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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Here goes nothing...

With a Little Luc

Here goes nothing...

Image via WikipediaI have always been one of those people that go on and on about how I will NEVER drive a minivan because ewww and shit. Who needs all that room? Who wants to look like a douchebag? I mean, minivans are for moms and old people with lots of grandchildren. "I won't give in!" I say. "I won't lose my cool!" There's "plenty of room in my Jetta!" "SUV's are totally enough!" You get the idea.
I 'pshawed' the car dealer when she suggested that I check out a Routan when I surprisingly declared how super tiny the Tiguan crossover was. "Nope. Never. Don't even talk to me about it" I said. After a little coaxing and a huge "what the hell!" I hopped up into the mom-mobile. "At least this will shut them up" I thought.
You know what? It wasn't so bad. The seats were leather...and soft. The touchscreen was FUN! I love touchscreens! It has how many DVD screens? You can watch 2 videos at once, you say? The doors do WHAT with the click of a button? Damn. Look at all that room! I could fit all of my photography equipment in here PLUS leave Mason's carseat and still have tons of room. There's plenty of space for another baby (when we have one) and a bigger stroller. It's comfortable. I don't feel like I am sitting on the dashboard and simultaniously smelling the backseat passenger's breath. It has a V6. It drives like a car.
Was I *gasp* losing my cool? Was I going to drive a minvan. Was I going to look like a mom? Wait.
Hold it.
I am a mom. I run a business that requires me to lug around all sorts of equipment and chairs and reflectors and props. What's the problem? Suddenly, I couldn't even tell you why I thought minivans were so bad? A "soccer mom" stigma? Maybe. But again, I am a mom. Doesn't everything have a stigma? You drive a 4 door sedan...you must be slow. And old. You drive an SUV? You must hate the environment. You drive a big truck? You must be overcompensating. You drive an expensive car? You must be snobby. Why do you need a HUGE SUV when you are a childless couple? Yadda yadda yadda.
Cover of The Italian JobNo. I think you drive your car because you like it. Imagine that. My husband never bought a sportscar because he was going to take it somewhere and race it. My in-laws didn't buy Mini Coopers because they plan on re-enacting a scene from the Italian Job (that I know of). My mom didn't buy an SUV because she is short and couldn't see the road in a smaller car. Love you, mom! And your T-Rex arms!
I guess I never thought about all this before. I thought I knew what I liked. Maybe I was trying to hold on to someone that I am not. I am a mom, but I am still Tiff. Just because I drive a bigger car that has self-opening doors doesn't mean I am someone different. I still like to drink wine! I still like to dance and watch bad reality shows! I am the same boring, child-toting, vertically challenged, cackle-laughing person...I just drive a car that has more room for your judgemental ass. So hop on in! Pop in the Hangover and let's go out on the town! I will even let you take a nap in the back if you like!

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Hertz Rent2Buy Review - Part 3 - Colleen to the Rescue

Mirthful Moose Musings

... We talked about the fact that I was looking for a VW Routan, and that I wanted the SE model that came with 2 packages, key among them was the towing package which allows you to tow up to 3500 pounds.  It included air shocks in the back and an automatic leveling feature that helps accomplish this.  …

Image by crazytales562 via Flickr...  The seats were uber comfortable.  The Routan is a rebadged Chrysler Town and Country.  In fact, my new name for it is the Grand Caravagen.  It's tweaked a little from the standard Dodge/Chrysler faire... some reviews say it's suspension and steering are much tighter.  … But it does sport some nice VW type interior items and probably most importantly, they DO NOT have the Stow 'n Go middle seats.  The VW seats are removable but not stowable.  The bins that they fold into are still there, and these are spacious and will get use.  But most importantly, the seats are COMFORTABLE... it's like a Lazy Boy... The front seats are heated, there are power windows everywhere, including the vents in the back... The rear seats have the same Tailgate seating option, and the cargo room behind them is amazing... A trip to the warehouse club with a full cart equates to filling up the bins the rear seats fold flat into... TONS of room.  I'm very happy with the van.  But back to the test drive...

Image via WikipediaOn Sunday, the family piled in and took a beautiful ride through the Berkshires to look at the foliage.  Everyone was impressed with the van, and all agreed it was a great car.  So the family gave it a thumbs up.  I averaged 23 MPG on that cruise, …  Fairly impressive for such a big and heavy van.

…  And the nice thing is that I can go to a Chrysler/Dodge dealership for that, or the VW dealership, and bid them against each other on it!
Anyway, I decided that the car was a good deal, ...

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Volkswagen’s Future Products Revealed for 2011, 2012, and Beyond

cars motor
[The following must be machine-translated. I don’t know what the originating language is, but this article proves that you can’t leave translation to a machine.

Image via WikipediaI think the post says that the Routan will continue through the model cycle, and that it is doubtful that it will get Stow ‘n Go. VW will not bring the mini-minivans (Sharan and Touran) to the U.S. The Routan will be replaced with something the same size. The new Routan will have more VW characteristics. It won’t be a Microbus (Transporter). The Transporter available in Europe would cost about $60-70,000 here.

Image via WikipediaThis news follows what I have heard or surmised in the past. The current model cycle continues through 2013. I’m curious to see who will build Mark 2, and when the minivan will get a diesel. I’d buy a new one with a diesel in a heartbeat.]

Image via WikipediaRoutan – The Chrysler-sourced minivan will abide through its artefact cycle, and it is absurd that it will anytime get Chrysler’s Stow ‘n Go folding second-row seats. The Routan will be replaced with a similar-size vehicle, not a abate mini-minivan like the European Sharan or Touran, as has been appear elsewhere. VW is absurd to add added minivans to it artefact portfolio in the accountable future.

Microbus – Volkswagen will not acceptation a minivan from Europe to the U.S. The accepted Transporter awash in Europe would amount $60k to $70k if awash in the U.S. That said, VW hints that the abutting adaptation of the Routan—or whatever it’s called—will accept added VW cast characteristics. Like, say, a Microbus badge?

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My New Love.... My Volkswagon Routan

Six in the Suburbs | Same Family. Different Stories. One Blog

Image via WikipediaAlong with most new mothers I had vowed to never ever get a MINI-VAN.
   However, with both the kids in clunky car seats, the 5-seater SUV just wasn't cuttin' it anymore. That is where my love story begins with my new mini-van, and I couldn't be any prouder. Not only can you change & feed a baby on the back bench- you can change & eat back there yourself! When that back bench isn't needed it can be stored in the floor giving you space equal to that of a pick-up truck for shopping trips to your local wholesale club or hardware superstore.
   Our first day together my 3 year old helped me to stock it with everything we'd need in our travels. There was a spot for each and every item I already had two of in the linen closet and a spare outfit for each of us just in case. First-Aid kit, an old-but-still-good towel, a roll of paper towels & toilet paper, snacks, movies, juice boxes, yadda-yadda-yadda. …

Image via Wikipedia[The blog post goes on about toileting matters that only a Mommy could love] …in a nice little compartment that my precious VW Routan is equipped with! …

   I am by genetics a napper. Both of my parents love a good nap, and I was raised to take it as it comes. So when the two kids are napping and I have accomplished anything that can be accomplished by drive-thru window I crawl on back and AHHHHHH......get snuggled in. Of course I've got blankets and a pillow always on reserve so comfort is a given. When you've got the room of a mini-van you can easily be prepared for those opened opportunities to get a little R & R.
Needless to say: There is no way I would have been able to do all this in anything other than a mini-van!
- M.L.E

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Video of Routan Launch San Francisco 10/7-9/08

Visit www.autonetwork.com to view the entire event. Bret Scott, Manager of Product Plotting, gives an overview of Routan Minivan to journalists at launch of Volkwagen’s VW first minivan the Routan held in San Franciso, Oct. 7-9, 2008.