Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Volkswagen Routan

The Volkswagen Routan's "German Engineering" ad campaign has provided plenty of irony-laced comedic fodder for the Autoblog water-cooler, and VW's own press release doesn't help, heralding the Routan as "a stylish alternative to the minivan." An alternative to what?

In a perfect world, VW would have revolutionized the moribund minivan segment with a production version of the 2001 Microbus concept, thereby capitalizing on V-Dub's cheeky heritage in the same way the new Beetle did in the late '90s, and perpetuated by other vehicles like the MINI Cooper and Fiat 500 today.

Thankfully, all is not lost. According to VW's Product Planning Manager, Bret Scott, "We would never say 'no' to the possibility of a Microbus revival." But in the meantime, we have to make due with this: the 2009 Volkswagen Routan, a reworked Chrysler Town & Country that VW execs call (with a straight face) "The Beetle of minivans."


Photos Copyright ©2008 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

Volkswagen typically shies away from massive rebates, but tough sledding on the sales floor had led the German automaker to take drastic measures. All 2008 models can be had with 0% financing for a limited time, which should help VW dealers clear inventory before the '09 models arrive. The 0% deals vary in duration depending on the model, with most models receiving the special financing for 60 months. You can even get a GTI interest free for five years.

Almost every automaker is breaking the bank with incentives to keep declining sales and increased inventories in check. VW is one of the few automakers that fared fairly well in August sales, so something as drastic as 0% financing is a bit of a surprise. Given that the competition is doing it, though, the German automaker may just be keeping up with the Joneses. Thanks for the tip, Jay!

[Source: Volkswagen]

The Chicago Auto Show wasn't that eventful, but that's what we lead off Autoblog Podcast episode #87 with. The Challenger was the biggest deal, followed by the Denali XT, and then a bunch of inconsequential things. We did find ourselves talking about the Suzuki Equator and the Ford Transit Connect, too. We give you our first up close and personal impressions of the Challenger SRT-8 in this podcast. We also saw the VW Routan, which certainly doesn't conjure warm, fuzzy memories of Type IIs gone by. Chevy's Traverse calls into question the usefulness of Saturn's Outlook in the product lineup. Speaking of GM badge-engineering, we got word this week that Pontiac will not be getting a Trans Am companion to the Camaro, dang. Another disappointment is the rumor that Cerberus is going to let the Viper run down without rewinding the clock for a third generation. We wrap up by touching on the possibility that an Indian pickup could be the first diesel hybrid in the US, even though it's not even being imported yet, and we're sure that when it gets here, it'll generate even more hate than the new Acura RL. 42 minutes, that's it. Sorry it's a little late this week, it's all Alex's fault, I swear.

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click above to view more high-res pics of the VW Routan

Fumbling out of the "why bother" category here at the Chicago Auto Show is the 2009 Volkswagen Routan, which is their new minivan based on the Chrysler Town and Country and Dodge Caravan platform. Oddly, Volkswagen opened up its presentation by showing pics and videos of its classic vehicles, such as the old Beetle and the old-style rear-engined vans. What's odd is that those classics share absolutely no heritage with the new Chrysler minivan-based Routan. Why conjure up favorable memories of the old VW van before letting us down with this new one?

Moving on to better things, the new van does have a pretty attractive face, more attractive than the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, at least. Standard features are many, including traction and stability controls, a 6-speed automatic transmission and Chrysler's 3.8L V6, though a 4.0L V6 producing 251 hp is also available. The interior is nicer in the Routan than in its Chrysler counterparts, though that's not necessarily saying much. We'll reserve final judgment until we get a chance to live with it, though.

Volkswagen believes that it has struck a better ride and handling compromise on the Routan than Chrysler was able to achieve with either of its vans, which is a bit like biting the hands that feeds you. Nothing on the Routan is all that bad, so we think that any potential minivan customer will consider it. What it will cost is unknown, but VW said the Routan will start around $25,000. We still question whether this is the best that Volkswagen could do with such a great history of vans to draw upon. As we see it, all this vehicle does is give VW dealers a vehicle to sell to large families.

Click above for high-res gallery of the Volkswagen Routan.

Well, thanks to the German pub Autobild you can now see the collaborative efforts of Chrysler and Volkswagen in the form of the VW Routan. Unfortunately, the V-Dub van hardly harkens back to the time of the mini-bus, as everything between the A- and D-pillar is a dead ringer for the Chrysler/Dodge on which it's built. The new front fascia is attractive enough, with swooping headlamps, well-proportioned air dams and a chrome grille fitted with the VW logo, while the rear benefits from a similar tail lamp design as seen on the Touareg and Golf.

Power comes courtesy of a 3.6-liter V6, with 197 hp and 230 lb.-ft. of torque routed through a six-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can upgrade what's under the hood with a 4.0-liter V6 producing 251 hp and 259 lb.-ft. of torque. Traction control and ESP will be standard, along with dual power sliding doors, power windows and thirteen (13!) cupholders. Some of the options include a touch screen nav with a 20 gig hard-drive, power lift gate and a rear seat entertainment system with two, nine-inch screens.

Volkswagen plans to price the base Routan below the $25,000 mark and sales are expected to begin later this year.

Volkswagen's press release is available in full after the jump.

Priddy and Company stumbled across a dolled up VW Routan and managed to capture a shot. Earth shattering revelation here: it looks like a Grand Caravan. It'd be natural to assume some similarities, there's only so much you can do to the basic body shell when badge engineering, but when the spy photogs almost pass it right by, that says something. The boys in the camoflage department deserve a little something extra in their envelope this week, because there aren't too many clues as to what the undisguised version will look like (besides, say, a Chrysler minivan.)

The most noticeable element that we can discern are taillights that are subtly reshaped and have different lenses. It might just be the angle, but it's possible that the rear quarter windows and back hatch are reshaped, as well. It almost looks like there's a little more rake in the aft pillars and you can be sure that the bumper and back hatch have been redone. Ever since a '74 Kombi stole my heart, I've been waiting for a new Microbus, especially with Volkswagen's penchant for the retro. We'll wait until Chicago to pass final judgement, and give props to Chrysler for finding someone to take some of their production volume and keep the lines rolling.

[Source: Jalopnik, Photo: Brenda Priddy & Co.]