It's not so long ago that a station wagon was a family sedan that had the boot replaced, got a bit of extra length, and a "fifth door" added to access the extra space the exercise gained.
To cope with additional load capacity "cart springs" usually replaced a multi-link or coil sprung rear axle, and the accent was on loadability, not driveability.
There are still some of these vehicles around, and you see them chugging away, the front wheels only just touching the ground and the rear tyres squishing at the sides from the heavy load both inside and atop the vehicle.
However, these days a station wagon, estate, or whatever else you want to call it is designed to achieve a different objective - to extend leisure activities without the need to have one vehicle to use for work in the week and another for weekends.
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