June 22, 6:00 AM
Denver Commuter ExaminerDenis Flierl
2010 VW Routan SE
I have to admit that when I found out I would be test driving the new Volkswagen Routan for the week, I wasn’t all that excited. Minivans have a reputation as a vehicle for soccer moms and those who aren’t cool. …This week I will get some help from three moms who will tell me what they think of the Routan and what they like and dislike about the new vehicle.
Two of those moms are my own daughters. My oldest daughter has three boys age nine, five, and three, she has one boy in soccer, and the two youngest in karate. My middle daughter has three girls, age six, four, and two, and involved in dance classes. A third will be from a friend who has four daughters and the three oldest are involved in softball. …
First a little background into Volkswagens history with the minivan. The new Routan is Volkswagen’s first minivan in six years. VW first minivan was the rear-engined Vanagon that was replaced in 1993 with the front-engined EuroVan. … Overall, drivers were impressed with the EuroVan, citing its roominess and uniqueness as positive aspects, and many were sorry to see it go when it was eventually dropped from Volkswagen's lineup in 2003.
… The Routan uses the same architecture and some of the same body panels as the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. When I first walked around it looked like a large vehicle. But it's about the same size as several competitors, including the Nissan Quest, Honda Odyssey, and Toyota Sienna.
The boxy main body looks a lot like the Town & Country with sliding doors on both sides, but looks different from the front pillars forward. The front grille reminded me of the new VW Tiguan compact SUV that I just did a seven day review on. The rear also has an unmistakable VW styling with the Volkswagen logo right in the middle of the tailgate. The 17 inch wheels on the SE model stand out as you view it from the side. …
2010 VW Routan SE Review: Interior Accessories--Day 2
There is only so much a manufacturer can do to the outside of a minivan. … But the interior is where you spend all your time anyway so this is the important part. So let’s see what sets the Routan apart from the competition on the inside. Today we will focus on the front seating area.
The first thing you notice upon entering the cabin of the Routan is the quality of the interior materials. It seems to be a step up from the Chrysler Town & Country. The Routan has nicely padded door armrests and a quality soft-touch upper dash. The two-tone colors give it a nice look. …The seats are soft and a leatherette material, my moms said it was a good material because it is easy to clean up spills from the kids sippy cups. …
When I sat in the Routan, the first thing I noticed was that room up front is plentiful. There is plenty of head room, leg room, and the seat can be adjusted to handle a wide range of drivers. My daughter’s are short and they could both find a comfortable driving position. . A tilt steering wheel and available adjustable pedals helped them tailor a comfortable seating position, but some might prefer a telescoping steering wheel to bring the wheel closer to the driver. The thing I liked was that the driver’s captain chair provides an upright driving position with an SUV-like view of the road. The Routan offers good views from both sides and back.
My moms all commented on the amount of storage in the Routan. There are two glove boxes and some cubbies in the center stack for storing small items. Throughout the minivan, there are a total of 13 cupholders. This was a big hit with all the moms. The console up front has four integrated cupholders and a small storage bin The lower bin also slides back. With both layers slid back, the top level moves back a total of 21 inches, allowing drinks and food to be passed to the kids in back. A very convenient feature for making it easy for mom and keeping the kids happy.
For the driver, Routan's controls are easy to use. One comment from my moms was that the controls on the right of the radio or touchscreen can be a bit hard to reach for the driver. The dual climate controls are located below the radio, and easy to understand and operate. The gearshift is mounted between the radio and the instrument panel which is just a little different, but it's easy to reach, leaves plenty of room for other controls, and includes an electronic readout in the instrument cluster. …
2010 VW Routan SE Review: Interior Accessories II-Day 3
The back of the 2010 Routan is probably the best part of this minivan. … The Routan also takes advantage of most of the Town & Country's entertainment features. The difference between the two is that the Routan lacks some of the seating options that give the Chrysler a considerable advantage in the minivan class.
The Routan SE model that I tested came with the second row consisting of two large captains chairs. My moms commented that this would be good to separate two kids from sitting right next to each other in a bench seat and keep them from fighting. … My moms said that car seats would fit nicely on the captain’s chairs and would be easy to get in and out with the power sliding side doors.
These second row seats recline and the backs will fold flat on top of the bottoms giving extra room for carrying cargo. These seats can also be removed, but they're fairly heavy and will take two people to carry them. With the second-row seats removed and the third-row seats folded, the Routan has a flat floor, giving way to 144.0 cubic feet of cargo volume. This will be enough cargo space to fit a 4x8-foot sheet of drywall or plywood.
Right behind the front seats and in front of the second row captain seats on the floor, are two large storage bins. You remove the floor mat to reveal a small ring that you pull up and the door is hinged in the middle to make it easy to open. Below you find two large storage areas for any stuff that you carry on a regular basis but want to keep it out of the way. My moms all loved having the extra storage, just like in their kitchens.
In the far back, the third-row seat will fit three people, two adults would fit comfortably. Three kids will fit, but probably not without fighting. The third row is split 60/40. The Routan has a deep well behind the third row, which makes hauling groceries easier and easily accessible through the rear lift gate. My moms all said the well behind the third row would be a great place to keep the soccer and softball gear for games and practice.
With all seats up, the Routan has 32.3 cubic feet of useable cargo room behind the third row. It folds into that well in one or two sections. Three straps are attached to the back of each seat. …
Tomorrow we will look at all the available options and technology to keep mom and the kids happy.
