sedans from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and Audi. Many wagons have an outdoorsy characteristic to them and include standard all-wheel drive like the Buick Regal TourX, the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack and the Subaru Outback.

Pros: Because of their boxy designs, wagons are usually very practical and space-efficient cars. Being squared off in the back yields more cargo space while retaining the same amount of passenger space as a similarly sized sedan. Folding the back seats down gives you even more room, making it easy to carry big items without requiring a truck or an SUV. Since so many wagons offer AWD as either standard or an option, it makes them good for all-season drivability.

With wagons not being nearly as common on American roads as they were a few decades ago, a wagon is a good way to stand out while also driving a practical family car. In the era of crossover SUVs being the new norm, a wagon is a great alternative, giving you similar passenger and cargo space with the driving dynamics of a sedan.

Cons: A downside of the decline in the popularity of wagons is that there aren't a lot of options on the market anymore. You used to be able to get a wagon version of just about every sedan on the market, but that hasn't been the case for a while. Your options are now mostly limited to European luxury brands, Buick, Volkswagen and Subaru.

Because most wagons in the U.S. market are from luxury brands, it means they're often a bit pricey. With the aforementioned exceptions from VW, Subaru and Buick, many wagons start up in the $40k range or higher. If you're looking for an affordable new wagon, your options are pretty limited.