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The question was not without merit. Sales of the outgoing Toyota Crown had dwindled to just 21,000 units. A far cry from the heady days where the Japanese automaker sold 200,000-plus units at the peak of the Crown era in 1990. It would take nothing short of a complete reboot to stop the decline of interest in sedans around the world.

Happenings

SHOCK: Toyota Crown sedan splits up into four-strong model lineup for 2023

16th generation Toyota Crown becomes an SUV, wagon, and lifted sedan; to be sold globally starting from Autumn 2022 in Japan

Anyone personally familiar with this author knows that his eyes light up when the topic of estate cars aka station wagons comes up, especially when the conversation inevitably leads to performance estates. Heck, his first ever review at Burnpavement was an estate!

Which then brings us on to the topic of the day... BMW's latest iteration of its bonkers M3, the G81 M3 Touring. But first, a trip down memory lane.

Estates, or Touring in BMW-speak, are not unfamiliar to the M-division boys and gals. Back in the mid-1990s, they brought us the very first M car in estate guise, the E34 M5 Touring.

Happenings

BMW's M3 Just Became Much More Practical

IN BMW, M3, Competition, G81, Touring, Estate, Station wagon

Wagon lyfe yo!

What other body style gives you both car-like driving dynamics and all the practicality a car owner could possibly need? None. Nada. Only a wagon can.

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Perfection | Skoda Octavia Combi RS 2.0 TSI

I start all my wagon reviews by saying this: “If you’ve been reading Burnpavement articles for some time now, you’d know that I’m a wagon fan.”

Carmakers have taken to christening their estate models with different names to stand out from each other. Audi, for example, uses Avant, while BMW calls it a Touring. Skoda terms theirs as a Combi, while its parent company Volkswagen refers to its variants as um, Variant.

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The Critical Thinker's Practical Choice | Skoda Octavia Combi

IN Skoda, Octavia, Combi, Octavia Combi, Skoda Octavia, Octavia Combi, Skoda Octavia Combi, Skoda Centre Singapore

In a sea of SUVs, the seldom-seen station wagon smartly stands strong. And the Skoda Octavia Combi is one of the strongest there is.

But I’m guessing the RS6 caters to owners who would be in their late ’40s or mid to late ’50s. These guys have enough money to buy whatever they want, and probably already have (or had) whatever they fancied (think Ferrari 488, Porsche GT3 or McLaren 600LT), but want something that works daily that won’t give them a headache or a backache, yet makes a statement about their choice in cars.

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A Class Of Its Own | Audi RS6 Avant

What do you get when you’re fortunate enough to own a stable of supercars but need a practical daily driver that’s just as quick and ‘showy’? The Audi RS6, of course.

Thanks to that, we’re massive fans of the Skoda Octavia. In fact, we liked it so much that we once had this 2006 Octavia wagon as the unofficial Burnpavement workhorse!

Happenings

5 Simply Clever things we love about the new Skoda Octavia

IN Skoda, Octavia, Combi, Skoda Octavia, Octavia Combi, Skoda Centre Singapore

The fourth-generation Skoda Octavia has just launched in Singapore with two flavours – liftback and wagon. Here’s five things we love about it!

The car we’re testing here is a face-lifted RS5. Mostly the same as the outgoing model, the front of the car sports the most distinctive tweaks. To give the updated car a fresher face, Audi has opted for perpendicular diamond-shaped black side grilles that house the fog lamps. Along with a minor redesign on the headlamp LEDs, these side intakes make the face a bit more aggressive.

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Safe House | Audi RS5 Sportback 2.9 TFSI

Fast and kinda furious, the face-lifted RS5 is still quick and sensible. But are fast Audis getting too efficient for their own good?

The car we have here today is no RS model though. In fact, it’s the base model engine spec available for the A4 Avant. This 2.0-litre turbocharged estate pushes out a decent 148 hp and 270 Nm of torque and is the only model available for the A4 Avant.

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A Worthy Wagon | Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI

As much space as a mid-sized SUV, with the driving dynamics of a sporty sedan. There’s lots to like about Audi’s new wagon.

Not likely to breathe Singapore air is Ford's 280 bhp 2.3-litre EcoBoost ST wagon. Similar to Volkswagen's Golf R Variant, this is a go-fast estate for dads who need more space. The new Focus has opted for a more

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Swag-ons!

We pick some of the most desirable wagons currently being produced around the world.

From the time it was first introduced here some four years ago, the Volkswagen Golf Variant was always only available in R-Line form. Perhaps the sporty trim was specced to help alleviate the age-old perception that estate cars look like hearses? I would never know.

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Sports-wagen | Volkswagen Golf Variant R-Line

I've said it before - I love wagons! Now one of my favourites just got prettier.

Any privileged petrolhead will tell you that while track-focused machines like a Porsche GT3 or a Lotus Exige are simply out-of-this-world to pilot, their lack of practicality just makes them useless as everyday cars.

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Roads Not Included | Audi RS4 Avant

It loses the naturally-aspirated V8, but the new force-fed V6 still makes the latest RS4 a superb drive.

And being a direct competitor to the Golf it definitely is. You see, not many actually realized it but this 2.0-litre V40 T4 bridges the gap between the Golf 1.4 TSI Highline and Golf GTI in terms of both power and price. Case in point: The $131k Golf 1.4 TSI whips out 123 bhp/200 Nm and the $165k Golf GTI some 227 bhp/350Nm. This $152k V40 T4 gives you 187bhp/300 Nm. Get what I mean?

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Volvo V40 T4 R Design | Surprisingly Cool

IN Volvo, V40, T4, R Design, V40 R Design, Wearnes Automotive, Hatchback, Hatch, Wagon, 2018

A new engine has been fitted into the V40, but can that raise its profile as a sporty hatchback now?

The Audi RS6 4.0 Avant Tiptronic Quattro 5dr is the sportiest in its range and has been packed with Â£11,330 (SGD$20,655) of hand-picked extras such as a panoramic sunroof and, understandably, privacy glass. Heated front and rear seats allows royals riding in the back to enjoy the same comforts as those who’ve called ‘shotgun’, and the sports exhaust offers a fitting audio track for those who mistake the car’s high-performance hidden under its subtle exterior.

Happenings

UK’s Prince Harry Puts His RS6 For Sale

IN Audi, RS6, Avant, Audi RS6, Wagon, Royalty, RS, Prince Harry, UK, England, 2018

The immaculate wagon RS6 has only been used once by the Prince; is the Prince looking for something more family friendly?

Introduced to the UK with a price tag of GBP91,000 (SGD164,000) for the Touring and GBP89,000 (SGD160,000) for the Sedan, both models are the result of thousands of hours of development at Alpina’s R&D centre and on road tests from Death Valley to the Arctic Circle, the new B5Â Bi-Turbo provides a combination of comfort, performance and driving pleasure that the manufacturer believes is unrivalled by any other production saloon or estate.

Happenings

World’s Fastest Production Wagon!

IN Alpina, B5, Bi-Turbo, Touring, Sedan, Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo, 300 km/h club, UK, 2018

The new 322 km/h Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo is launched; Touring variant is expected to be the world’s fastest estate

$And perhaps, Mercedes has been observing this plot very closely — which is why they\'re giving us a very fast wagon, in the form of this E43 Estate.$

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Mercedes-AMG E43 4Matic Estate | On To The Bandwagon

IN Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, E43, E43 Estate, Estate, E-Class, E43 AMG Estate, AMG, Wagon, Daimler, MB, Cycle & Carriage, 2017

In a rather surprising twist, Mercedes’ AMG department whips out a powerful and highly practical estate for daddies in a rush

Full of energy and zest, Mike walks into the room and immediately starts sharing his stories. Like a small boy excited to talk about his day at school, Mike is animated, full of smiles and yet, 100 percent inspiring at the same time.

Happenings

Adventure Knows No Limits

Swiss professional explorer and adventurer Mike Horn was in town recently and we had a chance to meet the motivational figure as we set sail on his ship, the Pangaea.

Earlier this week, Jaguar said that the XF Sportbrake, a four-door wagon with a large, sloping glass roof, will join its U.S lineup this year. The British automaker showed a teaser shot of the car in the run-up to England’s Wimbledon tennis championships, where Jaguar is the official car partner of the tournament.

Happenings

Jaguar's XF Sportbrake Wagon Coming Soon?

IN Jaguar, XF, Sportbrake, Jaguar XF Sportbrake, XF Sportbrake, Wagon, Wimbledon, 2017

XF Sportbrake will arrive in the US somewhere this year; we can't wait for it to reach here

Equipped with All-Wheel Drive, an optimised chassis and an increased ground clearance of 63.5 mm compared to the standard Volvo V90, the All-New Volvo V90 Cross Country improves off-road capability; it can perform in all sorts of road conditions, from muddy tracks to long distance highway driving.

Happenings

Volvo's V90 Cross Country Is Here

IN Volvo, Volvo V90 Cross Country, V90 Cross Country, Cross Country, CC, V90, Volvo Cars, Volvo Cars Singapore, Wearnes Automotive, Wearnes, 2017

Perfect for the sort who wants something, ahem, not too much of a wagon and not too much of an SUV

Now here’s another desirable wagon to add to the list above, and probably in the unlikeliest form too: Meet the Seat Leon ST, in FR-Line guise.

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Quick Bite: Seat Leon ST FR-Line

IN SEAT, Leon, Leon ST, 2.0 TDI, SEAT Leon 2.0 TDI, Turbodiesel, Diesel, Spain, Wagon, Family wagon, Manual, SEAT Centre Singapore

Not exactly the sort of car you would expect to deliver both fun and practicality in one comprehensive package - this Leon ST is admirably full of surprises

Out on the expressway, the refinement level is definitely at an all-time high. Unwanted noises, particularly from the engine, are very well masked out of the cabin. Then to make things even better, VW slapped on a set of premium Dynaudio speaker system. If one of VW’s major intentions here were to provide an enjoyable cabin for all occupants, then it must be said they’ve done a swell job.

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More Than A 6-Pack? | Volkswagen Passat Variant R-Line

IN Volkswagen, VW, Veedub, Passat, Variant, Passat Variant, Volkswagen Passat Variant, Wagon, 2016, R-Line, 2.0-litre, TSI, DSG, Volkswagen Centre Singapore

It's cheaper than an E-Class equivalent, but delivers almost similar quality with a friendlier price tag - is the wagon Passat's job already done, and VW has nothing to worry about for this class?