With fuel prices hovering near or passing $5 gallon these days, I thought it would be worthwhile to post an article touting the current models available in Europe. The fact that they have been paying similar or higher prices over there for many years makes it even more relevant to our current situation. The fact that some even allow for 7 passenger seating should allow an easy transition to all but those folks needing to pull large boats or construction equipment. The chart inset in this article lists the MPG's in the US testing cycle. ("If we build it they will come." - "If they bring it will we buy?") EPA standards notwithstanding!!

Do you have a small family and a dog? For many Europeans in that or a similar situation, station wagons are the ride of choice, despite the SUV and minivan craze. Buying a station wagon often means that you're buying a fuel efficient vehicle which can carry lots of stuff, and some of these vehicles can even seat seven. The key to an fuel-saving family hauler is finding that elusive combination of being compact in size, roomy inside and fitted to a efficient powertrain. Compact minivans, SUVs and CUVs sometimes fit these qualifications, as we discussed when we
posed a list of European fuel saving people carriers. That list included some station wagons that seat seven, and today's list expands on that and shows the 20 most fuel-efficient station wagons on sale in Europe. Don't think all of them are made by European automakers. Find the full list after the jump.
Click on any name for a high-resolution image of the model. The table lists the engine power, trunk space with seats not folded down (both in liters and cubic inches), fuel consumption (in l/100 km and mpg U.S.) and CO
2 emissions in the EU highway cycle, if a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is fitted as standard, the number of ISOFIX safety child seats latches (as requested by our readers) as well as the car lengh in meters and inches.
* You can order it with 2 additional seats
[Source:
Auto News]