The Times-Tribune
Published: July 17, 2010
Just as Ford did with the Mustang, German automaker Volkswagen achieved cultural significance on our side of the Atlantic thanks to its original Beetle and Microbus.
VW mined America's extensive veins of nostalgia in 1998 with the cute-as-a-bug New Beetle, a car that tickled American tastes and sold like hotcakes for the first few years.
The Microbus meanwhile underwent a series of transformations that led to the last-generation Eurovan, which looked for all the world like a storage unit on wheels but was nevertheless much-loved by VW cognoscenti.
The beginning of the new millennium brought news of the next-generation VW van, a retro-cool re-imagining that recalled the original microbus the same way that the New Beetle recalled the old one.
That vehicle never got beyond concept phase. An inflated Euro priced it out of competition in the U.S. market.
Enter the Routan. While the badge on the front grill and rear power liftgate say "VW," it doesn't take a trained eye to tell that there's more Detroit than Wolfsburg about the Routan. It's unmistakably a re-badged Chrylser Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan.
Re-badging is not new. Honda did it with the Passport (actually an Isuzu Rodeo) and Pontiac stuck its nameplate on a Toyota Matrix to create the Vibe. The practice allows a carmaker to economically fill a gap in its lineup without ramp-up production costs.
And given that the Chrysler and Dodge minivan variants are comfortable and thoroughly competent, the Routan should and does benefit from shared family roots. That said, Chrysler evidently decided to preserve its ingenious Stow'n'Go and Swivel'n'Go rear seating systems for its own products, as they're not offered in the VW.
The Routan comes in four basic flavors: basic S, slightly more upscale SE, SEL and SEL Premium, all of which are front-wheel driven and fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission. Prices start around 24 grand and spiral upward to better than $40,000 for all-the-way samples.
There's a choice of two Chrysler-sourced engines. S and SE models are powered by a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 196 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque. The SEL models get a 4-liter V6 that bumps output to 256 hp and 262 ft-lbs. Curiously, the larger engine bests the smaller one in fuel economy with an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg city/highway - one and two mpg better, respectively.
Our test vehicle was a "Lily-White" (really!) SE equipped with a dual-screen rear seat entertainment system and satellite navigation. The as-tested sticker price of $34,300 was mid-pack in the Routan lineup and comparable to its Chrysler counterparts.
As I wrote earlier, the Routan's American underpinnings are plain to see, despite VW redesigning the front fascia and taillight assembly. But the squared-off and businesslike shape of the Town & Country always looked good to my eye, so it's not a problem here.
Likewise, the interior design mimics the Chrysler product, save for some nicely contoured leather seats, a VW-sourced steering wheel and a redesigned centerstack that, while plainer-looking than the Chrysler's, features VeeDub's trademark red backlighting. The dashboard and trim pieces have a higher quality feel than the hard plastics used in the Chrysler and Dodge versions.
As expected, space abounds inside. The front buckets and roomy second-row captain's chairs should keep any normally sized adult happy for a long haul. The split and reclining third-row is probably best left to kids. With 10 cupholders, road-trip thirst shouldn't be a problem.
There's 32.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, a number that balloons to a 144-cubic-foot maximum.
Ride quality is very good, with the softly-sprung independent suspension. The 3.8-liter V6 provides only adequate acceleration, making the larger engine worth the extra coin in my book. Steering reponse is precise and predictable and the four-wheel disc brakes bring things to a stop quickly and smoothly. ABS is standard. 2010 Volkswagen Routan SE
n Vehicle type: Four-door, seven-passenger minivan
n Base/as-tested prices: $33,500/$34,300
n Engine: 3.8-liter V6, 196 hp, 230 ft-lbs torque
n EPA estimates: 16/23 mpg city/highway
n Good: Voluminous and nicely designed interior; smooth ride; comfortable, supportive seats; top-tier safety ratings.
n Bad: Optional larger 4-liter V6 worth the price; not different enough from its underlying Chrysler/Dodge-sourced family hauler; gets expensive with options.
n Bottom line: Commodious and comfortable (like the Town & Country), the Routan still lags competitors such as the Honda Odyssey (like the Town & Country).
