Has electrification and the modern obsession with SUVs killed off the fast wagon?

The Land Rover Stand at the Denbigh and Flint Show in the early Seventies

It was 1970 and an impressionable and car-mad, six-year-old lad was feeling on top of the world. I was that lad and the reason for my elevated mood was that I was riding through my home town in a Range Rover. It was probably the first production one to visit Rhyl, possibly Wales. I was looking down on the ordinary mortals from my lofty height because my Grandad ran the local dealership. It was here to promote the new car at the Denbigh and Flint County Show and I was “helping” to prepare the show stand. I used to love the Land Rover show trailer with all its pictures of Land Rovers converted to ambulances, fire engines and tractors etc. The Range Rover marked the birth of the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) in Europe, though we did know that term back then. That love of the brand has never gone away. However, whilst my close family have had numerous Land and Range Rovers I have not owned one. Why not?

My parent’s BMW X5 and my BMW 535d Touring

The truth is that they did not fit my requirements. I like cars to be practical and I like them to be flexible. I also liked them to go fast and handle well. In my younger days, this range of abilities was served by the hot hatch. Later this grew into a love for the “fast wagon”. The estate car or station wagon had been known in the UK as a kind of semi-commercial vehicle. It was used by the likes of salesmen and antique dealers who needed more load capacity than the medium-sized saloons they were based on. Things got a lot more interesting when the premium German manufacturers got in on the act with variants like the BMW Tourings and Audi Avants. I have had a string of BMW Tourings. If the codes e30, e36, e46, e61 & f31 mean anything to you then I am preaching to the converted.

As we changed millennium, the Range Rover had become more luxurious but was by no means a drivers car. I credit BMW, who owned Land Rover at the time, for changing that with the X5. It was the first SUV that had road-manners in at least the same ballpark as a car. It seemed to kick off a process in Europe and other markets of turning everything into an SUV. The same is true in the US, though through a more indigenous route. I just didn’t get it. A climate emergency seemed an odd time to go crazy over the least efficient form of transport. SUV’s also ditched most of their off-road capability to go mainstream. Only manufacturers like Land Rover and Jeep kept that full capability as it was deep in their DNA. I have always had a dislike of things that look like they are capable of a task, but can’t deliver in reality.

My last BMW Touring was a 330d xDrive. I had that at the same time my parents owned an X3 2l diesel of the same age. Both cars were automatic, had 4wd and similar amounts of passenger and boot (trunk) space. However, my car was faster, quieter, handled better, rode better and used less fuel despite its bigger engine. My parent’s liked the X3 as they found it easier to access. They also had the last laugh as it depreciated much less than my car due to everybody wanting an SUV.

A few years on and I have succumbed, like Donald Sutherland at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. My Jaguar I-PACE is described as a cross-over which is an SUV that is a bit more S and a little less U. The truth is that there was not a lot of choices if you want 4wd and a hatch in an EV in 2019. Not much since either to be honest. So my interest was piqued when BMW launched the i4 in amongst a plethora of SUVs. BMW launched the 4 Series Gran Coupé just after I bought my last Touring. I would have probably picked it instead if not. It was a bit better looking than the Touring, but almost as practical with its rear hatch. The latest generation of that car has slightly more challenging looks, but still offers the same concept.

The BMW i4 alongside it’s “ground-up” EV SUV sister car - the iX ©BMW

I have watched a number of BMW i4 reviews now and I have been disappointed. Not so much in the car itself, it’s still a fine vehicle and does offer an alternative to the SUV body shape. However, the inherent engineering advantages of not choosing an SUV don’t apply as they did in my ICE days. Maybe if BMW had followed its pioneering work with the i3 and i8 it could have been. However, by platform sharing with the ICE 4-Series, the advantages are gone. My 3 series was lighter and more aerodynamic than the X3 that shared its platform. It also had a lower centre of gravity. All those things translated into its greater efficiency and better dynamics. The 4wd i4 actually weighs a tad more than the I-PACE. The centre of gravity is similar because the batteries are in the floor. The BMW is a bit longer but narrower than the Jaguar and 10cm lower. The Jaguar has more passenger and boot space and yet seems no less energy efficient. The BMW has more power, but it’s hard to argue that the I-PACE skimps with 400HP. I know the handling and ride of the I-PACE was not embarrassed by the 5-Series saloon it replaced. The i4 reviews make me think they might be at a similar level, but that will need to wait for a test drive. So is the SUV take-over complete?

The truth is that the SUV is an easy call for the manufacturers. Not only are they popular but it works well with the “skateboard” platform adopted for most ground-up EV designs. This is a flat chassis with the batteries forming the central section. This tends to increase the height of the vehicle by default. Even more saloon-like designs tend to be taller than you expect as a result - like the Polestar 2 or Hyundai Ioniq 5. Does EV packaging rule out alternatives? Is there still room for a fast wagon in our electric future? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Porsche Taycan GTS Sports Turismo! Now, where did I put my lottery ticket?