VW @ Chicago 2008: 2009 VW Routan

[Blake Noble]

VW @ Chicago 2008: 2009 VW Routan
VW's Caravan-based Routan debuts at Chicago 2008

Link to Original Article @ Autoblog

Well, thanks to the German pub Autobild you can now see the collaborative efforts of Chrysler and Volkswagen in the form of the VW Routan. Unfortunately, the V-Dub van hardly harkens back to the time of the mini-bus, as everything between the A- and D-pillar is a dead ringer for the Chrysler/Dodge on which it's built. The new front fascia is attractive enough, with swooping headlamps, well-proportioned air dams and a chrome grille fitted with the VW logo, while the rear benefits from a similar tail lamp design as seen on the Touareg and Golf.

Power comes courtesy of a 3.6-liter V6, with 197 hp and 230 lb.-ft. of torque routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can upgrade what's under the hood with a 4.0-liter V6 producing 251 hp and 259 lb.-ft. of torque. Traction control and ESP will be standard, along with dual power sliding doors, power windows and thirteen (13!) cupholders. Some of the options include a touch screen nav with a 20 gig hard-drive, power lift gate and a rear seat entertainment system with two, nine-inch screens.

Volkswagen plans to price the base Routan below the $25,000 mark and sales are expected to begin later this year.

Volkswagen's press release is available in full after the jump.

[Intrepidation]

Interior:

[Blake Noble]

I like this VW van, quite a lot. I think VW has definitely built a better Caravan here. And lets hope Chrysler manages to learn a few things on how to design a nice interior.

Edited February 6, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Yay! A caravan with a generic VW nose!

(Much sarcasm intended)

[pow]

The Microbus Concept came out 7 years ago, and it easily beats this Routan in design...

[Intrepidation]

The Microbus Concept came out 7 years ago, and it easily beats this Routan in design...

+2

[Cory Wolfe]

It's certainly an improvement over the Caravan/T&C... but... WTF? Atleast they fixed the sagging ass. The interior certainly isn't up VW's usual standards. It's worse than the Rabbit's. Bleh. It's good thing I'm not in the market for a minivan and thus, my opinion is voided.

[Blake Noble]

The Microbus Concept came out 7 years ago, and it easily beats this Routan in design...

Never said it didn't.

But, for what it is, it's actually much better than it's American counterparts thus far and you can't deny that.

Edited February 6, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[pow]

Never said it didn't.

But, for what it is, it's actually much better than it's American counterparts thus far and you can't deny that.

True, the interior looks much improved, and supposedly the handling is improved, too. Those are two of the biggest shortcomings of the Chrysler vans. If it's priced appropriately, I think it could be the best or second-best minivan out there.

[Intrepidation]

True, the interior looks much improved, and supposedly the handling is improved, too. Those are two of the biggest shortcomings of the Chrysler vans. If it's priced appropriately, I think it could be the best or second-best minivan out there.

Probably not best, since Chrysler left out the flexible seating system.

[Blake Noble]

Probably not best, since Chrysler left out the flexible seating system.

If I were ever in the market for a minivan, God forbid, I would sacrifice the flexible seating for better handling and to avoid the standard run-of-the-mill Chrysler interior styling.

[pow]

Probably not best, since Chrysler left out the flexible seating system.

Link?

[Intrepidation]

Link?

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshow...agenroutan.html

It may have them, but that's what I read, that it appears not to have Stow `n Go at least.

[loki]

a 3.6L w/o more than 200 hp... SAD!

[Intrepidation]

a 3.6L w/o more than 200 hp... SAD!

Yeah it's pretty sad. Can't wait for the new Phoenix engines.

Edited February 6, 2008 by Dodgefan

[pow]

a 3.6L w/o more than 200 hp... SAD!

That's a typo from Autoblog; it's actually a 3.8L that has less than 200 hp.

I'd rather see a Golf or Passat powertrain - a 2.0T with 197 hp or a 3.6L with 276 hp, mated to a six-speed DSG.

[pow]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/autoshow...agenroutan.html

It may have them, but that's what I read, that it appears not to have Stow `n Go at least.

Doubt it. Every minivan has Stow 'N Go in the third row, and if the second row is only available with captains chairs (which don't fold into the floor, like the GC/T&C's), there will still be stowage space underneath. The only question is whether it'll have Swivel 'N Go.

[Intrepidation]

Doubt it. Every minivan has Stow 'N Go in the third row, and if the second row is only available with captains chairs (which don't fold into the floor, like the GC/T&C's), there will still be stowage space underneath. The only question is whether it'll have Swivel 'N Go.

Well I'm sure the 3rd row will fold, but the 2nd's won't which is the real trick of Stow `n Go, since everyone's 3rd row folds.

[FAPTurbo]

:rotflmao:

[regfootball]

first off, i was ready to bash this until i looked at the pictures more. the dash is nicer than the chrycos, and the front end and rear end revisions are better also.

chrylser's 3.8 in the vans is known for holding up ok and delivering good mpg. you could not make the same claims for a VW powertrain. VW's have problems even staying running. In a segment where reliability is needed, its better that VW did not put its own engines in there.

The new 4.0 chrysler is a good motor (i tested it in a pacifica). it moves out pretty well and that should be a nice uplevel engine in these vans. In C/D's recent test it had accel times near the top so it will be fine for this segment.

i would be fine losing the sto n go. sto n go is very useful, but everyone forgets it compromises the seating quality in the second row. Since the third row stows, I am ok if the 2nd row merely folds in the VW version but has better, more comfortable seats. We also have no idea if the complex mechanism for the stow n go would actually hold up over time.

rear end is very odyssey like and the front is Eos like. those two tweaks are minor but do tend to make this van much less stodgy than the breadvan chrylsers.

buy the dodge and get a lifetime warranty. whatever.....most cash strapped families, or at least more and more, are leasing. plus the chryco warranty has 'conditions'. families do not maintain cars to a rigid standard. So if this leases as cheap as the DCX vans, they are in like flint because this product is more attractive and VW showrooms have much better coffee and the receptionists are actually attractive. Since its not a real VW, you won't need to be at the dealer 24/7 attempting to get things fixed, although it is still a chrylser so you would have to still get a few things fixed.

i was ready to rag all over this but it fills a place for VW in the market until they bring their own van here. I can get this van, drive a VW, but still get it worked on for some things at the dodge dealer a mile from my house.

VW's option packages will probably be easier than the chrylsers.....for example, heated seats are often alacarte on Jettas etc. so maybe that will be the case here too.

this is a definite alternative to the honda and toyota and nissan. SO, I'll at least have to look at it.

what you are not reading about that is the white elephant in the room, part of the reason CUV's do so well now and vans don't (aside from the mommy needs to preserve her sexy image thing) is that women these days are very fixated on AWD and only the toyota offers it. They gets SUV's and CUV's to get the AWD, because they do not think any vans have it. It would help the van segment to offer more AWD options. I can attest as friends of our traded their odyssey for a pilot and another friends they ditched their caravans for a pilot as well. AWD was one of the reasons as much as the mommy complex / i'm still trying to be sexy even though i am 35 now and have popped out a couple kids factors into it.

with the routan, princess mommy can feel good dumping her jetta for a VW van because VW's are still cool.

This is nowhere near as heinous as the 'Acura SLX' or other horrific rebadges (Saab 9-7 and 9-2). It may not be as ideal a product as the concept van, but i think they could not justify the business case for that. Face it people, rebadges like the Suzuki XL7 and this are a way of life. Look at consumer electronics, its all rebadges. Zenith plasma=LG. Best Buy 'Insignia' store brand=whoever they can get to make them, many times LG. Magnavox=Philips.

this may not be as cool as the GTI, but if VW, like the asians want greater share and volume, they cannot just sell a one trick pony. apparently they felt they needed to be into vans too.

this sure makes the touareg seem even fatter. the touareg is small but like a half a ton heavier. LOL

for me, if the interior is nice, its gonna be worth my time to check it out. i hate that shifter loc, but my hope is the door panels are not sandpaper plastic like the dodge cars are so much of today.

don't forget, in europe this allows VW to make the van here (cheap) and ship it over with their badge on it. I wonder if europe gets a smaller motor choice or a stick option?

It is amazing how much nicer the whole rear end is on this thing compared to the chrylsers.....yay, this totally boots the Kia off the list now! WHEW!

Edited February 6, 2008 by regfootball

[quantum110]

Why does this look as if it be right at home in the 1990s....

[C.H.U.D.]

I lol'd.

[Robert Hall]

Strange name..Routan. Fits with Sharan, Tiguan, and Touran, though, I guess..(is this going to be an NA-only model?)

[FAPTurbo]

I lol'd.

That's the only thing I can do when I see this thing.

[regfootball]

just read autoblog's writeup on their time with an 08 Grand Caravan. glowing review. if the VW improves on that, the ROUTAN should be a well done machine.

[VenSeattle]

:rotflmao:

+2 :rotflmao:

[Drew Dowdell]

total badge job.

reminds me of

[Z-06]

Chrysler the Escort/ Surrogate Mother of Automobile Industry everyone wants a piece or child of hers.

[Cory Wolfe]

Hmm... I guess the more I look at it, it's not that bad.

[pow]

Looks good... I like the smoothed out fenders. The only body panels shared with T&C/GC are the doors and roof.

[Drew Dowdell]

Looks good... I like the smoothed out fenders. The only body panels shared with T&C/GC are the doors and roof.

same as the omni/rabbit then....

[Robert Hall]

same as the omni/rabbit then....

Not exactly..the Omni and Rabbit had a similar shape, but didn't share a platform or body panels... (though I think some of the early Omnis had VW engines?).

[Cory Wolfe]

same as the omni/rabbit then....

Same as the Lambdas, too...

[ZL-1]

What's not-so-funny about this thing is the VW nose looks better than the Chrysler/Dodge ones.

[Drew Dowdell]

Same as the Lambdas, too...

When BMW uses the Lambdas as it's base for their US Sport Utility King Sedan, then get back to me.

Or when VW buys Chrysler.... hey... $h!tier things have happened.

[Cory Wolfe]

When BMW uses the Lambdas as it's base for their US Sport Utility King Sedan, then get back to me.

Or when VW buys Chrysler.... hey... $h!tier things have happened.

Again, who cares? Different brands, all the same. Only we would argue for something as asinine as "Oh... well... they're under the same ownership, so it doesn't count." The general public isn't going to notice the difference, either way.

[ToniCipriani]

I like it. But again I like the new Chrysler vans in the first place.

[Intrepidation]

The nose is sharp and the interior is way nicer but the ass looks like an even fatter Odyssey...how is that possible?

[MGZ06]

Ive seen about 5 or 6 of theses on the road in the past month, it's going to be stange seeing them come out of the Chrysler plant soon. Overall I think it's a strange ideal but it makes sense for VW to learn how Chrysler has been keeping up with the minivan production for so long. The new line is one of Chrysler most technical lines in their portfolio.

[ZL-1]

Ive seen about 5 or 6 of theses on the road in the past month, it's going to be stange seeing them come out of the Chrysler plant soon. Overall I think it's a strange ideal but it makes sense for VW to learn how Chrysler has been keeping up with the minivan production for so long. The new line is one of Chrysler most technical lines in their portfolio.

It's going to be interesting to see how it does in the market... VW had the alternative of sending the ng Sharan there, but it's a smaller minivan...

[regfootball]

here's a question. i wonder if car and driver had tested this VW instead of the GC in their recent minivan slugfest, if it would have mysteriously ranked higher.

[regfootball]

It's going to be interesting to see how it does in the market... VW had the alternative of sending the ng Sharan there, but it's a smaller minivan...

mazda mpv

GM vans

.......

size matters.

[pow]

here's a question. i wonder if car and driver had tested this VW instead of the GC in their recent minivan slugfest, if it would have mysteriously ranked higher.

Maybe, and if so, because of the improved handling and interior quality...

[pow]

mazda mpv

GM vans

.......

size matters.

So do gas prices

[Windy-57]

I actually kind of like the Routan. The thing that bothers me is that it's a symbol of when VW actually had a decent future product plan. As I recall, this was part of Wolfgang Bernhard's plan to end VW's failed experiment as a near-luxury brand and bring some every-man vehicles to their lineup. But since he's gone and that idea has passed, the Routan will just be a misfit in a crappy brand. Oh, but rumor has it we're getting the Phaeton again...I guess it didn't do bad enough last time, so they're bringing it back for more.

[regfootball]

So do gas prices

you have never toted kids and kid gear have ya? the reason this vehicle type exists has more to do with space than anything else. vw knew the sharan would bomb here. people need to take everything with them plus 4 or 5 people when they travel. strollers, packnplay, coolers, toys, trikes and bikes, beach chairs, no point to buying a vehicle you cannot use to haul all your stuff.

if people are gonna drive nerdwagons (one box vehicles) then they want to go all out and go size XXL on them.

meanwhile, back at headquarters, all minivans pretty much get the same real world mpg regardless of size. that mazda mpg had no end user benefit in terms of TCO compared to the larger caravans. gas mileage, insurance, payments, all probably added up to the same or more TCO for the mazda. yet, many grand caravan owners speak lovngly of its superb highway mpg.

honda even got a clue and wised up and made the odyssey real sized after the first pretender. tundra too.

the bigger sin is to buy something that you find out you cannot use the way you wanted. if its too small you've wasted a lot of resources driving something that doesn't suit your needs or someone has built something you end up having to trash because its no use to you.

Edited February 7, 2008 by regfootball

[pow]

More pics and write-up from VWvortex...

Chicago Auto Show 2008: VW Routan Gets a Dash Stroking

Feb 7, 2008

Words: Cherise LaPine-Grueninger

Photos: Jamie Vondruska

When the rumor mill started to grind about VW and Chrysler’s minivan partnership, three questions echoed throughout the webosphere: Why? What will it look like? What will it feel like?

The first two queries were answered quickly yet, in certain circles, debated endlessly. The marriage allowed VW to re-enter the minivan segment quickly and easily using technology and resources already in place. Pictures hit the Internet a few days before the van’s February 6 debut at the Chicago Auto Show and reaction was mostly what we expected. Although the van’s silhouette is undeniably Chrysler, all-new exterior stampings provide a distinctive look.

The front end is suitably aggressive; VW says it was designed to be “strong and dynamic, yet friendly.” A chrome and matte black grille cascade between angled, sloping headlights, draped by a crisp hood. Fog lamps and a subtle lower valence are reminiscent of the GTI. The model shown features chrome mirror caps and door handles, which draw attention back towards the chrome window sills. Unfortunately, a roof-mount antenna is nowhere to be found, yet the rear is nevertheless distinctive. Tail lamps are inspired by the shape found on VW’s other hatches; the rounded two-piece lenses are a dramatic improvement over the red and amber pillars of the Chrysler siblings. The vehicle sits low (well, for a van) on two-tone chrome wheels, and VW says the suspension was tuned for firmer ride quality and handling.

The interior shares the bone structure of the organ donor, with seat frame, dash shell, shifter, and steering wheel lifted from the Chrysler parts bin. Once inside, though, warm, neutral leather tells a different story. It’s thoroughly impractical for hauling around rugrats, but serves well to showcase Routan’s features, such as heavy stitching and sporty, supportive seat bolsters. The cabin offers none of the Caravan’s thrifty charm or Town & Country’s coarsely molded elements — the Routan driver can adjust airflow and toggle switches without risk of bloodletting. The dash shell's textured plastic yields slightly to the touch (considerably softer than that of the Chryslers), overlaid with a dark gray soft pad. The contrast isn’t quite as impressive as the two-tone effect of, say, the Passat CC, but it lends depth, dimension, and interest to the vast expanses of cream surfaces.

The interior also features power Stow ‘n Go seating in the third row, with the option of flipping the seats forward or back. A move by Chrysler prevented VW from including the much-hyped proprietary Swivel ‘n Go seating system, which is a disappointment — the feature would have been a nice throwback to VW’s camper heritage. However, Routan still has the advantage in regard to driver and passenger comfort.

What remains to be seen is whether or not Routan will find an audience. It’s an entry into a slowing market and seems imperative to VW’s “niche to volume” market strategy, but VW’s strong van heritage means they’ve got something special to offer. VW says Routan will appeal to the “rational and emotional needs” of the minivan buyer.

Routan’s sub-$25,000 entry price is competitive for the segment, cutting below the current star of the class, the Honda Odyssey. Of course, we at VWvortex are holding out for a range of DriverGear accessories. Yes, this van clamors for enthusiast attention. A set of tinted tails and a deeper upper hatch spoiler would easily make Routan the best-looking family hauler around.

Edited February 8, 2008 by empowah

[pow]

I think it's a win-win for both VW and Chrysler. VW gets an American-style minivan, and Chrysler gets to learn how to do a decent interior. Maybe they can employ their newfound knowledge on their MCEs.

Video of the interior being designed:

Edited February 8, 2008 by empowah

[K.C.]

I like the looks of it, but whats up with no VW drivetrains, and no VW specific interior? This needs to be ironed out toot sweet. And what the hell is Routan? Like Susan Ruttan?

[pow]

A bit goes a long way... here's the original: