The Crewman was a compromise and, as far as the back seat goes, a very poor one. There is little leg room and the backrest is too upright. Small kids are ok but once they start growing, even though the legroom may still be ok, the upright seat back would be torture for them. The Crewman was also very heavy and actually longer than the Statesman, so V6 Crewmans are thirsty. We had a VY Crewman at work - it was useful for the sort of work we did with it, but no-one ever volunteered to sit in the back seat.
I would have to agree that a wagon is a far better solution.