2012 Volkswagen Routan

Don't buy this car!!

By Rachel N. (CO) on Tuesday, June 18, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 22,500

Pros: "Looks good, stylish"

Cons: "Extreme loss of resale value due to defects"

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

"This car looks great...but don't let that fool you. I should have know when it began pulling sharply to the right a week after a bought it brand new that it was trouble. This car is NOT a Volkswagen, so don't expect that great 'German engineering' that the salesman will tell you all about. It has VW styling, very European looking on the interior, but it's on a Dodge Caravan platform, with mostly Dodge components. In the 2 1/2 years I've owned it, I've had issues with the aforementioned pulling ("working as designed"), warped rotors TWICE ("working as designed"), lagging when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear (try not to turn left on a busy street, you might die!), power doors that have intermittently not locked, not unlocked, not opened, and refused to close...unless there was a 4 year old trying to get out, and the sensors failed...THEN the doors close "as designed", so try to keep your dominant hand clear! If you buy this car, GOOD LUCK. You're going to need it."

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Not your typical minivan!

By mac_addict32 (CA) on Friday, May 24, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 52,000

Pros: "fun to drive, great features w/o the price,"

Cons: "towing capacity"

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

"We have loved this van. As a man who drives it a lot, I love how it handles more like a semi-sports car than a loose town-car. I've heard some people say it's not as smooth riding but I don't know what they're talking about. It's got very responsive steering and an engine to back it up. We've made several long road trips in it and it travels well. We put about 20k miles a year on our vehicles and it has stood up to the wear and tear. In the VW, you get many of the "upgrades" but without the premium price. I personally like the sporty changes that VW put on the van. The spoiler, different nose, and interior designs are great. All the seats are VERY comfortable. The leather has been extremely durable and I would highly recommend it. There's also a lot of great extra storage space in the floor due to the design from Chrysler but without the stow-and-go seats. We have one with a dual entertainment system and wireless headphones. Our kids love it. If we wanted to, our kids can be watching 2 different movies on the headphones and we can listen to iPod or something up front on a long trip. It also has an AUX input by the rear row that you can plug a game console or iPod into and feed into speakers and/or video screen(s). The touchscreen entertainment system has been great. We love the built in hard drive for loading CD's onto it. We did have an issue with an engine valve spring but it was covered under the warranty. The VW dealership has a technician who is specially trained to work on the Routan. I did wish that it had a bit more towing capacity but even the other vans can't tow that much. One other thing, if you want to use the LATCH in the 3rd row, it will fit 2 car seats and not leave any room left for a third person. We've gone ahead and just used the seat belts and it hasn't been a problem. I would recommend this to anyone in a heartbeat."

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