Made in Canada: 2010 Volkswagen Routan

CanadianDriver

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Review and photos by Grant Yoxon

Photo Gallery:
2010 Volkswagen Routan

It may be a well kept secret but there is a Volkswagen minivan and it is built right here in Canada. Along with the Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Town & Country and the made-for-Europe Chrysler Grand Voyageur, Chrysler’s Windsor assembly plant also builds the Routan for Volkswagen.

If you didn’t know about the Volkswagen Routan it is no surprise. There aren’t that many on the road in Canada. …

It may be that Volkswagen doesn’t do much to promote the Routan and that’s a shame because among the minivan variations produced in Windsor, the Routan is arguably the best. But it’s meager sales total may also be due to its price, as among minivans, the Routan is a premium priced vehicle. …

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Our test vehicle was a Routan Highline, the third in four trim levels available (Trendline, Comfortline, Highline and Execline). {They are designated and provisioned differently for the U.S. market.—DMW}… Standard features included 4.0-litre V6 engine, six-speed automatic transmission, power sliding side doors and rear tailgate, halogen headlights and foglights, power glass sunroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, four 12-volt power outlets, six-speaker audio system with six-disc in-dash CD changer and auxiliary input jack, satellite radio, leather covered seating with heated front and second row seats, eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat, and power-adjustable pedals.

Optional equipment included navigation package and rear view back-up camera ($2,425) and 17-inch alloy wheels ($700), for a total price excluding taxes and additional charges of $43,700. Compare this to our better-equipped, made in Canada 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Limited which came in at $41,220.

It is not difficult to see why Volkswagen is having a difficult time selling the Routan.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

But in its defence and despite being built in the same factory and having the same engine and transmission as the Grand Caravan and Town & Country, the Routan is, in my opinion, a better van. My rationale: better exterior design, better interior design, higher quality interior materials, more comfortable seating and better driving characteristics.

Only the roof and door panels of the Routan are the same as the Chrysler minivans. All other sheetmetal, headlights, taillights and exterior trim are unique to the Routan. It doesn’t look the same and unless you knew … you wouldn’t think it came from the same factory. And the paintwork, as demonstrated by our Nocturne Black Metallic Routan, is exemplary.

Expressing simply a personal point of view, I prefer the look of the Routan over the Chrysler vehicles.

Inside the Routan is a blend of Chrysler and Volkswagen, but mostly the latter. The general layout, including the dash mounted shifter, is Chrysler, as is the navigation system (albeit with VW logo) and surrounding function buttons, and the heating and air conditioning unit. As noted in our review of the Town & Country, one must reach across to the right side of the navigation screen to touch the phone button to accept an incoming call. With most other competitors, this function is mounted on the steering wheel.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Nearly all the soft-touch materials – seat materials, carpets, door panels and even the steering wheel – have been designed specifically for the Routan. The Routan’s leather-wrapped steering wheel feels better in the hands than the Town & Country’s although both wheels have the same minimal functions, with nothing on the front of our Highline model’s wheel, but audio controls oddly hidden on the back of the wheel. It is a unique-to-Chrysler set up borrowed by Volkswagen.

Nothing more clearly differentiates the Routan from the Town & Country than the dash top. Whereas the dash top in the Town & Country is hard plastic, it is soft and padded in the Routan.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

Stow ‘n Go second row seating, seats that flip and fold into the floor, is standard in the Town & Country, but not offered in the Routan. Instead, the Routan has larger, more comfortable captain’s chairs. However, the Stow ‘n Go compartments in the floor remain for storage. It’s a trade-off – the convenience of easily stowed second row seats or more comfortable chairs. The third row seat is a manually folded, 60/40 split bench seat that stores in the luggage cavity. …

The Routan is powered by Chrysler’s 4.0-litre V6 engine. Producing 251 horsepower and 259 lb.-ft. of torque, this engine provides plenty of power for everyday driving needs. Despite being a minivan, it is not by any means slow and will accelerate easily for freeway merging or passing slower traffic. Fuel consumption is rated at 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway and 12.2 L/100 km in the city. With just 200 km on the odometer, our brand new Routan tester is averaging 13.5 L/100 km in city driving.

Perhaps it is my imagination or perhaps it is better sound insulation, but under hard acceleration, the engine in the Routan seemed quieter than that in the Town & Country. In fact, in all driving situations the Routan provided a quieter environment.

2010 Volkswagen Routan Highline. Click image to enlarge

It is also a better handling and more nimble minivan than its Chrysler brethren. The Routan has a slightly firmer ride which detracts little from the overall ride comfort, but adds greatly to cornering confidence. Driving both vans over the same freeway on-ramps, I felt more comfortable at higher speeds in the Routan. Steering is also more crisp and direct.

Safety features in all minivans built in Windsor, including the Routan, are the same, with three-point seat belts in all seven seating positions and side curtain airbags protecting all three rows of seats. Like the Grand Caravan and Town & Country, the Volkswagen Routan has a five-star safety rating for both frontal and side impacts from the US-based National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As well, anti-lock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control are standard equipment.

The Volkswagen Routan matches or exceeds other Chrysler-built minivans for interior quality and handling, …

Naturally, dealers will and often do sell for less than published prices and discounts, and a savvy shopper should go to the Volkswagen dealer armed with comparable data. But one has to wonder if Volkswagen’s published prices are keeping minivan shoppers out of their showrooms.

Grant Yoxon is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist and Managing Editor of CanadianDriver. He is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC).

Top Minivan

MiniVans For Sale

Author: Matthew C. Keegan

It was 25 years ago this Fall when the Chrysler Corporation shook up the automotive industry by introducing … [the] Chrysler Town & Country, Plymouth Voyager, and Dodge Caravan. [They'] were instant hits, helping Chrysler to carve out a new automotive segment and defining the term “people hauler” in the process.

Today, Chrysler still leads in this important segment, offering two models: the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country. Both minivans seat seven passengers and are powered by a 4.0L V6 engine that is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission, new for 2009, is the first of its kind: the only six-speed automatic available on a minivan.

The new engine-transmission pairing has given the automaker a needed boost, by providing best in class fuel economy of 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. "Chrysler and Dodge minivans continue to lead the segment," said Larry Lyons, Vice President - Car and Minivan Product Team, Chrysler LLC. "With an improved 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine and a minivan-first six-speed transmission, no other minivan has better fuel economy. We optimized both the engine and the transmission to give our customers the fuel economy they want, and the power and responsiveness they expect."

Chrysler has managed to hold firm in the minivan market even while Ford and General Motors exited the segment. The Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are its chief competitors, but Chrysler still holds 40% of the market, with the Dodge Grand Caravan continuing as the best selling minivan on the market. …

When it comes to passenger safety, the Chrysler and Dodge minivans are at the top of their game, receiving five-star crash test certification for front and side impacts. Both minivans have been technological leaders down through the years, by offering … minivan-first dual DVD players and uconnect studios SIRIUS Backseat TV with family programming channels that include Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network Mobile, and best-in-class aerodynamics, Cd of 0.33.

For 2009, a third version of the Chrysler minivans is now available, the Volkswagen Routan, a vehicle which shares the same platform, engine and transmission as its Chrysler and Dodge cousins. However, the Routan uses a unique suspension and the minivan has its own interior and exterior to help differentiate the model from its American competitors.

(Source: Chrysler LLC)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/vans-articles/2009-chrysler-minivans-cutting-edge-technology-means-better-fuel-economy-564274.html

About the Author

Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in Cary, North Carolina. Matt provides magazine, web content, and article writing services to clients all over the world serving the automotive, human interest, and business communities. The Auto Writer is his flagship car weblog.

Car Shopping

Car Shopping

It was so exciting at first... doing the research, figuring out which ones worked best for us, comparing prices online, in car auctions and on lots, checking on loans, getting insurance quotes. 2 months later... not so much fun. Sometimes I think we should just forget the whole thing. But then I put the carseats in the car and think about a third one being back there. Yah. Ain't happenin'. And I can only fit back there if I sit sideways. True, I'm no skinny minnie, but really. We need more space.

So, we're going to take a look at some more cars tonight. Again. It's hard to tell what kind of leg room the back row has just by looking at pictures online so we test them out at the dealerships. We're going to look at the Borrego and the Routan. …[We] found a really good deal on [a Routan]. And I mean a 'is it REALLY that cheap?" kind of deal. We can't exactly turn our back on a fabulous deal just because we aren't the minivan types, right? …

Minivans.

Here goes nothing! My Life & Times blog

Last night my parents watched Oliver so we could go out and have fun. I drove their new VW Routan home, and I have to admit... I want a minivan now.

I am willing to trade my social cool factor for convenience. I felt pretty BA cruising down the road... pull out in front of my minivan? I WON'T GO DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT! Step in front of my little Yaris? Um, excuse me, don't mind me while I quietly CRUMPLE LIKE TIN FOIL.

There were so many buttons. The doors! The automatic ease with which they can be opened! The window shade screens, the DVD players, the cupholders! I'm sold. I am willing to look like a soccer mom pulling up to parties just so I can have a passenger seat AND a car seat in the car at the same time! Novel concept for us.

Don't even get me started on the Sirius radio. I'm willing to bet that very little can top the feeling of driving down the interstate with 40's hits playing on the radio, COMMERCIAL FREE. Makes you feel like a whole new woman. Bonus 900 awesome points.

But anyway. I got to drive the new van for the night. I picked up Jared and we eventually wound up at a friend's going away party. …

Minivan confessions

This post drifts off-topic, except for the fact that the Sirius radio is a godsend for music lovers. It has channels for each decade from the 40’s to today, as well as many genre-specific channels, sports in 3 languages, news and talk until the cows come home. Additionally, one music source (satellite, AM, FM, one of two CD/DVD players, Hard Disk, or auxiliary input) can be directed to the vehicle speakers while another can be beamed to the 2 wireless headphones. Or, one headphone can be set to Source A while the other to Source B with the vehicle speakers are muted.

boomitude

By Tracey Rosato
senior director of operations, pop culture aficionado & routan driving mom

We recently purchased a new mini-van, totally selling out to parenthood and middle age. With the mini-van came a pleasant perk (well, several honestly)…..but I’m talking about satellite radio. We’ve got more stations and genres than we know what to do with and we’re having fun finding lots of new music and cool artists. However, my guiltiest pleasure has been a Saturday afternoon feature of 70’s radio – replays of America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem from the actual date it aired. It’s like I’m in a time machine, transported back to any year 1970’s and all the memories that go with that. …

Thinking about Top 40 in the 70’s brings me around to the music of my childhood That is, the music my parents played that has stuck with me my whole life and still lives on my iPod today. …

I think the first albums I ever owned were the Jackson Five and with Michael’s Jackson’s passing that’s what I remembered most … loving little Michael and singing along to those LPs. How many times did I fill out that Columbia House order form with all the records I wished I had until I finally mailed that sucker and my giant package of vinyl arrived? … I had to justify my joining without any means of paying by explaining to my Mom that I only needed to order two more albums a year for like the next 10 years. … I have no idea if I ever fulfilled those future orders.

My record collection eventually expanded to some 400 – 500 albums. They were always a huge item on my Christmas list. … One year, I got something like 11 albums – thrilling! I remember loving 45’s too (understatement) and I bought them by the hundreds. … 45’s are still an obsession (thank you, iTunes – my fantasy “45” mall) but as easy as it is to download singles now, it’s not the same…is it? There was something so great about those singles on vinyl and listening to the crappy song they would throw on the B side.

My love of music has not dimmed and it’s grown to include so many artists and genres that have been inspired by places or people that have woven in and out of my life. I do know the original inspiration for this lifelong love was what I grew up with. Music was always present, always appreciated and evokes the happiest of memories. I can thank my parents for that and I can only hope my kids will feel the same.

What if everyone drove a VW?

It's all about... blog

I always thought that Slug Bug was a game that you played whenever you saw a Volkswagen Beetle. What's up with the VW commercials that have people hitting each other when they see any VW car? I mean, don't get me wrong. I love that someone might get the opportunity to slug someone they know just because I happen to drive by them. But I wonder about the generalization of this very specific game. I am concerned that it's gone too mainstream.

And what do the people say when they see the cars? According to the commercial, one only needs to say what the color of the car is when they slug the person. "Red one." "Blue one." "Black one." Bam. Bop. Bam. I think they should have other little crazy rhymes for each model, as there is "slug bug."

"Getta Jetta."
"That's-a Passat-a."
"Futon Routan."
"Rolf Golf."

Never mind. This is kinda stupid. But I do wonder about those commercials, and why it's no longer a Beetle game.

Posted by Kimmie G at 10:14 PM

Volkswagen Routan Diesel Rumors Abound

Rumors Blog

April 27th, 2010Rumors Articles No Comments

When Volkswagen needed to fill an important gap in their line up, the German automaker turned to Chrysler whose best selling line of minivans were just what the doctor ordered. …

…VW has a pair of sport/utility models in their line up, but no crossover model. Thus, the Routan minivan fills the gap whether it is a strong seller or not.

A Turbo Diesel Motor For VW?

But Volkswagen may need to expand the Routan to include a diesel engine option if it is to become a relevant player in the market. Volkswagen is currently in the middle of a quest to offer diesel technology as an option across all of its many model lines, thus leaving the Routan out would do the model some disservice.

Because the Routan is built by Chrysler, Volkswagen would perhaps extend this option to Chrysler to include these engines in the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Gran Caravan. That move would serve to share costs of selling diesel technology across the entire platform as well as make other modifications necessary to ensure that the minivans could handle a V6 diesel engine. Some have said that the current transmission pairing wouldn’t be appropriate as that gearbox wouldn’t be able to handle the added torque. Thus a modified transmission would need to be developed, an additional cost that consumers may not be willing to bear.

The Future of the Minivan

Chrysler has been widely credited with developing the modern day minivan, a segment it long dominated. The two Chrysler Group LLC models outsell the competition, …

Having recently exited bankruptcy and fallen under the control of the Fiat Group, Chrysler’s long term product plans aren’t quite clear yet. However, with their minivans still playing an important role in the market, Chrysler’s long term commitment to this line seems assured. With that in mind, Volkswagen will probably remain a willing partner, perhaps choosing to add a diesel offering at some point down the line.

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