# Routan, is it VW quality?



## MRP2001GTi (Oct 6, 2000)

There seems to be a lot of dogging of the Routan for not being a “VW’ on the Tex so I wanted to add this tidbit. Our Routan was dropped off late on Friday for its first service and to have the fog lights activated. It wasn’t done by Friday afternoon so they gave us a brand new Jetta to drive. It was interesting to put some time in behind the wheel of this “real VW”. We made a little trip this weekend that involved highway miles, and some fun twisty action on the Ortega Freeway so we were able to give the little Jetta a true test ride. Its ashamed you cant do this for every car as a test drive but anyway. 
The car, I am sure this is a base model Jetta which used to be called the GL (probably still is). It had a 2.5 liter engine with an automatic, hub caps, no tint, and an AM-FM-CD radio. It had 11,000 miles on it and typical to any rental/loaner car they were probably a rough 11,000 miles. 
First the good, the 2.5 liter engine coupled to the auto tranny made for a fun zippy little power combo. Its no race car but power is more than adequate and is hands down a 300% increase in fun over the old 2.0/auto combo. This engine would be a lot of fun with a manual transmission. The four wheel independent suspension feels good in the corners when driven hard. The brakes are more than adequate for this car and at no time did it feel under-braked. The base model seats actually felt pretty good and had decent lateral support as well as highway comfort. The trunk is a good size and got props from the wife when she went shopping. The remote works from what seems like a mile away (improvement over my three MK4s). Visibility out of the car seemed good with no large blind spots. 
Now the bad. If someone were to blindfold me and put me in a MK5 that has been de-badged then removed the blindfold I would swear I was sitting in one of the lower end Asian imports. The car just has a cheap feel to it. The controls do not “feel” German (I have owned 2 MK1s, 2 MK2s, 3 MKIIIs, and 3 MK4s) at all. The center console layout looks bad, again it “looks” cheap. The controls stalks on the steering wheel are completely blocked by the steering wheel itself for both me and my wife (I’m 5’11” she is 4’11”) so that has to pretty much makes them unreadable for 90% of the population. Once you are able to see them the identification marking on them are confusing and not easily understandable. The radio volume control was a touch annoying because one click on the knob was to low and the next click was to high. Why this incremental adjustment? I hate that in new cars. The fit and finish of the plastic trim was bad for a VW. The gaps on the panels were not even and things didn’t line up perfectly. The car feels 1000lbs lighter than my MK4s and this is a good thing performance wise but adds to the “cheesy” feeling to the car. OK and here is the epic fail. LOL No cup holders in the back, not a single one (why four cup holders in the front?). My daughter and son brought some home work along to do on the trip and had no where to put their water-bottles. Also the cars squirrelly ride on the freeway made it pretty much impossible for them to read or write. 
The car is “zippy” and fun to drive but sadly it seems like VW has settled to compete with the “Corolla” class of Asian cars. The MK4 Jetta was something “between” the Corolla and Camry which was something you couldn’t get from the Asian imports. I was really looking forward to trying this platform out since I have owned at least one of all the previous platforms. Its an ok car but I am glad I skipped the MK5. The MK4 other than some reliability issues was a much better car in my opinion. If this is the current “VW build quality” then the Routan is above and beyond this in many ways. My daughter asked just this morning when I dropped her off at school “when do we get our Routan back?” I laughed to myself thinking about how I felt after a weekend in a “real VW” and said “today”, she smiled and said “cool”.



_Modified by MRP2001GTi at 9:00 AM 6-1-2009_


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (MRP2001GTi)*


_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_ My daughter asked just this morning when I dropped her off at school “when do we get our Routan back?” I laughed to myself thinking about how I felt after a weekend in a “real VW” and said “today”, she smiled and said “cool”.


Very Honest Write up! and i too had the same feel with the Jetta, i had a mk4 Golf and the mk5, even to this day, does not impress me.


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## [email protected] (Aug 29, 2008)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (redzone98)*


_Quote, originally posted by *redzone98* »_
Very Honest Write up! and i too had the same feel with the Jetta, i had a mk4 Golf and the mk5, even to this day, does not impress me.


To each their own, I am on my second MKV and I came from a 07 328i. The MKV was a huge leap on the base end as far as interior if you go from a 05 GL Jetta to a 09 VW Jetta Base (Mike, the GL/GLS/GLX names were done away with when the MKV was introduced) the cloth feels much better on the 09 base from the flat cloth of the 05 GL and there are some features I do like from the MKIV that did not make it to the MKV (the base radio is one of them), but at the end of the day we sell a larger, more powerful and more expensive car to make at the same price as we sold them for in 2005 (MSRP of a 05 Jetta GL was $19,090 with auto trans, 09 Base starts at the same price) so there have been a few measures to save cost along the way but if you step into some of the competition and actually drive it, that is where we keep our advantage. Its the NCS (MKV replacement for the Jetta) I am a bit scared of but I hope VW will keep with its promise to deliver a car that has the german feel at a lower entrance price than the current Jetta.


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## papa_vw (Oct 17, 2005)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? ([email protected])*

I'm pretty happy with my 04 Passat GLX but if for some reason I had to buy a new car, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI would probably be it. From the standpoint of features and price, it's a great car and definitely far ahead of most of the other cars in it's class. http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif
I got nothing against the Routan either. Matter of fact, I expect it will do well in the upcoming consumer guides. JD Powers recently rated the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan the best in the minivan class so that isn't bad DNA for the Routan to come from. 


_Modified by papa_vw at 8:07 PM 6-1-2009_


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (papa_vw)*

Ive Noticed a few nuances that I might bring to my dealers attention on my 6K Oil change / Celebration
power steering pump noise at 1500-1800 rpm
side doors have been squeaking when opening / closing
ripped door latch gasket 
a bunch of dust / dirt in the paint on the bottom edge of the rear hatch (they will not do anything about this, but it could be a problem in the future)
a deep 5mm chip in the paint caused when assembling the front bumper. looks like it was done with an assembly tool. (again, (they will not do anything about this, but it could be a problem in the future)
just an observation, I've noticed that some of interior plastic panels (center console, left side door panel) have casting marks that are still attached, you can just scratch these off with some 220 sandpaper.


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## Whataguy (Sep 5, 2003)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (redzone98)*

Hi Guys. 
Thought I would add my impression of a new Routan after 2 weeks. I bought the entry-level trendline here in Canada - that includes 4.0 and 6 speed standard and some minor other differences from the entry level USA model IE trizone A/C standard (manual) is included. We also have 4 years warranty - a trade-off for the maintenance not being covered.
Price was CAN$32,000 including a $500 discount, including trailer towing ($700) and 6 discs REQ DVD system ($1800) with one monitor - no front MyGig - not available as an option with trendline, but can be added later. Added a OEM hitch, mud flaps, and fog lights. 
Our family is branded to VW - we have owned a GTI, Jetta and Rabbit. My mother has a new beetle, and my brother owned a Touareg. 
When I saw the Routan in the showroom in October 2008 I was disappointed and walked away. It looked too much like the Caravan, mostly up front inside. 
But now I have a family and when I was looking for a van, I wanted a value because I was buying it and I wanted a low payment. I test drove the Dodge Caravan. When I was there, I asked myself what I was doing. Both the Grand Caravan and VW Trendline was priced the exact same - $32,000. Not including the 0% financing at each location. I started thinking, maybe I should look back at the Routan again. I purposely did not go to Honda or Toyota because I wanted to buy a value and have a low payment - and you will pay a premium for the Odyssey and Sienna. But I was familiar with those products - I know consumerreports.org love them. My father also owns a Honda Odyssey XLT loaded with leather and sunroof - nice, but was not appealing now even though I helped him pick it out in 2006. Likely unappealing more so because, for his options I would have to pay too much.
I was weighing the Caravan's MyGig multimedia and Stow and Go, against the Trendline which did not have those bells for that price. But the Trendline had the 4.0 250HP, 6 speed auto (vs the 3.3 170 HP and 4 speed) , tuned suspension, nicer trim interior and exterior, and extra year warranty.
I called an aquaintaince I knew who used to sell Ferrarai and Porsche in South Sydney Australia for 20 years. He had just bought a Rabbit. He confirmed what I needed to know.
The product is a hybrid. Simple as that - it is not a VW. We all know that. For those VW aficcionados who feel a little betrayed, I hear you as I felt that way too. But I was in the market looking for a van, and it was the lesser of two evils.
After driving for two weeks, it was the best decision. What a driving machine, for a van. The suspension is stiff, solid - like one would expect with VW - it is truly VW tuned. It is powerful and the suspension is awesome - it seamlessly moves through the gears. The interior trim is markedly better than the Dodge/Chrsyler products, even for the entry level trendline. 
Some warts of Chrsyler have shown up, like the fact there were some left over teeth-like projections from poor cut plastic molding around the seat that were shaffing the fabric (that I shaved off), the carpet looks a little thin, you see wheel-well robot rivets, and the paint job doesn't continue perfectly deep inside the sliding doors... maybe minor - but not VWish. Despite the sticker in door saying "Made by Chrysler" - this machine turned out 80% VW genes. 
The product was much better than the compeition for the same price. As everyone has been accurately saying, it is a go-between for VW. But it represents the best choice. We really like it. 
I think the higher trim levels appears to be more VW-ish and must be beautiful for those of you who are enjoying them. What I also notice, is a lot of people still dont know VW is making it, and dont know that Chrysler is in on a project with VW. That will change. I understand car rentals agencies across Canada are now ordering Routans - 50 are slated for this region.
And my father says he likes it too, and may get one when he gets back in September and his Odyssey goes off lease.


_Modified by Whataguy at 1:32 AM 6-15-2009_


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## ntotrr (Aug 5, 2009)

I just purchased a 2009 Routan SE and picked it up yesterday. It was time to give up the 2003 Sedona. Over 100,000 fairly trouble-free miles. With the 0 % financing and big discounts, the Routan was an attractive option. 
I first checked the Chrysler Town & Country. I liked the van but the stow and go seating made for small and not very supportive second row seats. I could live with it but my wife preferred the swivel seat option but no dealers had any van in stock with that option. Although I liked the van, I wasn't high on the hard plastic dashboard and door surfaces.
Knowing that the Routan was a Chrysler, I figured that it was worth checking now that I got up close with a Town & Country and have a direct comparison to make. I was impressed with the details in the Routan. The interior materials are much better, down to the thicker carpet. The softer dash was a high point for me. Add to that the lack of stow and go for the second row and I was sold. The second row seats are very firm. The front seats also feel firmer than the Town & Country. I opted for a cloth interior over leather this time around. I even like the funky fabric pattern.
The ride is very impressive for a minivan. Very tight, it doesn't float. I was speaking to the service manager who told me about an event VW held for them at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. They provided Routans and other makes of minivans for them to drive on slaloms, quarter miles, test braking, etc. He remarked how in a panic stop, the Twon & Country took a heavy nose dive while the Routans didn't. The tuning VW did maked a difference. This certainly doesn't drive like any other minivan I've driven.
Yes, the Routan isn't a true VW. But Chrysler does make a good van and with VW adding some improvements, it makes a good van even better. Oh yeah, the VW dealer offerred a much better price for a comparably equipped van than the Chrysler dealer. Perhaps it helped that I also bought a 2006 Jetta and 2008 EOS from them a little over a year ago. They treat me good.


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## cscsc (Jun 14, 2009)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (MRP2001GTi)*

Interesting discussion. I thought I'd add some perspective from the Chrysler Owner side, as we have owned an '89 Dodge Caraven LE and a '99 Chrysler T&C Ltd, but never a VW of any type.
We decided at the beginning of the year to replace our T&C, not because it was worn out, but because the deals were so good on the new ones. During the Washington's Birthday weekend, a $4500. rebate was available PLUS 0% for 48 months, as well as dealer discounts and $1500. off the 2-screen video system. We decided we had to have the 4.0L engine, as our 3.8L was a gas hog. So, we looked and were disappointed in the square design and the look and feel of the leather. Then, in March, the dealers began to receive the 25th Anniversary models which had some nice features standard, and had perforated leather, which was nicer, but the dark slate seats had contrasting light gray stitching - kind of tacky, so we passed, again.
Then, I came across an article about the Routan and in May, we drove a Chrysler, Dodge and the Routan on the same day, over the same course. We were sold. The Routan handled and cornered better without giving up much in the van ride department. So here's our list of differnces between the Routan SEL/RSE and the Mopar 25th Ann. twins.
The VW gets:
1. Better front and rear looks [subjective].
2. Better interior looks [also subjective].
3. Higher Quality leather.
4. 2nd Row Seats for real people [if you don't absolutely need stow 'n' go].
5. Automatic Climate Control with Air Filter.
6. 3-yr free mtce.
The Mopars have:
1. Passenger Power Seat.
2. Roof Rack.
3. Fog Lights.
4. 115V AC Outlet
5. Enhanced Vehicle Information System.
6. Lifetime Powertrain Warranty.
7. Overhead Surround Ambient Lighting.
I think some of these items, the first three at least, should have been included in an SEL, but it still didn't change my mind. The Premium Package for the SEL is expensive and adds things I don't want or need, like the sunroof and third row power seat. If I've forgotten anything I'm sure the comparison will be updated.



_Modified by cscsc at 4:51 AM 8-5-2009_


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## AzBarber (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (Whataguy)*

You can get a 6 speed manual tranny in a Routan in Canada?
Arg!







































































Az


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (AzBarber)*


_Quote, originally posted by *AzBarber* »_You can get a 6 speed manual tranny in a Routan in Canada?
Az


Why do you want a 6 speed Manual, In a MINI van ???


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## AzBarber (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (redzone98)*


_Quote, originally posted by *redzone98* »_

Why do you want a 6 speed Manual, In a MINI van ???

It's cheaper, by about $1000
It requires less maintenance
The maintenance is less expensive
Far more efficiency 2-7mpg is typical
Far more reliable
Far more control
Lighter
Do I need to keep going? Not to mention the fact that Dodge autoboxes are prone to failure... almost as bad as VWs.
I'm not saying everyone needs to drive one, I just want the option. It's available in Canada, why not the US?
Az


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## routancan (Aug 8, 2009)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (AzBarber)*

I think whataguy was trying to say was that the 4.0L and six speed auto come as standard equipment in Canada. A six speed manual is not offered to my knowledge in the Great White North.


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## AzBarber (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (routancan)*


_Quote, originally posted by *routancan* »_I think whataguy was trying to say was that the 4.0L and six speed auto come as standard equipment in Canada. A six speed manual is not offered to my knowledge in the Great White North. 

Just reread it, and I think you're right. I just got excited because I drove a Caravan in Europe several years ago that was CDI and 6 speed manual tranny. That thing got 36-37mpg no matter how you drove it and had enormous amounts of torque. It was awesome.
Az


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## Unilateral Phase Detractor (Aug 23, 2005)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (MRP2001GTi)*

So I generally like the Routan but I'm gonna have to disagree about a couple things on your Jetta review









_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
Visibility out of the car seemed good with no large blind spots. 


Compared to a minivan the visibility of the Jetta is good but compared to most other cars I've driven it's not. My fiancees Ford Escape is like driving a fishbowl by compairison. 

_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
The radio volume control was a touch annoying because one click on the knob was to low and the next click was to high. Why this incremental adjustment? 

I'll have to agree here, that is very annoying. 

_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
The fit and finish of the plastic trim was bad for a VW. The gaps on the panels were not even and things didn’t line up perfectly.


It's true that its not a MkIV but then again the interior isn't having as many problems with peeling trim like that car did. OTOH, try this experiment: Knock on the dash of a Jetta and see how solid it sounds. Now try knocking on the dash of the Routan. Hear that hollow sound? I realize it's not a big deal but it kind of speaks about the attention to detail that's missing. Also the dash may have been taken apart at some point and I know when the dealer did that to my dash it never went back looking the same as before. 

_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
OK and here is the epic fail. LOL No cup holders in the back, not a single one (why four cup holders in the front?). My daughter and son brought some home work along to do on the trip and had no where to put their water-bottles.


Actually the back seat map pockets have an integrated bottle holder. In your case though, the entry level trim doesn't have the center armrest with the cupholder like most Jettas do. 

_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
Also the cars squirrelly ride on the freeway made it pretty much impossible for them to read or write. 


I find the ride very well controled and anything but squirrely, perhaps the tires were overinflated?

_Quote, originally posted by *MRP2001GTi* »_
The MK4 other than some reliability issues was a much better car in my opinion. 


I'm of the mind that I'd rather have car with a dash that isn't quite as strokable if it means the windows don't fall into the doors, the coilpacks don't fail, and the check engine light isn't on constantly. But I can understand a true enthusiast being able to overlook those faults.
If I needed a minivan I'd definitely take a look at the Routan. But from everything I've experienced it's not quite the same as a VW built VW.


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## redzone98 (Jun 10, 2004)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (AzBarber)*


_Quote, originally posted by *AzBarber* »_
It's cheaper, by about $1000
It requires less maintenance
The maintenance is less expensive
Far more efficiency 2-7mpg is typical
Far more reliable
Far more control
Lighter
Do I need to keep going? 
Az

sure, dont get me wrong, ever VW i have ever owned has been a manual... but your talking about a minivan here! I just could not imagine banging gears when your kid has a sippy-cup in his hands.... "hold on little johnny daddy has to bring up the revs to i dont grind going into 4th."


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## 6910sb (Aug 20, 2009)

*Re: Routan, is it VW quality? (redzone98)*


_Quote, originally posted by *redzone98* »_Why do you want a 6 speed Manual, In a MINI van ???

HA HA, I thought that a millisecond before I read your post.






















He makes valid points, it just doesn't seem right.


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## Iwinandrew (Oct 30, 2018)

Absolutely not. It is just a Chrysler with a VW badge.


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