2012 Volkswagen Routan

Better Tan a T&C

By Routan Can (Charlotte, NC) on Friday, June 12, 2009

"I have had the Routan for a short while and from what I can tell people who own them (like me) really seem to like what the Routan has to offer. The price is right and I got mine about 3 grand less that the T&C with the same equipment. The Routan drives great and best of all looks good. I don't feel like I own a box or the same van everyone else has( H and T). As for quality -- who knows? It may last forever --- plus I have a 100K mile bumper to bumper warranty on it just in case. (cost me nearly nothing to add) I've known plenty of H or T owners who have had nothing but problems!"

25 people out of 25 found this review helpful

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Please Buy My Vehciel!

By vw (ID) on Wednesday, June 20, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 40,000

Pros: "Looks nice"

Cons: "alot"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"I bought this van back in 2009 because I am a tech at the VW dealer and so I get a discount. I thought at the time since its a re badged Chrysler product that I could have a VW that is actually reliable. This is a far from reliable vehicle. I have replaced the transmission and brakes as well as had several electrical issues. I am now noticing that it is leaking oil from the timing chain cover. My recommendation is for anyone that buys a VW product is to have it inspected by another shop other then the Vw dealership before the warranty exspires. This is because according to VW of America we are not aloud to notify the customer of any issues with there vehicle until it is out of warranty, but if the customer mentions an issue then we can a dress it."

12 people out of 12 found this review helpful

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worst vehicle I ever bought

By Uber (Greenville, SC) on Thursday, November 18, 2010

"This is the worst vehicle I've ever purchased including used cars. It does perform and drive well for a mini van and the motor and transmission seem to be OK, its very comfortable and well desgned on the interior. However, it just died while driving tonight and we drifted off the road and it started again. The drivers site window doesn't work. It's had many recalls and I've spent a lot of time at the dealership waiting for the repairs. The belts already squeak like a 10 year old car. The fuel economy is not good and the electronics in general seem to be faulty. I think that possibly the recalls may be linked to other issues we are having. The brakes wore out very quickly. The dealer is fixing all of it since it only has 25,000 miles on it but once that warranty runs out I'm afraid its going to cost us a fortune to keep running. If you are thinking about buying one of these be sure to search the web for reviews / recalls and comments. I do not reccomend this Crysler product. If you want a Volkswagon buy some other model and expect the typical German auto issues after about 80,000 miles."

12 people out of 12 found this review helpful

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Mostly it is amazing!!!

By bbsomethin (CA) on Thursday, February 09, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 44,000

Pros: "Love Just about everything!!!"

Cons: "BRAKES AND ROTORS!!! Replace them every 16,000 :("

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"I love this car. A few issues that I wish I could change: 1) Hard for tall people to drive for long periods of time. My husband is 6'2 and gets uncomfortable driving after about an hour because the seat doesn't go back far enough. For me at 5'10 it is perfect. 2)Hard to get to the back seats (3rd row) when 2nd row seats are in place. The 2nd row seats do not move forward far enough to push them forward and crawl behind them and they sit too close to the front seats to move around the front of them. We have resorted to crawling through the back of the car to be able to get into the 3rd row, but then you can't have both parts of the 3rd row up and can't fill the back with stuff. 3) the BIGGEST ISSUE - the brakes and Rotors. We have had the car for less than 2 years. We have had both front and back rotors and brake pads replaced now 3 times. 1st - after 3 months of owning the car, 10 months later and now 7 months. Each time was approxametley 16,000 miles of wear and tear on the van. And Volkswagon is saying it's how we drive, must be because we drive up and down hills alot and use the brakes excessivley. We live in the desert with no hills around us for about 90 miles. This is not a problem with how I drive my car. Other than the brakes though, I can live with the other 2 complaints. They are more about convience. Brakes and Rotors every 16,000 that cost almost $400 each time....NOT OK!!!"

9 people out of 9 found this review helpful

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Sporty Ride and Pretty Efficient on Gas

By Paul (PA) on Sunday, January 22, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 2,900

Pros: "Up to 30 mpg on Highway, Good Acceleration"

Cons: "Transmission, Water in Headlights, Center console"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"The VW Routan won't win car of the year, but compared to its Chrysler cousin it is Superior. The ride is comfortable yet firm and sporty enough to take corners at reasonable speeds without swaying about like most minivans. The interior styling is excellent and free of rattles and creaks, but the center console is short and unstable. Exterior styling is very good and pleasing to the eye unlike the box on wheels styling of the town and country. The engine provides great acceleration and very surprising fuel economy on minimal load. I can get up to 30 mpg on the highway driving like grandma or 25 mpg at 65 mph. Quality is as expected with Chrysler engineering. The headlights retain rain water and the brakes are already squealing at 2900 mile on the odometer. The Routan handles good in medium snow and ice with careful driving. And don't expect to get good gas mileage with a full load and luggage with any vehicle. The transmission needs fine tuning as thumps are quite evident with shifts especially using ECO mode in the city with stop n go traffic which produces no improvement in gas mileage. Eco mode does however help in highway driving mpg, but increases violent shifts when slowing down. The Routan is not a bad choice for a minivan, but if you want to avoid enormous depreciation, shop Honda or Toyota."

5 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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