Driving Impressions

Our Caprice Wagon was quiet at all speeds, enhancing that nicely insulated feeling that's always been a hallmark of big American sedans and wagons. Ride quality is also thoroughly traditional. The springs and shock absorbers seem to have been chosen with one objective: absolute comfort. Even though the rest of the auto industry heads steadily toward firmer suspension, the Caprice Wagon continues to cushion its occupants from the harsher realities of the road. The price you pay for a cushy ride, as always, is mushy handling. It didn't take much cornering speed to get the tires howling, and our rapid maneuvers were accompanied by lots of body roll. This kind of handling may be acceptable to some, but we think the steering wouldn't be acceptable to anyone. It's over-assisted at any speed, and utterly devoid of any road feel - no sense of where the front wheels are pointed until the car starts to head off in some new direction. Things firm up somewhat with the B4U sport-suspension option that's designed primarily for trailer towing. The package includes a limited-slip rear axle (better traction), wider tires, more capacity in the cooling system and an engine oil cooler. We recommend this package whether you plan to do any towing or not. If you do hook something on behind, you'll find the big V8 more than equal to the job - even if the job weighs up to 5000 lb. Ah, that good old American V8 power. Though it's much more refined and efficient than the original Chevy V8 of 1955, the 5.7-liter V8 still provides that same primal thrust when-ever you nudge the accelerator. And the automatic transmission makes the application of power as smooth as liquid. Although the Caprice Wagon scales in well north of two tons, this powertrain will propel it to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds. Pretty impressive. It also does an adequate job with fuel economy, again considering all this mass. We logged almost 22 mpg in our test, which is better than most minivans and sport/utility vehicles.

Final Word

The Caprice Classic Wagon isn't likely to appeal to younger buyers, partly because of their growing love affair with trucks and partly because it sends out the wrong personal image message. And it's not exactly inexpensive, although you can spend more on some minivans and sport/utilities. But if you're not worried about your personal trendiness index, and the power and style of a traditional American full-size wagon haven't lost their charm, your shopping will be simple. It'll require only two stops - one to look at the Caprice Classic Wagon, one to check out the Roadmaster. These two are not only the best of their breed, they're the only ones left.