Having owned two VW Westfalias in years past, I have an idiosyncratic fondness for vans bearing a "VW" badge. These quirky, questionably reliable examples of rolling berths remain tremendously popular today with freedom seekers travelling on shoestring budgets. But that's not the lucrative market that Volkswagen intends to target with its latest van.
Routan conventionality
VW knew that it was absent from an important segment of the North American automotive market by not offering a reasonably priced people mover that was larger than a five occupant wagon. As families outgrew their Jettas and Passats, there was nowhere to go in the VW lineup but into the Touareg, an expensive SUV.
Oddly enough, in steps Chrysler with the answer: a conventional, newly redesigned minivan known to the world as the Town & Country and/or Dodge Caravan. Volkswagen didn't just peel off Chrysler's labeling and affix their own moniker to the van; they re-engineered its underpinnings and redesigned its bodywork and cabin.
VW's amendments are intended to give the van a Euro-look and feel, consistent with the entire VW family of late.
Applying a VW face
I actually think that Volkswagen improved upon the work of Chrysler in defining the Routan as a VW product. It's a visually attractive van that manages to make good use of its vast expanses of sheet metal and glass. Volkswagen designers successfully penned a nose for the full-size van that adheres to the familial theme Volkswagen has adopted company-wide.
Retooling wasn't applied just to the outside. The Routan's cavernous interior underwent a Euro-like transformation as well. One again finds shades of other VW products represented within, especially in the bi-level dashboard design.
Only one engine choice
Unlike previous VW Vanagons, no one can accuse the Routan of being under-powered. A healthy 4.0-litre SOHC 24-valve V6 engine does the heavy lifting. It's capable of producing 253 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 262 pound-feet of torque @ 4,100 rpm.
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| The Routan is limited to a front-wheel-drive configuration. |
Routan conventionality
VW knew that it was absent from an important segment of the North American automotive market by not offering a reasonably priced people mover that was larger than a five occupant wagon. As families outgrew their Jettas and Passats, there was nowhere to go in the VW lineup but into the Touareg, an expensive SUV.
Oddly enough, in steps Chrysler with the answer: a conventional, newly redesigned minivan known to the world as the Town & Country and/or Dodge Caravan. Volkswagen didn't just peel off Chrysler's labeling and affix their own moniker to the van; they re-engineered its underpinnings and redesigned its bodywork and cabin.
VW's amendments are intended to give the van a Euro-look and feel, consistent with the entire VW family of late.
Applying a VW face
I actually think that Volkswagen improved upon the work of Chrysler in defining the Routan as a VW product. It's a visually attractive van that manages to make good use of its vast expanses of sheet metal and glass. Volkswagen designers successfully penned a nose for the full-size van that adheres to the familial theme Volkswagen has adopted company-wide.
Retooling wasn't applied just to the outside. The Routan's cavernous interior underwent a Euro-like transformation as well. One again finds shades of other VW products represented within, especially in the bi-level dashboard design.
Only one engine choice
Unlike previous VW Vanagons, no one can accuse the Routan of being under-powered. A healthy 4.0-litre SOHC 24-valve V6 engine does the heavy lifting. It's capable of producing 253 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 262 pound-feet of torque @ 4,100 rpm.
 |
| A healthy 4.0-litre SOHC 24-valve V6 engine does the heavy lifting. |