2011 Volkswagen Routan Minivan Review

Volkswagen Routan

The Volkswagen Routan minivan returns for the 2011 model year, with much of the upgrading that's taken place on its sister vehicles, the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan.

The base $26,930 Volkswagen Routan S includes manual sliding side doors, cruise control, an AM/FM/CD with auxiliary audio jack, cloth seats, and power windows/locks/mirrors.

The $31,770 SE adds power sliding side doors, a power driver seat, heated mirrors, power-adjustable pedals, a CD changer and Bluetooth, and comes with vinyl upholstery. The $37,390 Volkswagen Routan SEL tops the range with its standard sunroof, automatic climate control, navigation system, satellite radio, USB port and real-time traffic. Options include the DVD system, and a premium package with a megawatt audio system and dual power front seats.

The Volkswagen Routan is a decent minivan, but reviewers say it’s pricy and outclassed by competitors from Honda and Toyota.

The Routan is a VW, albeit one that's heavily based on the Chrysler minivans -- the Chrysler Town & Country and the Dodge Grand Caravan. Initially, the Volkswagen Routan differentiated itself from its Chrysler cousins by offering a more upscale interior. The Volkswagen Routan also has more comfortable seats than the Chrysler vans.

Reviewers say the Volkswagen Routan is a fine choice, but that other minivans are better. If you’re shopping vans, check out the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyssey, which drive better than the Routan does and have better reliability and safety ratings.

For 2011, the Routan gets a new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine. --In full disclosure, I didn't expect much from the 2011 Volkswagen Routan. My mindset going into this test drive was VW excels at making affordable sporty cars like the GTI and that cute Eos, not family cars. The Routan recently competed in Cars.com's Ultimate Minivan Shootout against the Odyssey, Sienna, Town & Country, Grand Caravan and Nissan Quest. The Routan's base S trim starts at $26,930; my test car, a midlevel SE, cost $35,570.

From the side and rear, the Volkswagen Routan bears a resemblance to its cousins, the Grand Caravan and Town & Country. However, the Routan's front offers a glimpse of Volkswagen pizzazz with the VW logo, sloping grille and headlights that are reminiscent of other VWs.

Of course, all this practicality makes things easy for families with small children. The power sliding doors and power lift gate, which are optional on the base trim but standard on the Volkswagen Routan SE and higher trims, offer additional conveniences for families. When it comes to fuel, the 2011 Volkswagen Routan SE is flexible. With regular gas, the Routan gets an EPA-estimated 17/25 mpg city/highway. With E85, the Volkswagen Routan gets 12/18 mpg.

The 2011 Volkswagen Routan gets high marks for safety, receiving the top score of Good in frontal-offset, side-impact and rear crash tests from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The Routan is armed with an arsenal of standard safety features such as all-disc antilock brakes, front-wheel drive, an electronic stability system, traction control and seven airbags, including side-impact airbags in the front row, a driver's knee airbag and side curtains for all three rows.