2011 Touran to Get Over 51 MPG

Pugi Volkswagen Blog

May 12, 2010 Featured No Comments

My dad owns a minivan. I don’t think that was what he intended when he was a wild, cigarette-smoking, guitar-playing hippie in the late 1960s, but it’s how it ended for him once he had six kids that needed be hauled around all over the place throughout their childhood. … But one thing has always sort of held true no matter what kind of van he was driving: none of them got particularly good gas mileage.

And that’s no surprise, really, considering the size of these things. … But the thing about my dad is that he’s also a pretty responsible dude when it comes to the environment. … On a recent trip to the city, my dad looked over at me and said, “You know, it’s a miracle that with all the hybrids they’ve got out there, you can’t get a hybrid minivan. It’s kind of ridiculous.”

And he’s right, as Pugi Downers Grove shoppers would tell you. In Downers Grove, Volkwagen Routan and Touran models have always been moderately successful in terms of sales, but it was poor mileage keeping them from really turning into big-time sellers. Now, of course, the new Touran has incorporated this awesome Bluemotion technology to help bump up the miles per gallon on those suckers. It’s not exactly hybrid technology, but it’s enough to make the mpg numbers pretty eye-popping.

How eye-popping, you ask? How about over 51 miles per gallon? That do it for you?

The inline 1.6-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with six-speed manual transmission is the pick if you want to maximize miles per gallon, and the good news is that VW is developing ways to incorporate Bluemotion into several of their other vehicles, as well. Before we know it, the gas guzzling minivan will be a thing of the past, and men like my father—who have resigned themselves to admitting that they do, in fact, need to own one of these beasts—can finally drive one that can stretch a dollar at the pump further than ever before.

following godzilla

SUNSHINE SUPERCARS Blog

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YOU CAN COME ALONG - BUT STAY BEHIND ME

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Forgive the poetic slant to this week's prose, but it all sort of struck me at once: The spring. The breeze. The sunset. All of that caught up to me last week, as I followed Godzilla to Columbus, Ohio.

I was piloting Jo's portly white Volkswagen Routan behind a very special car. A supercar if ever I saw one. A foreign devil, with a decidedly America twist. A Switzer-modified R35 GTR Nissan, ripping along the highway at full song.

Dubbed "Godzilla" by the foreign press, this particular example of R35 was angry and loaded up on power. I followed its taillight signature like a meddling kid after a mystery, mesmerized by its speed and the setting sun across its "super-silver" flanks.

The GTR blipped and barked now and then, passing lesser cars (and they are all lesser cars) effortlessly with a faint puff of smoke and a malevolent whine from the turbos. The car rushed ahead like it beheld some secret to happiness, and I was left behind in its wake - left alone in the quiet VW to notice the full-blown greenness of Spring that I'd forgotten after all of these months of Ohio winter.

The van hustled to keep up, whipping past rust-colored barns, a yellow horse statue (!?), and a sign that said "hidden drives". Even as far back as I was, I barely missed the fact that my radio wasn't on. It was enough to listen to the hum coming from the GTR and hear the swoosh of the blurred road. …

I laughed at the sight of the GTR passing a Mennonite horse. The horse turned its head to watch the car's passing with a sort of inter-species "right on, brutha!" nod.

The car reached its new home after two too brief hours, and nestled into its new garage home alongside another supercar if I ever saw one. Its owner beaming like a little kid. I knew what he looked like at five years old on Christmas morning, I think. With a car like that in the stable, I think I'd look the same.

{Highly edited} 2010 Volkswagen Routan SE - Volkswagen Minivan Review

Automobile Magazine

By Joe DeMatio, Phil Floraday, Evan McCausland, Rusty Blackwell, Amy Skogstrom, Jason Cammisa, Kelly Ryan Murphy

… It's a far, far cry from the modern-day Microbus that we and VW devotees everywhere so dearly wanted. But if you have a great relationship with your VW dealer and you want to keep your business there and you need a decent minivan, have at it, folks. The Volkswagen Routan is not a bad minivan at all; in fact, it's a pretty good one. But it's not much of a Volkswagen.

Joe DeMatio, Deputy Editor

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The Routan is a decent minivan, with lots of room for you, your whole crew, and all your belongings. As a rebadged Chrysler, it has most of the attributes of that marque's minivans, which isn't a bad thing. Unfortunately, it doesn't have very many of the attributes of VW - the interior finishes aren't as polished, the engine is not as refined, and it simply doesn't feel as solid as a German-engineered vehicle does. Plus, the days of VW and minivans being synonymous (think Microbus) are gone. These days, people looking for a minivan probably don't even consider visiting a VW dealer.

Amy Skogstrom, Managing Editor

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The VW Routan has ample room for all your goods, kids, and what have you, but it's not for dad.

The pluses:
The van drove very well on Ann Arbor's less-than-perfect roads, even better when we hit the smoother surfaces of Ohio. Cruise control kept us at a constant speed, and the onboard entertainment system kept the kids of all ages entertained. Large amounts of storage in the cabin includes multiple secure, hidden compartments. Cupholders at every turn might have you looking for restrooms often. We were pleased to discover this vehicle's range - our 100-mile trip to Toledo took only about a quarter tank of gas traveling between 75 and 78 mph. We loved the auto sliding doors, whether actuated from the key fob or the driver's seat. I always thought this feature was a bit silly until I loaded sixteen bags of groceries in a spring windstorm by myself.

The minuses:
The navigation system's auto-dimming function setting can be elusive and lead to unwarranted driver frustration. The reason this car isn't for dad is the driver's seat. Adjusted all the way back for a six-foot-plus driver, there wasn't much legroom. Big dads may have to call shotgun or play attendant to the kiddies. Large turning radius was a problem in tight parking lots. I'd like to have had a front camera to see where the nose was, or at least proximity sensors.

Kelly Ryan Murphy, Creative Director

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The Routan catches a lot of flack from automotive journalists, … but it still has some very solid merits (space, utility, comfort, etc). Those merits just all happen to match those of Chrysler's almost identical minivans, with the added bonus of some slightly better interior trim for front-row occupants.

I agree with Joe wholeheartedly: this is a very nice minivan, but it's not a proper Volkswagen van.

…VW customers miss nothing by not having the ability to order Swivel 'n Go in their minivans; unless you plan to have a lot of picnics or old-maid tournaments in your van, …

Rusty Blackwell, Copy Editor

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If you're seriously shopping a Routan and can live without the unique snout or the included maintenance program, you're likely to snag a better deal on a nearly identical vehicle from a local Mopar dealer.

Evan McCausland, Web Producer

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… Perhaps the slight design changes and different badges make this van more palatable in certain markets, but I don't get it. I think we'd all love a cool new minivan from VW that has some sort of connection to the vans and busses in the company's past, but this isn't even close to the mark.

Phil Floraday, Senior Online Editor

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Volkswagen's changes to the Chrysler's suspension and seats make for a slightly better driving experience, yes. But that doesn't make the Routan a good VW, it makes it a slightly better Chrysler. …

The Routan, like all minivans, is a hugely practical vehicle. …

Jason Cammisa, West Coast Editor

Is the Routan "Simply" a Re-Badged Chrysler Town & Country?

I realize many people are disappointed that Volkswagen didn't produce and import a vehicle like the Concept Vehicle from 2002 or 2003. The reality is that most concept vehicles never see the light of day in any recognizable form.

It's true that the Volkswagen is not "all Volkswagen," or not even mostly Volkswagen. Some would argue this is a benefit. Many complain that it is a Chrysler-based vehicle. Chrysler-based mini-vans are the best selling mini-vans in the U.S., indicating that they meet the wants of the American market. And as for engineering--I know that some of the components of Chrysler mini-vans are Mercedes-designed. So, through Chrysler's Mercedes heritage and Volkswagen's unique touches, you do get some German engineering in the Routan.

Let's examine the onus of the re-badged label.

Is the Grand Caravan "simply" a re-badged Town & Country? Yes.

Does the Grand Caravan have some design details and options that are different than the Town & Country? Yes.

Does the market recognize the need for the differences between the Grand Caravan and Town & Country? Yes.

Does the Routan have some unique design cues, options, and engineering that are different than the Town & Country? Yes.

Is the Routan more different than the Town & Country than the Grand Caravan is different than the Town & Country? Yes.

Volkswagen wanted a vehicle that gets the American market to think about Volkswagen when they think about mini-vans. They weren't specifically targeting the Volkwagen-buying niche market, but the market that was buying the Town & Country and Grand Caravan. After the American market is used to the idea of a Volkswagen mini-van, VW can import a Sharan or Touran that has been adjusted for the American market. (VW knows that their vehicles have to be adjusted to the American market--that's why they're building the Chattanooga factory in order to build a larger, "more American" Passat.)

By choosing a mini-van that already sells as a base, Volkswagen didn't have to build a market from the ground up. By using a Town & Country base, the Routan brings good from Chrysler and good from Volkswagen. Do you want more good from Volkswagen? Accept some good from the Routan now and trade it in for a Sharan or Touran when it arrives.

To minivan, or not to minivan

Canada.com

By Kim Gray, Canwest News Service

The family minivan: An unsexy vehicle?

Photograph by: Photos.com,

I recently blogged about the ever-sensitive issue of minivan moms. As in, you're a mom and you've chosen to embrace this style of domestic travel. Or conversely, you're a mother and the mere thought of driving a family van makes you squirm uncomfortably.

Personally, and I know I'm going to get grief for this, I find mommy-mobiles seriously unsexy. …

So, until now, I confess I've never entertained the thought of driving one.

Yet, here I am in need of more space for the likes of sports gear, a family dog with a big personality and extra kids in the car pool circuit.

Essentially, my query to blog readers went like this: Is the minivan mom metamorphosis inevitable at my stage of life? Must I succumb? Are there alternatives?

Regular contributor Julia was the first to respond: "Big gas tanks and parking hogs are just wrong," she said. "Kids grow up and can get themselves around. We don't need our own individual family buses. What's more, they’re incredibly ugly. Don't do it, Kim."

Her remarks prompted Cathy to step into the discussion with this: “Some of us do need the family bus and it can be awesome. Get over your preconceived notions of 'hipness' and embrace the functionality that a minivan can offer."

Others who commented offered up suggestions of a Mazda 5, which is "like a smaller minivan crossed with a station wagon. Still kind of a mom car, but a little bit cool, too."

Another poster said "I'm always one for comfort and convenience over style, so I say embrace the minivan... check out the VW Routan."

Further investigation confirmed my suspicion — women, wherever they sit on the issue, tend to feel strongly. …

Not long ago, I mistakenly commented to a woman that hers was a minivan I'd consider buying.

Her reaction to my attempt at flattery was cool: "I'm sorry, I don't drive a minivan," she replied.

At closer examination, I was distressed to discover that what I thought was the best-looking minivan I'd ever seen was in fact a luxury SUV number. Oops.

At this stage, I'm not convinced either way. Though I think I've found — thanks to one woman and mother of two — a temporary solution.

She says she's opted for a couple of well-established college funds for her boys over the purchase of a minivan. Though she confesses that scores of minivan-driving parents have driven and continue to drive her children to hockey and soccer.

Hmm... The minivan mom freeloader. There's an option I haven't considered.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

YTD to April Routan Sales

This is not an official release from Volkswagen of America.

Volkswagen had the greatest sales increase in April of all the auto companies selling in the U.S. The Routan did not show a percentage gain month-over-month or year-over-year. Nonetheless, Routan market share is holding its own.

The Routan is getting good exposure in the media. Deutch is placing the "Dad drives around the block twice" commercial on family oriented channels, where it airs frequently. Additionally, Apple uses a Routan to demonstrate the iPhone's ability to act as a car remote in the "My iPhone is the family's iPhone" commercial.

Prior to this, Volkswagen was not seen as particularly family-friendly in its current offerings, and iPhone-owning parents didn't think of VW as a supplier of minivans. To put the generations in perspective: current parents download songs instead of buying albums and drive a Honda or Toyota; their parents bought cds, cassettes, and 8-track tapes, rode Honda motorcycles and ran over Toyotas, and were possibly conceived in a VW; the current generation's grandparents are the ones who immortalized (and immoralized) the VW micro-bus, while stealing 45s, and were unfamiliar with Honda and Toyota.

Comments about the Routan remain positive on the blogs, and even the press is giving it kind coverage. (See “Made in Canada: 2010 Routan” in this blog.) Volkswagen and the dealers are offering strong incentives, such as 0% for 60 months, to help overcome the “Chrysler stigma.” If the publicity gets minivan/SUV buyers into a dealer to experience the Routan, and the dealer explains the lowest Total Cost of Ownership, we will see more Routans on the road.

On February 6, 2008, Associated Press reported, in part: "[Volkswagen of America President and CEO Stefan] Jacoby said the minivan market still is approaching 1 million vehicles a year, and Volkswagen would like to capture 3 to 5 per cent of that."

PRNewswire published the April and YTD sales figures of the auto-makers who sell in the U.S. From these reports, we glean the following data:

Brand YTD - 04/10

Chrysler 37,947

Dodge 31,872

Honda 33,613

Kia 5,971

Mazda 6,812

Nissan 154(discontinued)

Toyota 23,078

Volkswagen 4,700

Total 144,147

Volkswagen's market share of van sales is 3.26%, still in the range Volkswagen of America was aiming for.

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).