Volkswagen: Routan news
02-05-2008, 10:18 PM
#1
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
Volkswagen: Routan news
From LLN...
Volkswagen of America took the wraps off its new Routan minivan at the Chicago Auto Show today. Although the Routan rides on the same platform as Chrysler's minivan offerings — and will even roll off the same assembly line — the VW version has a unique interior, as well as its own powertrian options.
Priced below $25,000, the van has room for seven, a total of 13 cup-holders, a conversation mirror, touch screen navigation, a power lift gate with flood lamp, and a rear seat entertainment system with two 9-inch screens.
Second row captain's chairs offer an increased level of luxury and comfort while still providing the convenience of a traditional minivan, with over 32.7 cubic feet available behind the third row seats and a full 83 cubic feet is available behind the second row.
The Routan will come standard with a 3.8L V6, offering 197 hp and 230 pound-feet of torque when combined with the standard six-speed automatic transmission. A 4.0L V6 will be available rated at 251 hp and 259 pound-feet of torque. Routan features European tuned suspension and steering optimized for handling and improved driving dynamics. Standard all-season traction control and ESP, brings safety and security to the Routan.
Priced below $25,000, the van has room for seven, a total of 13 cup-holders, a conversation mirror, touch screen navigation, a power lift gate with flood lamp, and a rear seat entertainment system with two 9-inch screens.
Second row captain's chairs offer an increased level of luxury and comfort while still providing the convenience of a traditional minivan, with over 32.7 cubic feet available behind the third row seats and a full 83 cubic feet is available behind the second row.
The Routan will come standard with a 3.8L V6, offering 197 hp and 230 pound-feet of torque when combined with the standard six-speed automatic transmission. A 4.0L V6 will be available rated at 251 hp and 259 pound-feet of torque. Routan features European tuned suspension and steering optimized for handling and improved driving dynamics. Standard all-season traction control and ESP, brings safety and security to the Routan.
02-05-2008, 10:18 PM
#2
Senior Moderator
Thread Starter
02-05-2008, 10:24 PM
#3
Strike 1 - Mopar underneath
Strike 2 - VW badge
Strike 3 - Has Odyssey for competition.
Strike 2 - VW badge
Strike 3 - Has Odyssey for competition.
02-05-2008, 10:35 PM
#4
Fahrvergnügen'd
Well they finally got around to building one ... I will say this much though: Leave it to VW to show how Chrysler is being destroyed by bad suppliers, bad unions, and poor design.
That interior is much better than Chrysler's own offerings.
That interior is much better than Chrysler's own offerings.
02-06-2008, 12:47 AM
#6
Originally Posted by jupitersolo
Strike 1 - Mopar underneath
Strike 2 - VW badge
Strike 3 - Has Odyssey for competition.
Strike 2 - VW badge
Strike 3 - Has Odyssey for competition.
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those
tail lights.And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
02-06-2008, 02:00 AM
#7
Team Owner
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Fontana, California
Age: 47
Posts: 30,991
Received 582 Likes
on
346 Posts
Originally Posted by I Go To Costco
Conclusion.... you are a badge whore.
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those tail lights.
And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those
tail lights.And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
It's amazing that the exterior IMO has so many similar lines to the odyssey.
Trending Topics
02-06-2008, 02:16 AM
#8
has been here awhile
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Charlotte, NC
Age: 37
Posts: 1,612
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Does VW really think they are going to sell very many of these? The market, in my opinion, is already flooded with high quality examples. If you're going to compete against the Odyssey, Sienna, and heck, even the Sedona, you're going to have to bring a bit more to the tabe than a gussied-up Caravan.
The exterior shape is blatantly Caravan. While the headlamps and taillamps are attractive, and provide for that signature VW look (along with the grille), there's no hiding some cheap Chrysler parts. Take a look at the cheesy plastic roof rails, the plastic satellite radio receiver, and the plastic antenna base. And the interior? Again, looks just like a caravan with some chrome trim here, a splash of satin plaluminum there, and a small VW logo on the center of the steering wheel. All of the electronic interface controls are pure Chrysler, and the dash design, along with the seats, appear to be lifted straight from the Caravan. While the overall design is clean, it lacks the intricacy and attention to detail that VW is so great at. Volkswagen has a way with creating clean, simple designs that are not bland or boring; the details are deep within the design, and there's none of that here.
Badge-engineering doesn't work (unless it's executed EXTREMELY well); from these few photos--and I realize they're not enough to make too concrete of a statement on--it seems as though this Routan is just bound to fail.
The exterior shape is blatantly Caravan. While the headlamps and taillamps are attractive, and provide for that signature VW look (along with the grille), there's no hiding some cheap Chrysler parts. Take a look at the cheesy plastic roof rails, the plastic satellite radio receiver, and the plastic antenna base. And the interior? Again, looks just like a caravan with some chrome trim here, a splash of satin plaluminum there, and a small VW logo on the center of the steering wheel. All of the electronic interface controls are pure Chrysler, and the dash design, along with the seats, appear to be lifted straight from the Caravan. While the overall design is clean, it lacks the intricacy and attention to detail that VW is so great at. Volkswagen has a way with creating clean, simple designs that are not bland or boring; the details are deep within the design, and there's none of that here.
Badge-engineering doesn't work (unless it's executed EXTREMELY well); from these few photos--and I realize they're not enough to make too concrete of a statement on--it seems as though this Routan is just bound to fail.
02-06-2008, 10:40 AM
#9
The sizzle in the Steak
Originally Posted by I Go To Costco
Conclusion.... you are a badge whore.
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those tail lights.
And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those
tail lights.And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
....and this van is DOA
02-06-2008, 11:41 AM
#10
Originally Posted by I Go To Costco
Conclusion.... you are a badge whore.
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those tail lights.
And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
I thought Chrysler made some pretty good minivans.... guess not. Exterior is pretty nice for a van, aside from those
tail lights.And thats a weird location for the shifter. Don't know if its easily within reach but it looks like the only worst place to put it is on the ceiling of the van
I've owned a VW and a Dodge, two of the worst pieces of shit I ever own. There's a reason both nameplates are at the bottom of the reliability charts each year.
Have you owned a Mopar minivan? I haven't, but had to drive one for awhile, POS!!!!
02-06-2008, 07:31 PM
#11
Moderator Alumnus
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Washington DC (NOVA)
Age: 52
Posts: 16,399
Likes: 0
Received 8 Likes
on
8 Posts
Not sure if VW has made the right choice of partners here. This move shows how desperate they are to penetrate the US market. They are also building a plant here. My ex boss tells me he sold his 1 year old GTI for a leased Passat due to constant reliability issues. I asked him, what broke, he said, name it and it broke.
02-06-2008, 07:36 PM
#12
Fahrvergnügen'd
Originally Posted by gavriil
Not sure if VW has made the right choice of partners here. This move shows how desperate they are to penetrate the US market. They are also building a plant here. My ex boss tells me he sold his 1 year old GTI for a leased Passat due to constant reliability issues. I asked him, what broke, he said, name it and it broke.
02-06-2008, 08:16 PM
#13
Senior Moderator
Nice crack at the minivan market but, the Odyssey is only minivan I would consider at this point.....and it would be nice of the 08 AV6's powertrain made its way into next gen Odyssey.
02-07-2008, 12:45 AM
#14
Originally Posted by Moog-Type-S
The shifter is actually in a great location. Steering Column shifter FTL.
....and this van is DOA
....and this van is DOA
02-07-2008, 04:04 PM
#15
_____ like a rabbit
i smell flop!
honestly, sometimes i think that if any of us were put in charge of an auto company we'd make way better decisions...
come on, chrysler platfrom? VW is a huge company. Why cant they engineer their own and its starting at a few k more then the caravan, i dont understand...
honestly, sometimes i think that if any of us were put in charge of an auto company we'd make way better decisions...
come on, chrysler platfrom? VW is a huge company. Why cant they engineer their own and its starting at a few k more then the caravan, i dont understand...
10-14-2008, 09:02 PM
#17
Suzuka Master
Anyone seen these on the road yet? Just saw it parked today and it looked nice. The interior was very deceiving though. It would've been nice of VW to create their own chassis and all instead of using Chrysler's. When I test drove the Town & Country, it was nothing to scream about. I'm glad we chose the Odyssey. The Touran Execline starts at 50k around here.
http://www.vw.com/routan/en/us/
http://www.vw.com/routan/en/us/
10-14-2008, 09:57 PM
#19
Senior Moderator
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Better Neighborhood, Arizona
Posts: 45,634
Received 2,328 Likes
on
1,308 Posts
Brooke Shields babbling about people having babies to enjoy German engineering?
Sounds like a Nazi car commercial to me. They're not even being subtle about it either.
Sounds like a Nazi car commercial to me. They're not even being subtle about it either.
10-15-2008, 05:46 AM
#21
Well, Hitler DID introduce the Volkswagen Bug didn't he? After all, its "the people's car"
Wait a minute. OH MY GOD! Brooke Shields is a Nazi!!!!!
i'd still hit it
Wait a minute. OH MY GOD! Brooke Shields is a Nazi!!!!!
i'd still hit it
10-15-2008, 01:19 PM
#24
The sizzle in the Steak
designs.
10-15-2008, 03:34 PM
#27
2G TLX-S
The only way VW can sell this van this cheap is to build it in North American factories. But VW reliability is still a big put-off.
10-15-2008, 03:42 PM
#28
That's Racist
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: San Diego native. UCLA resident. =)
Age: 38
Posts: 5,634
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
10-15-2008, 03:59 PM
#29
The sizzle in the Steak
10-15-2008, 05:28 PM
#31
2G TLX-S
10-15-2008, 07:37 PM
#32
10-15-2008, 07:39 PM
#33
10-15-2008, 09:41 PM
#34
^knowing Vee Dub, it probably starts at under 25k and tops out right over 40k loaded.
10-16-2008, 07:42 AM
#36
Senior Moderator
Canadian driver review.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadte...gen-routan.php
Anyone who's been in a Stow & Go Caravan can attest to just how pathetic the seats are. Tiny and flat so they can fit in the floor. I'd rather have them removable than stowable. Especially since I have 2 car seats that aren't easy to put in.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadte...gen-routan.php
To begin with, Volkswagen worked with Chrysler to design a version that would be unique to Volkswagen. And while the Routan is built alongside the Chrysler vans on the same assembly line, Volkswagen has its own people in place to ensure vehicles coming off the line meet their standards of build quality.
Externally, only the door panels and roof of the Routan are the same as the Town & Country's. All other external panels are unique to the Volkswagen. While the size and shape is the same, the VW is - dare I say it? - a better looking version.
Special attention was also paid to getting the interior right. Although the general layout - including the dash mounted shifter - carries over from Chrysler, all the soft-touch materials (seats, carpets, door panels, etc.) have been designed specifically for the Routan. And whereas Chrysler gauges and audio faceplate colours are typically green, the Routan displays are Volkswagen blue. Despite their efforts to upgrade the interior, though, there are still a few plastic bits that are unacceptable.
The Routan won't offer Chrysler's "stow 'n go" seating. Although the storage bins are there, Volkswagen opted for more comfortable second row seating. Both front and second row seats are very comfortable, whether cloth covered or leather clad and second row leather equipped seats are, like the Town & Country, optionally heated, something the kids will like.
Volkswagen also made adjustments to the front and rear suspension and tweaked the steering to provide a firmer ride and improved handling. On our drive through the Niagara region, we found the Routan to be quite nimble for the large vehicle that it is, yet ride comfort has not been sacrificed.
Externally, only the door panels and roof of the Routan are the same as the Town & Country's. All other external panels are unique to the Volkswagen. While the size and shape is the same, the VW is - dare I say it? - a better looking version.
Special attention was also paid to getting the interior right. Although the general layout - including the dash mounted shifter - carries over from Chrysler, all the soft-touch materials (seats, carpets, door panels, etc.) have been designed specifically for the Routan. And whereas Chrysler gauges and audio faceplate colours are typically green, the Routan displays are Volkswagen blue. Despite their efforts to upgrade the interior, though, there are still a few plastic bits that are unacceptable.
The Routan won't offer Chrysler's "stow 'n go" seating. Although the storage bins are there, Volkswagen opted for more comfortable second row seating. Both front and second row seats are very comfortable, whether cloth covered or leather clad and second row leather equipped seats are, like the Town & Country, optionally heated, something the kids will like.
Volkswagen also made adjustments to the front and rear suspension and tweaked the steering to provide a firmer ride and improved handling. On our drive through the Niagara region, we found the Routan to be quite nimble for the large vehicle that it is, yet ride comfort has not been sacrificed.
Anyone who's been in a Stow & Go Caravan can attest to just how pathetic the seats are. Tiny and flat so they can fit in the floor. I'd rather have them removable than stowable. Especially since I have 2 car seats that aren't easy to put in.
10-16-2008, 01:21 PM
#37
The sizzle in the Steak
Canadian driver review.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadte...gen-routan.php
Anyone who's been in a Stow & Go Caravan can attest to just how pathetic the seats are. Tiny and flat so they can fit in the floor. I'd rather have them removable than stowable. Especially since I have 2 car seats that aren't easy to put in.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/roadte...gen-routan.php
Anyone who's been in a Stow & Go Caravan can attest to just how pathetic the seats are. Tiny and flat so they can fit in the floor. I'd rather have them removable than stowable. Especially since I have 2 car seats that aren't easy to put in.
A smart move by VW. The stow & go is a gimmick that rarely is used by most consumers. On the flip side you will sit in the seat more than you will stow it.....and those borderline patio furniture style 2nd row seats are an absolute joke to sit in.
10-16-2008, 07:55 PM
#38
Senior Moderator
I will say ... the general "quality" of minivans assembled in Windsor isn't that bad -- it should be at, or above, industry averages. So I would say the Routan should be as good as the Town & Country in build quality. And I seriously do not think the Windsor assembly lines guys will intentionally screw up the Routans they put together to 'protect' the Chrysler product they make.
As an aside, we have bumper stickers handed out by the union that says, "Out of a job yet? Keep buying foreign!" ... how ironic for a highly unionized plant to be building vehicles for the "foreigners".
10-17-2008, 08:14 AM
#39
Senior Moderator
From the Canadian driver review...
And while the Routan is built alongside the Chrysler vans on the same assembly line, Volkswagen has its own people in place to ensure vehicles coming off the line meet their standards of build quality.
10-17-2008, 10:49 AM
#40
The sizzle in the Steak
^^ @ two different standards of quality
@ two different standards of quality