When news sprung of Volkswagen announcing a new minivan, at the Chicago Auto Show, we were stoked. With the announcement and images, we were a bit disappointed. Now don’t get us wrong, it is a decent offering BUT IT IS NOT A VOLKSWAGEN! The Volkswagen Routan is basically a re-skinned Chrysler Town & Country. It offers nothing in the way of VW but some design aesthetics and badges. It doesn’t even come with the “Swivel ‘n Go seats” which would be reminiscent of the past Volkswagen vans. *VW opted for space savings over the swivel feature.
Being fans of the Touran and Multivan models across the pond, we wanted to compare/contrast them to the Routan and show why we think VW should have brought them over. It will be simple and void of anything economical thinking. We are sure VW is engaging in this partnership for a reason. We hope it’s the right one.
The Touran and Multivan you ask? Das right! BTW, did you see that Routan is spelled similar to Touran. 
*All pictures are clickable for larger viewing. This is a long review so please read on after the jump.
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen stopped bringing the Eurovan T4, to America, in 2003. The T5 is still made and sold across the pond and it has developed into quite a ride. The Eurovan is a love/hate model in America. If you have a history with Volkswagen (Type2, Westfalia, Vanagon , etc.) you are probably a fan of the Eurovan. For America, it was to bland and box-ish and without all the “stuff,” like 13 cup holders… There are numerous models out there as well, like the California with great outdoor/camping features, Pan American, which can cruise across terrain and other pop-top types. This is great for heading to Petit Le Mans!
The Volkswagen Touran is more of a compact MPV. It sits on a longer Golf platform and is only available in Europe and other select markets. It can seat up to 7, like the Routan. There are many different models as well like the awesome Cross Touran and the EcoFuel.
The press release on the Volkswagen Routan is minimal right now. We will try to keep all comparisons equal. As we were writing this, the German Car Blog found a new video on YouTube from Cars.com, comparing the Routan to the Chrysler Town & Country.
The Volkswagen Touran stats were gathered from Volkswagen UK. The Volkswagen Multivan was a combination of VW Australia and VW Germany offerings. *It is a mixture so there may be inconsistencies. We also had to translate German to English.
*The Sharan and Caddy are just not right for America even though they have great features. Caddies are even raced in the Volkswagen Cup.
Features:
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- Conversation Mirror
- Rear seat entertainment system with two 9 inch screens for second and third row, wireless headsets, and remote control
- Dual power sliding doors with power windows
- Touch screen navigation with twenty meg hard drive
- Power lift gate with flood lamp
- Thirteen cup holders
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- ParkAssist - Parallel parks the car for the driver.
- Seats 7 - 2nd row can moved lengthwise and offset diagonally, folded down or removed. 3rd row can be folded into floor
- Power windows — front
- “RCD 300″ radio with MP3 playback feature, 2 x 20 Watt, 4 speakers (more options available)
- Almost 2,000 liters of luggage compartment volume
- 4 cup-holders + 1 storage pocket in all doors for bottles
Volkswagen Multivan: Lots of models worldwide.
- Seats 7
- Unique rail system on floor
- An innovative multifunction table
- A variety of trays and cup holders
- Beautiful interior packages
- Ton of sleeping arrangements
Engines:
This is really where VW dropped the ball! With the Eco/Green minded auto industry, two V6 engines? No Clean Diesel? No TDI branding?
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- 3.8L V6
- 4.0L V6
Volkswagen Touran:
- 1.4 TSI — 140 hp (with a twin-charger)
- 1.6 — 102 hp (76 kW)
- 1.9 TDI — 90 or 105 hp (Diesel)
- 2.0 TDI — 140 hp (Diesel)
- 2.0 TDI — 170 hp (Diesel) (new for summer 2006)
Concepts/others (not UK)
- HyMotion — nickel-metal hybrid battery which produces 80 kW (107 hp)
- Hybrid - 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor in conjunction with a 110 kW (148 hp) petrol engine
- 2.0 CR TDI — 140 hp (Common Rail Diesel) (for 2009-model) Think Tiguan and Audi A4
- 2.0 EcoFuel — 109 hp (CNG)
Volkswagen Multivan:
- 2.5L TDI 128 kW
- 3.2L V6 173kW
Transmissions:
Volkswagen Routan:
- Standard six-speed automatic transmission
Volkswagen Touran:
- 5 or 6-speed manual transmission
- 6 Speed auto DSG
Volkswagen Multivan:
- 4MOTION 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto with Tiptronic
Interior:
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- Seats 7
- cubic inch
- Rear table
- No swivel rear seating
- Hideaway seating
- No slide rails
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- Seats 7
- 500 seating variations and 39 storage compartments
- Fold down seat tables
- No swivel rear seating
Volkswagen Multivan: Lots of models worldwide.
- Seats 7
- cubic inch
- Rear table
- Rear swivel seats
- Lots of storage *model/country varies
- Slide rail system
Lifestyle:
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- This is more a family mover than anything.
- No camping features
- No sleeping features
- Can remove all seats to create an open space. Snore.
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- The Volkswagen Cross Touran would be a better fit (Think Honda Element)
- Would be a great offering for motorsports fans!
- Removal of seats create space
- Bike rack system for interior
Volkswagen Multivan: (Kombi Beach would fit great here.)
- Camping
- Sleeping
- Pop-up tent
- Storage
- Can fit a full Harley Davidson (Multivan Comfortline with “Easy-in-black” package)
- Bike rack system for interior
Final thoughts:
The Routan is a decent offering and will come in cheaper than the Chrysler Town & Country. Will the general public/buyer know it’s really a T&C with subtle Volkswagen changes? We guess if they are told, yes but generally no. I doubt a lot of Volkswagen fans/enthusiast will buy. We have a Honda CR-V. Its great little SUV, has served us well with space and now the kids are growing (2 & 4yrs). The CR-V has 150k miles. It should have a good amount of life left but we need to start thinking about the future. The Routan could have been it.
Volkswagen failed to bring us a true van than held the same soul as the past buses and recent Eurovan’s. Try to find a used Eurovan right now. Not to many and they hold their value quite well!
Volkswagen failed at engine offerings. We think this was a huge loss. In the time of Eco/green thinking, the TDI SHOULD have made it! Period. The TSI would have been spectacular. Yes, we know there are business reasons/choices and stateside manufacturing and meeting US policies. But, the TDI and Clean Diesel is here and meets California laws.
The T&C does have an E85 engine option but hell, who wants to invest in E85? Plus, this would make Clean Diesel a joke and wasted $ on it. Audi’s whole R10 TDI race car is based and marketed to it. The new Audi R8 V12 TDI!
Time will only tell. Just as the Volkswagen Routan was announced, Chrysler jumped right into trouble with their plastics business. Then coming back with this whole badge-manufacturing issue and putting their offerings under one roof. Isn’t the Routan a T&C? Won’t this compete directly against yourself?
If we had to buy in he next year, which we may, it won’t be the Routan. Maybe a Tiguan as it’s a direct competitor to the CR-V. Yes a new CR-V would be a good choice but our driveway needs double dub luv!
When the Routan hits the dealers, we may test drive but will definitely take pics.
What do you think? Post your thoughts!
Also, if you see holes/errors, let us know.
Hope you enjoyed. We may post a huge gallery of all 3 models.
Technorati Tags: 2008 Chicago Auto Show, Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen DSG, Volkswagen Routan, Volkswagen TDI, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen TSI, Volkswagen UK, Volkswagen Touran, Volkswagen Multivan
The Volkswagen Touran is more of a compact MPV. It sits on a longer Golf platform and is only available in Europe and other select markets. It can seat up to 7, like the Routan. There are many different models as well like the awesome Cross Touran and the EcoFuel.
The press release on the Volkswagen Routan is minimal right now. We will try to keep all comparisons equal. As we were writing this, the German Car Blog found a new video on YouTube from Cars.com, comparing the Routan to the Chrysler Town & Country.
The Volkswagen Touran stats were gathered from Volkswagen UK. The Volkswagen Multivan was a combination of VW Australia and VW Germany offerings. *It is a mixture so there may be inconsistencies. We also had to translate German to English.
*The Sharan and Caddy are just not right for America even though they have great features. Caddies are even raced in the Volkswagen Cup.
Features:
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- Conversation Mirror
- Rear seat entertainment system with two 9 inch screens for second and third row, wireless headsets, and remote control
- Dual power sliding doors with power windows
- Touch screen navigation with twenty meg hard drive
- Power lift gate with flood lamp
- Thirteen cup holders
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- ParkAssist - Parallel parks the car for the driver.
- Seats 7 - 2nd row can moved lengthwise and offset diagonally, folded down or removed. 3rd row can be folded into floor
- Power windows — front
- “RCD 300″ radio with MP3 playback feature, 2 x 20 Watt, 4 speakers (more options available)
- Almost 2,000 liters of luggage compartment volume
- 4 cup-holders + 1 storage pocket in all doors for bottles
Volkswagen Multivan: Lots of models worldwide.
- Seats 7
- Unique rail system on floor
- An innovative multifunction table
- A variety of trays and cup holders
- Beautiful interior packages
- Ton of sleeping arrangements
Engines:
This is really where VW dropped the ball! With the Eco/Green minded auto industry, two V6 engines? No Clean Diesel? No TDI branding?
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- 3.8L V6
- 4.0L V6
Volkswagen Touran:
- 1.4 TSI — 140 hp (with a twin-charger)
- 1.6 — 102 hp (76 kW)
- 1.9 TDI — 90 or 105 hp (Diesel)
- 2.0 TDI — 140 hp (Diesel)
- 2.0 TDI — 170 hp (Diesel) (new for summer 2006)
Concepts/others (not UK)
- HyMotion — nickel-metal hybrid battery which produces 80 kW (107 hp)
- Hybrid - 20 kW (27 hp) electric motor in conjunction with a 110 kW (148 hp) petrol engine
- 2.0 CR TDI — 140 hp (Common Rail Diesel) (for 2009-model) Think Tiguan and Audi A4
- 2.0 EcoFuel — 109 hp (CNG)
Volkswagen Multivan:
- 2.5L TDI 128 kW
- 3.2L V6 173kW
Transmissions:
Volkswagen Routan:
- Standard six-speed automatic transmission
Volkswagen Touran:
- 5 or 6-speed manual transmission
- 6 Speed auto DSG
Volkswagen Multivan:
- 4MOTION 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto with Tiptronic
Interior:
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- Seats 7
- cubic inch
- Rear table
- No swivel rear seating
- Hideaway seating
- No slide rails
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- Seats 7
- 500 seating variations and 39 storage compartments
- Fold down seat tables
- No swivel rear seating
Volkswagen Multivan: Lots of models worldwide.
- Seats 7
- cubic inch
- Rear table
- Rear swivel seats
- Lots of storage *model/country varies
- Slide rail system
Lifestyle:
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Routan | Touran | Multivan |
Volkswagen Routan:
- This is more a family mover than anything.
- No camping features
- No sleeping features
- Can remove all seats to create an open space. Snore.
Volkswagen Touran: (S, SE, Sport)
- The Volkswagen Cross Touran would be a better fit (Think Honda Element)
- Would be a great offering for motorsports fans!
- Removal of seats create space
- Bike rack system for interior
Volkswagen Multivan: (Kombi Beach would fit great here.)
- Camping
- Sleeping
- Pop-up tent
- Storage
- Can fit a full Harley Davidson (Multivan Comfortline with “Easy-in-black” package)
- Bike rack system for interior
Final thoughts:
The Routan is a decent offering and will come in cheaper than the Chrysler Town & Country. Will the general public/buyer know it’s really a T&C with subtle Volkswagen changes? We guess if they are told, yes but generally no. I doubt a lot of Volkswagen fans/enthusiast will buy. We have a Honda CR-V. Its great little SUV, has served us well with space and now the kids are growing (2 & 4yrs). The CR-V has 150k miles. It should have a good amount of life left but we need to start thinking about the future. The Routan could have been it.
Volkswagen failed to bring us a true van than held the same soul as the past buses and recent Eurovan’s. Try to find a used Eurovan right now. Not to many and they hold their value quite well!
Volkswagen failed at engine offerings. We think this was a huge loss. In the time of Eco/green thinking, the TDI SHOULD have made it! Period. The TSI would have been spectacular. Yes, we know there are business reasons/choices and stateside manufacturing and meeting US policies. But, the TDI and Clean Diesel is here and meets California laws.
The T&C does have an E85 engine option but hell, who wants to invest in E85? Plus, this would make Clean Diesel a joke and wasted $ on it. Audi’s whole R10 TDI race car is based and marketed to it. The new Audi R8 V12 TDI!
Time will only tell. Just as the Volkswagen Routan was announced, Chrysler jumped right into trouble with their plastics business. Then coming back with this whole badge-manufacturing issue and putting their offerings under one roof. Isn’t the Routan a T&C? Won’t this compete directly against yourself?
If we had to buy in he next year, which we may, it won’t be the Routan. Maybe a Tiguan as it’s a direct competitor to the CR-V. Yes a new CR-V would be a good choice but our driveway needs double dub luv!
When the Routan hits the dealers, we may test drive but will definitely take pics.
What do you think? Post your thoughts!
Also, if you see holes/errors, let us know.
Hope you enjoyed. We may post a huge gallery of all 3 models.
Technorati Tags: 2008 Chicago Auto Show, Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen DSG, Volkswagen Routan, Volkswagen TDI, Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen TSI, Volkswagen UK, Volkswagen Touran, Volkswagen Multivan
Can you please elaborate on your reasoning of why the Sharan and Caddy were not included.
Also don’t forget the LWB, Caddy Maxi Life has been in Europe and is bigger than Sharan.
Sure. I did state that the main reason for not including them were th fact they just are not visually ready for the American demographic. We love em but the general public wouldn’t.
However we did research these, especially the Caddy Maxi Life and Caddy Life Tramper! These would be an excellent choices for Volkswagen to bring over. They offer great versatility and wide range of engines. Great for a family of 4-5.
On top of that, they race them in them!
Thanks for the comments and stopping by.
Why don’t you go for a Dodge Grand Caravan? haha.
Personally, besides the plastics and the “not real vw”, the Routan is a very nice minivan. I would probably buy it before a town and country for sure. VW has a great design team.
@Rob - Ha, ya right. I guess if it’s cheaper I could just buy some VW emblems off eBay and put them on it.
I’m sure it will ba a “nice” minivan but the design cues are minimal to make it seem like a VW.
Volkswagen sucks!! I’m serious, all are useless, ugly, and just terrible in everything! If I were everyone, I’d go with the Toyota Sienna 09!
Wage, Bob, Bob Lancing… Toyota fanboy. Thanks for stopping by. The comment(s) were rather entertaining but come on. Bring us something better than the Sienna to talk about.
Useless, ugly and just terrible… and the Toyota Sienna is better? Ha! We beg to differ.
We will give you the fact that the Volkswagen Routan is a Town & Country but the T&C does get nice reviews.