Test Drive: 2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline

{The model designations and prices are for the Canadian market. The U.S. models are referred to as the S, SE, SEL, and SEL Premium. SE up has RSE (Rear Seat Entertainment) standard or available as an option. U.W. pricing seems to be more favorable than Canadian pricing.}

CanadianDriver

Review and photos by Chris Chase

Photo Gallery:
2010 Volkswagen Routan

In my profession as a test driver, occasionally the right vehicle comes along at just the right time. My wife’s grandmother passed away at the beginning of April, and in the process of settling her estate, my mother-in-law had to find some way to move her mother’s belongings out of her apartment, … to someone who could use a bunch of old but well-cared-for furniture.

Enter this week’s Volkswagen Routan tester, which I picked up a couple of weeks after grandma’s passing. My mother-in-law … struck gold on a Friday, when she was put in touch with someone … who would be very grateful for … a queen-sized bed frame, mattress and box spring, a loveseat and wingback chair, two bedside tables, a six-drawer dresser, and a few other odds and ends.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Great! We had a place to take the furniture and a way to get it there, but the question was whether it would all fit in one go; …

There was a brief moment of panic when I realized that the mattress, box spring and headboard wouldn’t fit inside the van. I was thankful, then, for the Routan’s roof rails and cross bars, which allowed us to tie the mattress and box spring to the roof, with the headboard sandwiched in between. The rest of the load was drama-free: the dresser fit crossways behind the front seats, with the loveseat, chair and tables in back, and a bunch of smaller odds and ends squeezed in wherever they would fit. One load, one trip and a lot of time saved.

… This van was added to VW’s line-up in late 2008 after the company’s research showed that 15 per cent of VW owners had left the brand to purchase a minivan when their needs dictated a larger vehicle. … [The] company … {knew} they wouldn’t sell Routans in the same numbers as Chrysler moves its Dodge Grand Caravan and Town & Country, so rather than design its own van from the ground up, VW partnered with Chrysler to base a van on the American platform.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

The Routan shares most of its makeup with the Chrysler and Dodge vans, but on the outside, only the roof and door panels are shared, to create a van distinctive enough to set it apart from its domestic siblings. Its powertrain choices are limited to one: a 4.0-litre V6 and six-speed automatic that also serves the Chrysler Town & Country and is the uplevel choice in the Dodge Grand Caravan.

Rated at 251 horsepower and 259 lb-ft of torque, it’s a strong motor, but not terribly refined. …

Acceleration is brisk, but the engine never sounds like it’s having a good time. This transmission is one I’ve noted before for how it bangs off great up-shifts in hard acceleration and downshifts readily for passing manoeuvres, yet often feels clumsy and unsophisticated in normal driving. The Routan’s fuel consumption ratings are 12.2/7.9 L/100 km (city/highway); I averaged 14 L/100 km in city driving.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

If Volkswagen has done a good job making the Routan stand apart from its Chrysler siblings looks-wise, the German brand’s suspension tuning makes a major difference in how the Routan goes over the road. Where the Town & Country wafts and wallows in response to rough roads, the Routan feels much more European, with a firmer ride and less body roll in corners. I’d hesitate to call it entertaining, but it certainly is more so than the Chrysler.

Volkswagen’s interior designers gave the Routan its own look and feel on the inside, with more soft-touch surfaces and a more attractive dash layout than in Chrysler’s vans. That said, the climate controls are still too low on the centre stack and there are a few cheap touches that remain, like the junky-feeling shifter and Chrysler’s electronic ignition switch, which never feels like it has a good grip on the key. I also wish Volkswagen had put its own steering wheel in the Routan. Instead, it makes do with the Chrysler wheel, which has stereo controls (on the backside), but doesn’t incorporate Bluetooth controls, which instead are located on the right-hand side of the navigation/stereo unit, far from the driver …

The Routan doesn’t offer Chrysler’s Stow ‘N Go second-row seats, which makes for more comfort, but less convenience, as these ones have to be removed from the van and stored somewhere when you need maximum carrying capacity. They’re pretty heavy, so lifting them out is a task, but they do have small wheels that allow them to be rolled across flat surfaces. The third row seats fold away into a well in the very back of the van, making for a flat load floor.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Our tester was a Highline model, which is priced at $40,575 {Cdn}, part of the price that must be paid for niceties like power sliding side doors, power tailgate, alloy wheels, automatic climate control, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, heated second-row captains chairs, power adjustable pedals, steering wheel audio controls and numerous other interior and exterior trim items. It’s worth noting, though, that many of the items included on my tester are also standard on the one-rung-down Comfortline model. My test vehicle also had the $2,425 {Cdn} Navigation Package, which adds navigation, a rear view camera and a USB connection for the stereo for a total MSRP of $44,580 {Cdn} including freight. For the record, the top-end Execline trim is worth $50,575 {Cdn} and includes navigation, a rear-seat entertainment system and flashier trim pieces, like 17-inch wheels (in place of sixteens) and chrome exterior mirrors and door handles.

The Routan is a more pleasant driver than its Chrysler and Dodge-badged siblings, … At that point, it’s a decent van for a Volks-phile, but otherwise, it might make more sense to spend similar money on a Japanese van and benefit from their superior reliability. …

Canadians, however, might appreciate being able to buy an import-branded van that’s built in Canada – the Routan is built alongside the Chrysler and Dodge versions in Windsor, Ontario. Honda and Toyota build their Odyssey and Sienna vans in the U.S.

If the Routan proved anything to me, it’s that among light-duty vehicles, there’s still nothing out there to compare to a minivan’s ability to carry seven or eight people in decent comfort, or move a small apartment’s worth of stuff in one shot. I know I was glad to be able to put this van to good use while I had it, and there’s a grateful family out there who’s probably pretty happy about it, too.

Pricing: 2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline

Base price: $40,575

Base price (Trendline): $28,075

Options: $2,425 (Navigation Package of navigation system, rearview camera, stereo USB port)

A/C tax: $100

Freight: $1,580

Price as tested: $44,580
Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives

Specifications

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Volkswagen Routan

Competitors

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Chrysler Town & Country

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Honda Odyssey

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Kia Sedona

Buyer’s Guide: 2010 Toyota Sienna

Crash test results

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

Chris Chase is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).