In many ways, I personally equate what is going on in the world of SUVs right now to what the world of station wagons went through in the 1960s and 1970s. They had their uses and their neat tricks that made them a commodity to families everywhere, but they became bigger and bigger and wound up as a punchline, ready to be taken over by something smaller. Think I’m wrong? Look at how many people have shifted to crossovers instead of genuine SUVs like Tahoes, Expeditions and Sequoias. Look at the backlash the Ford Excursion got, even though it was up-front about it’s goal in life. Think back to the time of Kingswoods, Country Squires and Town & Country wagons with wood paneling, rich interiors and the most cubic inches available on the market, never seeing the minivan coming. Yeah, I’m hearing an echo, aren’t you?
I don’t mean to fully demonize either option. SUVs and large station wagons have their uses and can be great vehicles…when they aren’t a showboat. That’s why this 1974 Ford Country Sedan is growing on me by the minute. Look…a Ford station wagon that isn’t slathered in Di-Noc wood vinyl tape! Vinyl bench seats that look thick enough to deal with just about anything the Brady Bunch could dish out will seat plenty, the cargo area can double as an on-the-road nap station, and there’s more than enough legroom. And regardless of what engine is underneath that expansive hood, power won’t be a problem, even by 1974 standards. 
So what’s missing between 1974 and modern day? Safety advances like airbags, anti-lock brakes and the driver nannies list could be nit-picked, but if your dad or grandpa didn’t die, as long as you’re smart, you won’t either. You could put a more modern sound system into the Ford for good tunes, you could certainly put an overdrive (or two) into this beast for fuel mileage that will at least be in the teens and you might consider an ozone-friendly air conditioning system if what’s installed needs attention. Really, though, you don’t need to do squat. Enjoy the throwback feel. Enjoy when a car wasn’t an electrical appliance with a V8 heartbeat. Enjoy the kitsch factor of a woodgrain-stickered spoiler.
You might want to consider that overdrive, though. The fuel economy on a tank like this is legendary, and not in the good sense.
This behemoth is bigger than my Expedition! But soooo much cooler!
Hotel on wheels. My high school girlfriend’s parent’s used to let her take the family wagon out at night with me. Yep…just two 17-year-olds…alone…down a dirt road…locked into a 2400sq.ft. station wagon.
A beauty. Put an aftermarket fuel injection unit on it and get 20 mpg and go cruising.
The 19ft length of the Excursion is 6in shorter than the 19″6″ total length of Torinos and Montegos from 1973 to 1979.