How does the 2009 Volkswagen Routan SE compare to the 2010 BMW 750i?

The Motor Trend judges scored both the Routan and the 750i with 23 out of 35 stars in 7 categories. Broadly, it means to me that the judges are just as pleased and disappointed with the Routan as a mini-van as they are with the 750i as a luxury 4-door sedan.

First off, the BMW is 3 times the price--$31,250 Routan SE vs. $90,870 BMW 750i. The judges evaluated 7 features: Engineering; Design; Interior; Performance: Ease of Use; Safety; and Value. You could say that 5 stars is "Impressive", 4 stars is "Nice", 3 stars is "Meh", 2 stars is "Lacking" and 1 star is "What were they thinking.

The judges felt that the Design and Interior of both is "Meh." The BMW has "Nice" performance and "Lacking" ease of use. The Routan has "Lacking" performance and "Nice" ease of use. While the 750i's safety is "Nice", the Routan's is "Impressive." The BMW's "Nice" engineering beats the Routan's "Meh".

Overall, the judges felt that both vehicles had a value of "Meh." Considering that the field of 2009 introductions included the Prius with "Impressive" engineering, BMW Z4 sDrive 35i with "Impressive" design, Porsche Panamerea S with "Nice" interior, Ford Mustang GT with "Impressive" performance, Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited with "Imressive" ease of use, Mercedes-Benz E550 Sedan with "Impressive" safety, and Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 GT with "Impressive" value, coming out "Meh" or better in the majority of categories is pretty good.

For comparison purposes, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 3.8 GT has "Meh" engineering, Porsche Panamera S has "Meh" design, Lexus HS 250h has "Meh" interior, Mazdaspeed3 has "Meh" performance, BMW Z4 sDrive 35i has "Meh" ease of use, Suzuki Kizashi SLS has "Meh" safety (the Nissan 370Z Coupe has "Lacking" safety!), and Volkswagen GTI has "Meh" value. So, "Meh" isn't so bad.