10 FORGOTTEN ‘Station Wagons’ Of India: Maruti Baleno Altura to Tata Estate

Station Wagons are considered to be one of the most practical vehicles that you can ever buy. They are very popular in European countries. It becomes a big thing whenever Audi announces a new RS6 Avant or BMW announces a station wagon body style of their M5. However, in India, the thought of station wagons never really got successful. Many manufacturers did try selling station wagons but they just never sold in good numbers due to which they were all discontinued. Here, are 10 station wagons that were on sale in our country but are now forgotten.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura

Maruti Suzuki is the largest automobile manufacturer in India. It is also one of the most successful. So, some people would think that if they would make a station wagon, it would be successful but that is not the case many people do not even remember that they ever built a station wagon. It was called Baleno Altura, it was based on the popular sedan, Baleno. It was first launched in 1999 but never sold in good numbers.

Also read: Maruti Suzuki Discounts on Nexa cars for March 2021: Baleno to Ciaz

Fiat Padmini Safari

Many people remember the Fiat Padmini as a sedan. It is a rare thing that someone remembers the Safari version of the Padmini. The estate version of the Padmini was called the Safari. It was launched in 1973 but was nowhere as successful as the regular Padmini. The Padmini Safari was manufactured by a Mumbai-based coach-building company known as Starline Motors.

Tata Indigo Marina

Tata Motors’s biggest success has been Indica. There were many vehicles that were based in India. One such was the Indigo which was a sedan and based on the Indigo was the Indigo Marina, the station wagon. The engines were not strong enough for a vehicle that was as big as a station wagon. Due to this, the Indigo Marina felt underpowered. The Indica and Indigo were successful but the Indigo Marina was soon taken off the shelves.

Hindustan Ambassador Estate

The Ambassador is another vehicle that is remembered as a sedan primarily. Only a few people know this but Hindustan Motors sold Ambassador as an estate as well as a pick-up truck. The rear was not integrated neatly because of which it is not the prettiest looking vehicle. However, the Ambassador Estate is one of the rarest vehicles that you would find on our roads.

Opel Corsa Swing

General Motors used to operate with the name “Opel”. They had the Corsa sedan which was a decent success. The Corsa Swing was launched after the regular Corsa. However, the Corsa Swing was not as successful as the Corsa. It also came with a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produced 92 bhp and was launched in 2003. The Corsa was known for its incredible comfort levels.

Tata Estate

Long before the Indigo Marina, Tata launched the Estate in the Indian market. It was based on the Mercedes-Benz’s station wagons from the 1980s. It came with a 1.9-litre diesel engine that was not turbocharged. The engine failed to compliment the size of the estate. Also, it had reliability issues. From the factory, it came with power windows, alloy wheels, power steering and much more.

Rover Montego

Rover is a British brand that launched in India in partnership with Sipani Automobile. The Rover Montego was launched in India in 1993. It came with a 2.0-litre diesel engine that produced 80 bhp and 165 Nm. The reason for its failure was obvious. Despite, offering a lot of features, it was priced at Rs. 11 lakhs. They discontinued the vehicle in just two years in 1995.

Fiat Weekend

Many people might not recognize the name Weekend because the vehicle was a failure in India. It was a station wagon launched by Fiat. It was sketched by well-known designer Giorgetto Giugiaro and it came with a 1.6-litre petrol engine. Because of low sales, the Weekend was discontinued.

Fiat Palio Adventure

The Palio was a successful product for Fiat. They made it look modern and bulky by using plastic cladding, sportier alloy wheels, wider tyres and a bull bar up-front. It came with the same engine as the Palio but all this was not enough. Poor sales killed the Palio Adventure too.

Skoda Octavia Combi

Skoda Octavia Combi was the station wagon version of the Octavia sedan. It was a properly designed station wagon and was not a slouch either. It came with a 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol engine with a power output of 149 hp. Because of low demand, the Octavia Combi was discontinued but it remains one of the best station wagons to ever come to India.

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