On the bandwagon

Escaping the crowds in a town-and-around wagon is a trend maufacturers are quick to follow. ALASTAIR SLOANE looks at developments.

Subaru started the trend towards more robust all-wheel-drive stationwagons with the Outback, a rugged version of the Legacy. The equally adventurous Forester followed.

Volvo soon chimed in with the XC, or Cross Country, again a variant of the standard front-drive V70 range.

Audi jumped on the trend and trotted out the A6 Avant Allroad, a specially built model it expects up-town adventurers to buy when it goes on sale next year.

Saab is working on an all-wheel-drive, Outback-type variant of its front-drive 9-5 estate. Toyota is understood to be planning a similar design, based on the platform of the all-wheel-drive Caldina (Corona) wagon.

Each one conjures up visions of escape, mixing rough and tumble imagery of adventure with that of picnics under distant trees, a clump off the main road that the madding crowd in their two-wheel-drive cars can't quite get to.

The new breed of wagons ride higher than the standard models. They have driving lights covered in wire mesh. They look rugged, dependable, without the bulk and handling/ride compromise of a heavyweight four-wheel-drive.

Indeed, the Outback, Forester and Cross Country look better covered in mud and dust with a tent and a couple of backpacks tied to the roof-rails.

Outdoorsy America is the Outback's biggest export market, followed by Australia. The same vehicle accesses more of Switzerland, Subaru's biggest market in Europe, in winter and summer.

But these town-and-around vehicles will have another competitor next year when Citroen trots out the car codenamed X-40, its replacement for the Xantia.

Included in the French carmaker's lineup will be an Outback-type variant with all-wheel-drive and gas-over-oil hydropneumatic suspension.

There is talk that Citroen will offer hydractive suspension as an option on its more rugged model.

This system, introduced on the XM and used in the Xantia, uses computer sensors to continuously adjust the stiffness of the suspension and shock-absorbers to road and driving conditions. It also reduces roll on bends to a minimum for improved handling and ride.

Such a system would give the Citroen variant the most sophisticated suspension set-up of all the specialised stationwagons.

The X-40 replacement, which broke cover in France last month, is expected to offer a range of petrol and diesel engines and be launched at the Paris motor show in October 2000.

The last all-wheel-drive Citroen was the BX 4x4 of the late 80s. Ever since the twin-engined 2CV - one engine driving the front wheels, one driving the rear - Citroen has produced four-paw vehicles whenever their intended use requires. Now it is aiming at the growing popularity of all-wheel-drive wagons, specially the middle market dominated by Subaru.