EmailBest Reviewed
Minivans
- Best full-size minivan 2009 Honda Odyssey *Est. $26355
- Minivan with available all-wheel-drive 2009 Toyota Sienna *Est. $24540
- Best budget minivan 2009 Kia Sedona *Est. $21065
- Small, gas-miser minivan 2009 Mazda Mazda5 *Est. $17995
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- Roomy
- Plusher than its Chrysler siblings
- Available DVD screens for each row
- Marginal safety in a rear-end crash
- Still looks like a Chrysler
- Controls seem cheap, like Chrysler's
- Shares Chrysler's sloppy handling
- May share Chrysler's poor reliability
- No Stow 'n Go seats
- Less for the money than a Grand Caravan
February 2009. Experts say the new-for-2009 Volkswagen Routan basically consists of Volkswagen body panels and upholstery slapped on a Dodge Grand Caravan (*est. $22,475 to $28,325), and that's not a good thing. Tests show that the Routan shares the Grand Caravan's clumsy handling and safety drawbacks -- and you can't even get Stow 'n Go seats on the Routan, critics point out.
In an attempt to bring a minivan to market quickly, reviews say Volkswagen hired Chrysler to build the Routan on the Grand Caravan platform. The two minivans are identical under the hood, which testers say explains the lackluster acceleration and gas mileage from the 197-horsepower, 3.8-liter V-6 on the base Routan S (*est. $25,200) and step-up Routan SE (*est. $29,700). With these trims, the EPA estimates you'll get 16 mpg in the city, 23 mpg on the highway and 18 mpg combined. The top-of-the-line Routan SEL (*est. $33,600) runs on the most powerful Grand Caravan engine, a 251-horsepower, 4.0-liter V-6, which testers say boosts both performance and mpg (to 17 city/25 highway/20 combined).
Volkswagen tweaked the Dodge suspension and steering, but drivers say it doesn't help much: The Routan feels almost as imprecise as a Grand Caravan. The Routan's interior finish is classier than a Grand Caravan's in some ways, reviews say. Although the console and controls feel just as cheap, the seats are softer, partly because they don't fold completely away like Dodge's convenient Stow 'n Go seats. The Routan's third-row split bench folds, but you have to remove the second-row captain's chairs if you want to haul anything bulky. Note that the seven-passenger Routan does not offer an eight-passenger option, unlike the better-reviewed Honda Odyssey (*est. $26,355 to $41,005) and Toyota Sienna (*est. $24,540 to $37,865).
Like the Grand Caravan, the Routan offers optional DVD screens for the second and third rows. Unlike the Grand Caravan, the Routan offers them only as part of a $4,500 option package (*est. total $38,100). By contrast, dual screens add $2,200 to the top Grand Caravan SXT trim (*est. total $30,525). Chrysler and Dodge's unique subscription satellite TV option, which beams Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network straight to the backseat, is not offered on the Routan.
Like the Chrysler and Dodge minivans, the Routan lags behind safety leaders like the Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedona (*est. $21,065 to $26,595) in rear-end crash tests. The Routan was just introduced, so whether it proves as unreliable as the Chrysler and Dodge minivans remains to be seen.
We found excellent early hands-on reviews of the new Volkswagen Routan at Car and Driver, MSN Autos and The Truth About Cars. Although none of them are as comprehensive as a Consumer Reports workup, they're thorough enough to steer buyers in the right direction. Consumer Reports had not yet tested the Routan when we checked, although editors do succinctly sum up the model's position in the marketplace. Crash tests at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reveal valuable safety information. Reviews at Cars.com and Motor Trend come to different conclusions about the Routan than most other sources do.
Our Sources
1. Car and DriverDetails/Subscribe
Car and Driver's brief but witty review plainly explains the difference between the Volkswagen Routan and the Dodge Grand Caravan (not much, the reviewer says). A quick glance reveals that the Routan shares some of the Grand Caravan's basic problems.
Review: 2009 Volkswagen Routan -- First Drive Review, Jared Gall, Aug. 2008
2. MSN Autos
Longtime automotive journalist Kirk Bell gives the Routan a mediocre 6.5 points out of 10 at MSN Autos. He road tests the Routan and sums up the results in a list of pros and cons. Bell says the Routan delivers the same sloppy handling as a Dodge Grand Caravan, but at a premium price.
Review: Review: 2009 Volkswagen Routan, Kirk Bell
Michael Martineck doesn't mince words in this scathing review of the Volkswagen Routan. Like other reviewers, he criticizes its performance, but Martineck also finds some comfort and convenience problems that other reviews miss.
Review: 2009 Volkswagen Routan Review, Michael Martineck, October 1, 2008
4. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Like most minivans, the Volkswagen Routan earns five-star impact and four-star rollover ratings in official government crash tests. NHTSA posts details in this searchable database.
Review: 5-Star Safety Ratings, Editors of SaferCar.gov
5. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Like the Chrysler minivans upon which it is based, the Volkswagen Routan's ability to protect passengers in a rear-end collision is "marginal," IIHS crash tests indicate. However, the Routan -- like the Chrysler minivans -- gets the highest possible front- and side-impact ratings.
Review: Chrysler Town & Country, Editors of IIHS
6. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Consumer Reports had not yet tested the Volkswagen Routan when we checked, but editors do provide this summary. It includes pricing information, safety scores and specs. Editors briefly compare the Routan with its close cousins, the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country.
Review: Volkswagen Routan, Editors of Consumer Reports
7. Cars.com
Cars.com names the three hot new minivans for 2009: the Chrysler-built Volkswagen Routan, Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan. Cars.com picks these three because their new engines reportedly deliver 2 mpg better gas mileage than before, but the Chrysler and Dodge minivans' EPA fuel economy estimates have not changed since 2008 (the Routan is new for 2009).
Review: Hot New Minivans and Vans, Kelsey Mays, Oct. 15, 2008
8. Motor TrendDetails/Subscribe
Unlike other reviewers, Motor trend's Bob Nagy concludes that the Volkswagen Routan's altered body panels and interior materials constitute big changes from the Dodge Grand Caravan upon which it's built. He says he spent a day road-testing the Routan but doesn't give any specifics about how it performed.
Review: First Drive: 2009 Volkswagen Routan, Bob Nagy
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