Volkswagen Routan 2010 SPECIFICATIONS:
Body style(s): 4 Door MinivanComplete specifications: Complete specification of Volkswagen Routan
Colors: Antigua Blue Metallic,Calla Lily White,Cocoa Bean Metallic,Golden Poplar Metallic,Mercury Silver Metallic,Meteor Gray Metallic,Neptune Blue Metallic,
Nocturne Black Metallic,Pomegranate Red (DISCONTINUED),Tanzanite Metallic
Fuel Capacity:(gal) 20.5
Mileage(est)(city/highway): 16/23
Price Onwards: $25,900
Website: Volkswagen Routan US
Flash Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan
This 2009 review is representative of model years 2009 to 2010.
By Staff of MSN Autos
One has to wonder what the business reasons were behind the creation of the Routan. Yes, VW wants to extend its presence in America, but minivans are not a growing segment here, and the Routan is for the most part a rebadged Chrysler (i.e., the Dodge Grand Caravan/Chrysler Town & Country). It does have some VW styling cues, upgraded interior materials and a slightly different suspension, but ultimately the Routan feels and drives like those other large people movers; it has adequate power, mediocre fuel economy and so-so handling. Unfortunately, the VW does not get the cool seating options offered in the Chrysler models — namely the Stow n' Go or Swivel n' Go. Our test Routan was the SE trim, and while its price was more than $32,000, it felt bare. A U-Connect Bluetooth button was present in the dash, but after pressing it, I was informed that the vehicle did not support that feature. And the dual roof consoles in the rear seating area that looked like a DVD entertainment system turned out to be dual sunglass holders. Basically, the Routan is not a bad minivan. However, if you're in the market for a people mover, I'd suggest going directly to the original rather than the "German engineered" copy. – Perry Stern
I was happy to see Volkswagen get back into the minivan segment. Unfortunately, there is nothing about the Routan that feels like a Volkswagen, other than the badges and the geometric pattern of the seat fabric. It's far from being a spiritual successor to the Microbus or even the Eurovan, and there is a reason: The Routan is based on the Chrysler Town & Country and retains most of the mechanicals, including the engines and drivetrain. Volkswagen says the suspension and steering have been retuned, but the Routan feels just as lumbering and cumbersome as the Chrysler. There is plenty of squat and dive under acceleration and braking, and the steering is vague on center. I found the brake pedal too high in relation to the accelerator pedal, making it difficult to go quickly to the brake pedal. Routan styling is different from the Chrysler offering, and it looks good for a minivan, but the driving experience just isn't what is expected from Volkswagen. – Mike Meredith
I am not sure what the German engineers at VW did to improve this rebadged version of the Chrysler Town & Country. Besides the big VW emblems on the front and rear and the more attractive exterior styling, the Routan seems similar to the Chrysler minivan. Nevertheless, the Routan is easy to drive around town. The smooth, 3.8-liter V6 engine tested delivered 17.5 mpg in mixed driving. The easy-to-stow rear seats made transporting large items easy; the automatic sliding doors worked efficiently; and it was helpful to have buttons on the key fob and inside the minivan to easily open the doors for passengers. Overall, the Routan is a decent minivan. If you are cost-conscious and not brand-sensitive, however, you might want to compare it with a Chrysler minivan. – Joe Chulick
The Volkswagen Routan is a typical minivan. Like the similar Dodge minivan, the Routan is built around utility and offers little amusement (unless you count watching a TV from the back seat, which I don't). The steering wheel feels like a stretch from the driver's seat and has a buslike feel, perhaps because of the angle. There is plenty of storage space sprinkled everywhere, and it seems as if there are at least two cupholders for every passenger (is that really necessary?). The materials are sturdy and no doubt easy to clean. Overall, the Volkswagen Routan is exactly what a minivan needs to be. I just think that minivans should aspire to be something more, and the Routan is most definitely not something more. – Paul Hagger
I was happy to see Volkswagen get back into the minivan segment. Unfortunately, there is nothing about the Routan that feels like a Volkswagen, other than the badges and the geometric pattern of the seat fabric. It's far from being a spiritual successor to the Microbus or even the Eurovan, and there is a reason: The Routan is based on the Chrysler Town & Country and retains most of the mechanicals, including the engines and drivetrain. Volkswagen says the suspension and steering have been retuned, but the Routan feels just as lumbering and cumbersome as the Chrysler. There is plenty of squat and dive under acceleration and braking, and the steering is vague on center. I found the brake pedal too high in relation to the accelerator pedal, making it difficult to go quickly to the brake pedal. Routan styling is different from the Chrysler offering, and it looks good for a minivan, but the driving experience just isn't what is expected from Volkswagen. – Mike Meredith
I am not sure what the German engineers at VW did to improve this rebadged version of the Chrysler Town & Country. Besides the big VW emblems on the front and rear and the more attractive exterior styling, the Routan seems similar to the Chrysler minivan. Nevertheless, the Routan is easy to drive around town. The smooth, 3.8-liter V6 engine tested delivered 17.5 mpg in mixed driving. The easy-to-stow rear seats made transporting large items easy; the automatic sliding doors worked efficiently; and it was helpful to have buttons on the key fob and inside the minivan to easily open the doors for passengers. Overall, the Routan is a decent minivan. If you are cost-conscious and not brand-sensitive, however, you might want to compare it with a Chrysler minivan. – Joe Chulick
The Volkswagen Routan is a typical minivan. Like the similar Dodge minivan, the Routan is built around utility and offers little amusement (unless you count watching a TV from the back seat, which I don't). The steering wheel feels like a stretch from the driver's seat and has a buslike feel, perhaps because of the angle. There is plenty of storage space sprinkled everywhere, and it seems as if there are at least two cupholders for every passenger (is that really necessary?). The materials are sturdy and no doubt easy to clean. Overall, the Volkswagen Routan is exactly what a minivan needs to be. I just think that minivans should aspire to be something more, and the Routan is most definitely not something more. – Paul Hagger
First Drive Review: 2009 Volkswagen Routan
This 2009 review is representative of model years 2009 to 2010.
By Jared Gall of Car and Driver
In spite of a booming world population, melting ice caps, and not yet having sprouted gills, humans continue to mate and bear young. For other species, feeding offspring and keeping them from the jaws of predators are major problems, but for mankind, it's mostly transporting the kids that gives us headaches. Volkswagen PR people tell us that the presence of two or more little ones in an American family significantly reduces the likelihood of that family's purchasing another VW, regardless of past ownership experience. The Touareg, starting a parking ticket shy of 40 large, is too pricey for many families and doesn't have a third-row seat anyway.
So to help meet its goal of 800,000 U.S. sales by 2018, the company decided it needed a minivan in the lineup. Convenient, then, that Chrysler had some spare manufacturing capacity lying about after euthanizing the Pacifica.
Building a Minivan Without Any of the Work
VW reps talk around the C-word when discussing the Routan, but the Routan is built on a Chrysler platform in a Chrysler plant by people and bots who used to build Chryslers in their day jobs but now assemble Chryslers and Volkswagens. It gets VW-ish sheetmetal and a dedicated interior and rides on an exclusive suspension, but those who expect the Routan to be more Chrysler than Volkswagen are not too wide off the mark. Think of it as a Volkswagen interpreted by Chrysler.
It still looks like a Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan from the outside. Although the Routan wears unique front sheetmetal and VW claims that all body panels have been massaged, the upright profile and hard edges of the Chrysler box can't be covered with mere makeup.
Inside, the Routan looks rich and feels solid but is clearly a Chrysler dressed up in prettier Volkswagen materials. Although the overall design is more thoughtful, the buttons and switches are all Chrysler, and the domestics' innovative but remarkably cheap-feeling center console remains, ready to be yanked out and tossed from the vehicle at a moment's notice. The shifter feels as though the odds of its finding drive or snapping off in your hand are dead even.
On the plus side, Chrysler's dual-screen, dual-input entertainment system and 115-volt power outlet are available in the Routan, as is the 30-gig in-dash multimedia system for storing music and photos, called the JoyBox by Volkswagen. Driver and passenger front and three-row curtain airbags are standard on all Routans (Routen?).
Content provided by Car and Driver.
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