The 2010 Volkswagen Routan ranks 5 out of 7 Minivans

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The 2010 Volkswagen Routan ranks 5 out of 7 Minivans. This ranking is based on our analysis of 13 published reviews and test drives of the Volkswagen Routan, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.
Volkswagen teamed up with Chrysler to produce the Routan.  Like the partnership that created it, the Routan is something of a mixed bag.
The Routan is a VW, albeit one that’s heavily based on the Chrysler minivans — the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan.  With the Routan, VW tried to reverse that trend, taking a tried and true minivan platform, retuning the suspension for more exciting driving and upgrading the interior with nicer materials from VW’s parts bin.

Reviewers say that while the Routan drives slightly better than the Chrysler minivans, it still lags the Honda Odyssey. Inside, while the VW materials help the interior, some reviewers say that simply slapping nice coverings on a Chrysler interior is sort of like putting lipstick on a pig.
Despite these setbacks, however, the Routan has some strong points. Though reviewers say the Odyssey outperforms the Routan, it’s only by a matter of degrees, and the Routan has a lower starting price. Finally, the Routan has very good crash test scores.  And while the Routan’s warranty isn’t longer than its competitors, it’s the only minivan to offer free scheduled maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles.

The bottom line is, if you’re shopping minivans, the Routan is a solid choice, but so is almost every other van in the class.  The Routan comes in four trims: the S base model, the SE, the SEL and the SEL Premium. The Routan was all-new in 2009.

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2010 Volkswagen Routan Long Term Update 2

Motor Trend
November 03, 2010
/ By Allyson Harwood
/ Photography by Mike Shaffer
|



Click to view Gallery
Executive editor Ed Loh recently used the Routan as a tour bus, lugging six friends to major tourist spots in the Los Angeles area, including Philippe's the Original (best French dip sandwiches in town), Olvera Street, and Chinatown, plus Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Rodeo Drive, and the Farmers Market.

Image via WikipediaThe visitors, a family from France, own a Renault Espace and are familiar with the Euro-market Volkswagen Touran (swap the T and the R and you know where VW got the name Routan). They were impressed by the dual fold-down LCD screens, headphones, remote controls, and power sliding doors and cargo door. "The Routan was admired by our French friends. Though access to the backseat for the three kids was a bit inelegant, we were able to fit nearly 6-foot-tall Antoine, 11-year-old Nicolas, and 6-year-old Louise in the third row."

2010 Volkswagen Routan
Months/miles in service
5/10,399
Avg econ/CO2
18.0 mpg/1.08 lb/mile
Unresolved problems
None
Maintenance cost
$0 (oil change/inspection/rotate tires, plus machined warped brake rotors)
Normal-wear cost
$0

Related articles

• Volkswagen of America October sales up 17.9% (newstatesman.com)

Volkswagen's U.S. Sales Grow 17.9 Percent in October 2010

Green Hotel : Bangkok Thailand

Volkswagen's U.S. operations posted a strong sales increase in September 2010, but the company continued its march forward with an equally impressive October showing. Last month, the German automaker reported a 17.9-percent increase over the same period last year.

VW of America's U.S. deliveries totaled 20,084 vehicles in October 2010, 3047 cars more than the brand moved last October. As usual, the brand's strength lies with its compact offerings, especially the Jetta. 11,958 examples were sold in October, with roughly half of that figure -- 5464 cars, to be precise -- attributed to the all-new 2011 Jetta sedan.

Unsurprisingly, the next-best selling model in VW's North American portfolio remains the Golf and GTI hatchback -- combined, the two accounted for 1905 deliveries, which marks a 62-percent increase from last October. Volkswagen's Tiguan sales grew 49 percent to 1453 deliveries, but surprisingly, the largest growth lies with the Routan. Only 1103 examples of the Chrysler-built minivan were sold in October, but that marks a 65-percent improvement over the same period in 2009.

A zero-percent, 72-month financing deal may have helped the Routan's figures, but other vehicles applicable for the deal -- the Eos and New Beetle -- didn't benefit quite as much. …
…Thus far in 2010, the automaker's U.S. sales are up by nearly 20 percent.
Credit: Automobile Magazine

New Models Drive Luxury Sales in October; Momentum Continues for Others

Auto Observer

Volkswagen of America Inc., which has ambitious U.S. sales goals, increased October sales by nearly 18 percent from a year ago. Its sales were paced by the new Jetta, which had its first full month of sales and its best sales month since 2005, with the exception of last year's Cash for Clunkers period.
Volkswagen has taken heat for its price-reduced new Jetta, which critics charge the German automaker has cheapened too much in its effort to make it affordable to more customers. In addition to heavily advertising the Jetta's affordable price, Volkswagen is offering one of its biggest incentives ever for the nameplate.

Image via WikipediaAlso chipping into Volkswagen's total were higher sales of the Chrysler-built Routan minivan, Golf and GTI.

"Volkswagen continues to grow sales in all models and products through October," said Mark Barnes, VWoA's Chief Operating Officer. "It is good to see the all-new Jetta getting off to such a promising start and our TDI products continue to do well."

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The six-year wait is over

and then there were four… blog

Okay, so I was never “waiting”, but, after six years of being a one-car family, about three weeks ago we finally went out and not only got a second vehicle, but became a mini-van family.

Image by harry_nl via FlickrPlus, I finally fulfilled my dream of owning a Volkswagen. True, it isn’t the Jetta I always dreamed of having, but dreams change, and I couldn’t be happier with our decision.

We have been talking of getting a second car probably since we got pregnant with Olivia. On and off we would say “well, eventually we’ll need a second car”. But if you know anything about Bill and I, you know that we are incredibly indecisive about the simplest of things:… So you can only imagine how we are when it comes to something as huge as a new (or, new to us) car. So for the past four years we have gotten by on running errands on the weekends and at night when Bill got home. He has been able to take time off for doctor appointments and I have been able to walk within a 1.5 mile radius of our home to get to the park, swimming lessons; … We often relied on friends and family in situations where Bill couldn’t get away from work. While not exactly convenient at times, it worked and I didn’t feel that I was missing out on too much….
But, I knew that I couldn’t rely on [them]forever, so Bill and I got down to business and after going through a lot of ads online and thinking I would NEVER find a car we could A.) Afford and B.) Live with; we saw that a dealership about an hour away from us had three pre-owned 2009 VW Routans available for just under our budget.
Bill had test driven a new Routan a few months back and we both LOVED it, had almost gotten one, but the deal that was promised was not what they ended up offering and we walked away. While I was a little disappointed, I couldn’t fathom spending what they wanted us to spend, so when we saw this online special Bill told me to not get my hopes up. I was cautiously optimistic.
Still, we drove the hour to the dealership, I test drove the Routan, loved it and then Bill and the dealer went to work. I swear to you, my husband impressed me so much with his ability to negotiate. I never knew he had it in him! I actually walked away and took the girls back to our car because I knew he had it under control and everything would be fine.

And it was!
Now the girls are asking me when we are having more babies since we have room “for two more!”

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Consumers Digest Magazine Names Routan One of 2011 Automotive Best Buys

{The Volkswagen Routan is listed as a Consumers Digest Best Buy.—DMW}

DEERFIELD, Ill., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Thirty-five vehicles and seven companion models received Best Buy ratings from Consumers Digest out of over 250 total 2011 models. The ratings, published in CD's December issue (on sale November 1), span 12 categories: Subcompacts, Compacts, Family Cars, Luxury Cars, Sporty Cars, Full-size Pickups, Small Pickups, Minivans, Compact SUVs, Midsize SUVs, Full-size/Luxury SUVs and Hybrids. The Best Buys—based on behind-the-wheel assessment, safety ratings, ownership costs, warranty, price, comfort, ergonomics, styling and amenities—reflect CD's view of which 2011 vehicles offer exceptional value for the money.
2011 Automotive Best Buy Selections

• 3 "Subcompacts": Ford Fiesta, MINI Cooper/Cooper Clubman, Scion tC
• 3 "Compacts": Honda Fit, Kia Soul, Mazda3
• 5 "Family Cars": Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Taurus, Hyundai Sonata, Suzuki Kizashi
• Image via Wikipedia4 "Luxury Cars": Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac CTS sedan, Hyundai Genesis sedan, Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• 4 "Sporty Cars": Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Porsche Cayman
• 2 "Full-size Pickups": Ford F-150, Ram 1500
• 1 "Small Pickup": Toyota Tacoma
• Image via Wikipedia4 "Minivans": Chrysler Town &Country/Dodge Grand Caravan/Volkswagen Routan, Toyota Sienna
• 4 "Compact SUVs": Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain, Honda CR-V, Kia Sorento
• 5 "Midsize SUVs": Buick Enclave/Chevrolet Traverse/GMC Acadia, Ford Flex, Honda Pilot
• 3 "Full-size/Luxury SUVs": Infiniti QX56, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Lincoln MKT
• Image via Wikipedia4 "Hybrids": Ford Escape Hybrid, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid

"Value, as we see it, is based on purchase price and ownership costs relative to quality, performance and subjective factors like comfort and design," says Randy Weber, CD's publisher.
Performance characteristics evaluated include starting and acceleration, shifting, steering, handling, braking, ride quality and fuel economy….
This year's Best Buy lineup includes 17 vehicles that did not receive Best Buy ratings the previous model year.
Another evolution of the magazine's effort was its addition of two automotive experts to the project team, bringing the total number of panel members to six. Expanding the number of experts that contribute to Consumers Digest's evaluation process ensures that more time behind-the-wheel and more depth is applied to our assessment, which improves the quality of the system of judging vehicles overall. New to the team are: Marlon Hanson, who is president of Texas Automotive Media Association; Mark Maynard of the San Diego Union-Tribune and Steven Cole Smith of the Orlando Sentinel. They join Jim Gorzelany, who has served Consumers Digest readers for 22 years as an automotive writer, Jim Mateja, who writes a weekly Chicago Tribune auto column and has received numerous awards for his auto coverage, and Dan Jedlicka, who has written about autos for 41 years and is a member of the North American Car and Truck of the Year jury.
The Auto Best Buys section of the December issue includes photos, invoice pricing, standard features and reviews that support the models' Best Buy selection….
Consumers Digest is designed to inform and educate readers so they can buy with confidence, no matter the product or service. The magazine is committed to providing practical advice, factual evaluations and specific recommendations that lead consumers to exceptional values in today's complex marketplace. In 2011, Consumers Digest will celebrate its 50th year of serving consumers. One of the notable improvements being introduced at the beginning of Consumers Digest's 50th anniversary will be the publication of its New Car Guide two months sooner than it has traditionally. By making the Guide available on newsstands by February 1, 2011, CD will be putting consumers in an even better position to negotiate the best deal possible on the purchase of a new automobile.
SOURCE Consumers Digest

Top 10 cars and trucks for tailgate parties this fall

Image via Wikipedia

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

In this slide show of vehicles good for tailgating, bankrate.com lists the Routan as the only minivan. See slide #11.

Top 10 cars and trucks for tailgate parties this fall

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