Pssst…hey, buddy. Yeah, I mean you! Lookin’ for a new ride? Well, have I got a hot little number here. I’m tellin’ you, pal, this is one sweet machine. Plenty of room for the kids and a couple of weeks’ worth of groceries. Gets good gas mileage, too. Rides like a dream. And looks very chichi, know what I mean? Stylish. Sporty, even. This thing ain’t no truck, no way. Well, keep this under your hat—but it’s a station wagon.”

Carmakers haven’t resorted to this kind of whispering to sell new vehicles. But, after a decade when station wagons almost disappeared completely, they’re now making a quiet comeback. The number of car-based wagons on the U.S. market has more than doubled over the last two model years. They come in all sizes and all price ranges, in two- or all-wheel-drive. They have family-friendly room and functionality that Baby Boomers remember from their parents’ Ford Country Squires and Buick Roadmasters. And yet the ads for these vehicles barely breathe the words “station wagon.”

What’s going on here? “‘Station wagon’ is simply not an aspirational term for most consumers,” says Ed Kim, product analysis manger for Auto Pacific, a Los Angeles-based market research firm. “Buyers associate it with their parents, and they don’t want to see themselves becoming their parents.” So carmakers have invented a whole new lexicon. You’ll hear words such as “sport-cross,” “crossover,” “segment-buster,” “ready-for-anything vehicle” or in the case of Audi, the exotic-sounding “Avant,” for this body-style. But make no mistake about it, they’re station wagons.

Station to Station

Station wagons trace their roots back to so-called “depot wagons”—rides-for-hire that picked up travelers at train stations in the 1930s. With plenty of room for passengers and luggage, the utilitarian design became popular with families by the ’50s and ’60s. Sticklers might argue that the classic station wagon met extinction in ’96, the final year in which Buick made its Roadmaster—the last of the body-on-frame, rear-wheel-drive car-wagons; they fell victim to the growing popularity of sport-utility vehicles.

Nowadays, though, the term “station wagon” usually describes a four-door sedan with an open cargo area and a tailgate or liftgate where an enclosed trunk would be. It has four roof pillars instead of the three found on coupes or sedans.

SUV Wannabes

In an attempt to capture the cachet of truck-based utility vehicles, some of the new breed of station wagons masquerade as SUVs. For example, the Chrysler Pacifica (due in spring), Nissan Murano and Volvo XC90 feature three rows of seats and all-wheel-drive. But the Pacifica is built on Chrysler’s minivan platform, and the Murano and Volvo wagons are derived from cars.

“I see vehicles like the Pacifica as the next step in the progression of the family car,” says Auto Pacific’s Kim. “It’s functional, roomy and stylish. Its architecture makes it different than European wagons. It has a taller, more SUV-like roofline and a higher seating position. Many drivers have come to prefer the better visibility that comes from a higher seating position, a quality usually associated with SUVs and minivans.”

At 66.5 inches high, the Pacifica stands about 2.5 inches shorter than Chrysler’s minivans and more than 6 inches shorter than a Dodge Durango. This more manageable height provides more stable handling than tippy SUVs, not to mention easier entry and exit.

In calling these tall wagons “SUVs,” carmakers have an agenda besides marketing—it helps them meet their corporate average fuel economy standards, explains Jeff Brodoski, senior analyst with J.D. Power and Associates. Under federal law, a manufacturer’s light truck fleet must average 20.7 mpg overall, or else the company faces stiff fines. However, the government’s definition of “truck” includes any vehicle whose seats can be removed or folded so that cargo volume exceeds passenger volume. Classified as trucks, tall wagons help boost the overall average in a category that includes heavier, thirstier SUVs.

Imported Performance

Others in the new breed take a different road entirely, including imports like the Audi A4, A6 and S6 Avants; BMW 3- and 5-Series sport wagons; Infiniti IS 300 SportCross; Mercedes C- and E-Class wagons; and VW Passat wagon.

“There are still plenty of people who want a roomy, utilitarian vehicle, but who don’t want an SUV,” says Auto Pacific’s Kim. “They want the acceleration, handling and stability of a passenger car. These imported wagons really show off their sports sedan DNA. They’re all about performance and driving dynamics.”

Take the Infiniti IS 300 SportCross, for example. When this wagon version of the IS 300 sports sedan debuted last year, Infiniti’s literature touted its sophisticated 215-horsepower engine and “people- and plaything-carrying versatility.” In the same vein, Audi calls its new Allroad “a luxury touring car with a few tricks up its sleeve.” But never, ever do they call it a wagon.

Updated Woodies

Then there are the youth-oriented wagons, best exemplified by the Mazda Protege5 and Pontiac Vibe, both of which were introduced in ’02. Like the already popular Ford Focus wagon and even the Chrysler PT Cruiser, these vehicles aim squarely at singles and young families who want room to carry scuba gear, hiking equipment and all the other accoutrements of an active lifestyle. Generally, they’re priced under $20,000.

In their affordability and versatility, these youth-oriented wagons hark back to the wood-paneled beach wagons popularized by surfers in the ’50s and ’60s. But their styling is clearly more aggressive and aerodynamic, and they come with DVD-based navigation systems, sophisticated sound systems, two-prong 115-volt power outlets for charging laptops and PDAs, and other electronic conveniences Jan and Dean could never dream of. Think of them as stylish, high-tech woodies.

Some observers see these affordable crossovers as the real future of station wagons in the U.S. market.

“You’ll definitely see wagons get taller,” says J.D. Power’s Brodoski. “They’ll have a sportier stance and look less like boxy SUVs, even though many will offer all-wheel drive. And you’ll see more and more segment-busters or sport wagons that combine the qualities of an SUV, sedan and minivan.”

You can bet on one thing, though. They won’t be called station wagons.