Pick of the Week: 2010 Volkswagen Routan

Edmunds Daily

Chrysler may like to think that it invented the minivan. And while Chrysler does deserve credit for moving minivans into the mainstream, Volkswagen was selling its funky minivans decades earlier. But after VW decided to discontinue its own minivan in 2003 (due mostly to currency concerns), it was left without a competitive entry in the segment.
So perhaps it was a bit ironic that VW chose to badge-engineer a Chrysler minivan to sell as its own in 2009, in the form of the Routan. While its Chrysler/Dodge DNA might not be the most elite in the minivan lineage, last year they racked up nearly 200,000 sales, so it is not a bad place to start. Unfortunately, not only have the Chrysler Group minivans been updated for the 2011 model year, but competing models from Honda and Toyota have also undergone total redesigns recently. Without any improvements of its own, VW is left to offer bigger incentives on the Routan.

Now through January 3, 2011, VW is offering zero percent financing for up to 72 months (that's six years to you and me). Those looking to lease will find lease rates as low as 1 percent, along with lease cash ranging from $2,750 to $4,250 (depending on model).
Let's hope Chrysler's initial myriad minivan quality issues have been addressed in the Routan. But even putting that aside, it's important to recognize that this is not a segment-leading minivan. It's a competent people mover with a hint of European flair, but rival models like the Honda Odyssey, Kia Sedona and Toyota Sienna will serve the typical minivan buyer better. Then again, none of those are offering 72 months of free financing. For the latest incentives and rebates, click here.

Related articles

• Ottawa pressed to give out cash for EVs (theglobeandmail.com)
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• Volkswagen of America October sales up 17.9% (newstatesman.com)

VW Routan's Rear Entertainment Benefits from Platform Sharing"

Edmunds CarPool

Volkswagen took a bit of flack for rebadging and (slightly) retuning Chrysler's Town & Country minivan to come up with its Routan rather than manufacturing its own from scratch, especially given the German car company's history of making with innovative vans. …[But] there's one tech aspect of the vehicle that benefits from its platform sharing.
Chrysler offers one of the best stock rear seat entertainment (RSE) systems available, and carbon copy was included in a 2010 Routan SE I recently tested, renamed JoyBox. JoyBox include two 9-inch drop-down screens for the second- and third-row seats. And via the system's wireless headphones, rear-seat occupants can access any entertainment source the vehicle offers: DVD/CD, AM/FM/Sirius, music stored on a 30GB hard drive and A/V any device that can be plugged into the audio-only aux input on the head unit and two set of audio/video inputs next to the driver's-side sliding door. …
In the Routan, if [my two children] couldn't agree on which DVD to watch, at least my daughter was able to tune into her favorite FM or satellite radio stations and tune everyone else out by listening listen to teen-pop tunes. And my son could watch his shoot-'em-ups (bonus point if you can identify the flick in the photo above). Best of all, my wife and I could listen to our own music or, more likely, enjoy the chance to chat without being interrupted for a change.
As the former owner of a 1976 Westfalia and a 2001 Eurovan Camper (and someone who followed every bit of news about the aborted Microbus concept), I still think that VW's co-opting of Chrysler's minivan platform was a cop-out. But most automakers would do well to emulate Chrysler's RSE system, and I found it to be one of the Routan's most redeeming values.

Volkswagen Future Vehicles

Edmunds Inside Line

By Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor Published Jun 9, 2010

• 2012 Volkswagen CC: This upscale version of the standard Passat will get a midcycle refresh in 2011.

• 2012 Volkswagen Eos: After several years on the market with only minor upgrades, the Volkswagen Eos is expected to get a more significant refresh for the 2012 model year.

• 2013 Volkswagen Golf: Redesigned for 2010, the Volkswagen Golf won't get a significant refresh until the 2013 model year. At that time, Volkswagen may add a plug-in hybrid version of the Golf to the lineup.

• 2013 Volkswagen GTI: All-new for 2010, the Volkswagen GTI won't get a significant refresh until the 2013 model year.

• 2011 Volkswagen Jetta: An all-new Jetta will arrive in the fall of 2010. Designed for the North American market, the new Jetta will be bigger in most dimensions than the current model.
• 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid: A plug-in hybrid version of the next-generation Jetta is planned for production by 2012.

• 2011 Volkswagen New Beetle: After a decade on the market, the Volkswagen Beetle will finally get a full redesign for the 2011 model year. Expected to go on sale in the spring of 2011 in the U.S., this Beetle will be slightly bigger than the current model.

• 2012 Volkswagen Passat: A fully redesigned version of the Volkswagen Passat will arrive in the spring of 2011. Like the new Jetta, this Passat was designed for the U.S. market so expect larger dimensions inside and out.

• 2012 Volkswagen Polo: This subcompact hatchback has been on sale for years in Europe. The latest version may finally make its way to the States as Volkswagen sees a larger potential market for cars of its size.

• 2012 Volkswagen Routan: With sales slow, Volkswagen may give the Routan a midcycle update sometime in 2011.

• 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan: A redesign of the Tiguan is expected to arrive by 2012.

• 2011 Volkswagen Touareg: The second-generation Volkswagen Touareg was unveiled at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show and is expected to go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year. A Touareg hybrid will also be part of the lineup.

New Website Demystifies Car Pricing--For Free

BNET Auto Blog

By Jim Motavalli | Dec 16, 2009
Did you know that two of the best days to buy a car (if you can get away) are Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve? Did you know that you can get 20 percent or more off Saturn Vues and Auras right now because GM is trying to run through their remaining inventory?
I didn’t either, but I’m up to speed now. These are a couple of the insights provided in TrueCar’s “TrueTrends” report, released today (and available at http://www.truecar.com/). The report also offers information on which cars are the most and least negotiable in purchase price. For obvious reasons, the 2009 Chrysler Aspen is one of the most negotiable, but who knew that the much more desireable  2010 Mini Cooper would be on the list? For the reason, read on.
Other very flexible models include the GMC Yukon (big SUVs are hard to sell these days), the Audi A5, and the Chrysler Sebring (bad ratings in Consumer Reports don’t help). Least flexible models include the VW Routan (the comeback of the minivan?), the Toyota Yaris (small cars are back), the Mazda Miata (the bestselling sports car of all time) and the Mazda5. But why does the Hummer H3 appear on this list? Again, read on. …
OK, that’s out of the way. I talked to Jesse Toprak, who is TrueCar’s vice president of industry trends and insights. “Why isn’t pricing on the Hummer H3 more flexible?” I asked. “The point is not that the least flexible models are the most expensive,” he said. “It means that they could be giving it away [a likely scenario with the H3] but they’re giving it away in a similar range. When you walk in, you know what you’re likely to pay?
And the Mini Cooper as most flexible? “That’s on the other extreme,” Toprak said. “The range of prices on the Mini Cooper is extremely wide. People can walk into the same dealership on the same day, and the one who is well informed will pay much less than sticker, and the other who is clueless will pay $3,000 over MSRP.”
Upon disparities like this, businesses are based. TrueCar is a web-based California-based startup launched last spring, with $2.8 million in A-series financing and a second round aiming to bring in a lot more early next year. Toprak is a refugee from the respected Edmunds.com, and he has helped assemble a staff of 20 in Santa Monica (with 10 hires to come). …

Dealers Offering Their Own Black Friday Deals

Car Guy

Auto dealers will be throwing some cash on the hood as they do at the end of every month.  And manufacturer’s are sweetening the pot with some nice incentives here in the frenzied Friday after Thanksgiving.  Edmunds.com has analyzed the very “door busters” and offers its list of the best buys.

Edmunds.com regularly lists the True Market Value® Deals of the Month. This month’s selections include:

• 2010 Acura TSX
• 2009 Chrysler Town and Country Limited
• 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
• 2010 Ford Edge
• 2010 Hyundai Sonata GLS
• 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLK Convertible
• 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5S Coupe
• 2009 smart fortwo passion cabriolet
• 2009 Volkswagen Routan
• 2010 Volvo XC70

Edmunds has seen a 10% increase in traffic on its website in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.  It’s usually a good barometer of shopping activity a week or two down the road.    Given the early reports from our reporters charting activity in the wee hours of Black Friday, there appears to be more shoppers and more items in the checkout–some early indicators that even here in Detroit there appears to be the beginnings of a modest recovery underway.

Manufacturers Offer Richest Incentives Since Cash for Clunkers

Auto Observer

After dismal September car sales due to the hangover from the government's Cash for Clunkers program, auto manufacturers have ramped up incentives in October as they have ramped up production to refill the inventory pipeline, according to Edmunds.com.
The incentives show manufacturers are extremely eager to sell off 2009 models left in inventory. But automakers are also offering incentives on newly launched 2010 models.
"This year has been a wild ride for automakers, and it's not over yet," said Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Jessica Caldwell. "No segment is unaffected by the current round of incentives, though luxury models and trucks are being discounted particularly heavily."
Low-interest financing, including zero-interest financing, and cash rebates dominate the landscape, but subsidized lease programs, almost non-existent in the past years, are proliferating as well.

Luxury makers, particularly Mercedes-Benz, are offering great deals as is General Motors, which is offering 0-percent financing on many models. Some hybrids and diesels are also on sale.
Here are some highlights of Edmunds.com's True Market Value (TMV) Deals of the Month, which are deals that Edmunds.com has determined offer the most savings to consumers.
General Motors: Back in the Game
… In September, GM launched its massive May the Best Car Win campaign, starring GM's government-appointed chairman Ed Whitacre and including a 60-day money-back guarantee. More recent advertising focuses on GM's four core brands - Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC -- and specific models. GM's Bob Lutz, now in charge of marketing, said last week GM will be "more aggressive" and spend big on advertising.
In addition, GM is spending significantly on incentives. The automaker is offering zero-percent financing on many models. …
October Is Truck Month for All
After lousy sales of big profit margin trucks in September, dealers begged GM to bring back the annual October Truck Month extravaganza. GM obliged and is offering low-incentive financing as well as large cash rebates on trucks.
But, while GM and its domestic competitors Ford and Dodge area also heavily advertising truck month, Nissan is offering the beefiest incentive on trucks, including its full-size Nissan Titan pickup: $5,0000 cash rebates or zero-percent financing for up to 50 months and 1.9 percent for 72 months.
However, despite trucks being a heavily leased segment, the truck segment is the only category in which Edmunds.com's Deals of the Month do not show a lease program.
Lap of Luxury Now Cheaper
Luxury car sales have been pounded by the recession, and it shows in the Deals of the Month in October.
The fashion-conscious luxury segment is particularly sensitive to model changeovers so it's critical for luxury makers to ditch the old models quickly. To that end, several attractive deals are available on leftover 2009 models.
With summer over, convertibles are on sale. GM is overing up to a $4,000 rebate on its Chevrolet Corvette or zero-interest financing for up to 60 months. The 2009 Audi A4 convertible is also discounted this month.
Long-suffering Saab, which is being sold by GM, has $6,000 to $7,000 dealer incentives on the Saab 9-3 Convertible and Saab 9-5.
On the cheaper end of luxury, Mini has been heavily advertising its 1.9-percent finance rate on the 2009 Mini Cooper.
Having reported a 13-percent sales decline in September, Mercedes-Benz, in particular, is offering a number of great deals on 2009 models, mostly as cash to dealers that can be passed along to buyers. For instance, Mercedes-Benz SL has a hefty $15,000 dealer incentive….
Alternate Power On Sale
BMW is offering a "Diesel Credit" on all of its diesel models. It is offering a $4,500 credit on the diesel-powered X5 SUV and the 335d.
In addition to the Saturn Aura Hybrid, GM is offering a $4,000 rebate on the pricey Cadillac Escalade Hybrid. Chrysler is offering $4,500 off or zero-percent financing on the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid, which shares the same two-mode hybrid technology as the Escalade but the Aspen was barely launched before the automaker pulled it off the market.
Even Honda's new Insight hybrid is available with a specially priced $199 a month lease.
Family Deals
A handful of minivans are on sale. The biggest discount is on Chrysler's Town & Country minivan, which has a $3,500 cash rebate or zero-percent financing for up to 60 months. The Nissan Quest has a $3,000 rebate. The Volkswagen Routan, based on the Chrysler minivans, offers zero-percent financing. And Honda is providing a special lease rate on its Odyssey.
Other models on Edmunds' great deals list for October include the Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Charger, Honda Civic, Mazda6, Nissan Altima, Suzuki SX4, Volvo C30, Volkswagen Rabbit and Passat. -- Michelle Krebs, Senior Analyst and Editor at Large
Photos by manufacturers
1 - GM is offering a $2,500 rebate or zero-percent financing on the Pontiac Solstice. (Photo by GM)
2 -  Nissan is offering a $5,000 cash rebate on its Titan pickup. (Photo by Nissan)
3 - Mercedes-Benz is giving dealers up to $15,000 in incentives, which can be passed onto consumers, on its luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz SL. (Photo by Mercedes-Benz)