- minivan 118,119
- Middletown, OH
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- autoshopper.com
- minivan 118,119 gasoline red automatic
2009 volkswagen routan review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. Chrysler-based minivan joins vw lineup. introductionthe new volkswagen routan is a minivan, its first in six years. Vw's last effort in this market, the eurovan, was panned in the u. This time, volkswagen has turned to chrysler. The seven-passenger routan is basically a chrysler town & country with a different interior, a volkswagen exterior, and revised suspension settings. the 2009 volkswagen routan lacks the seating features that make chrysler minivans unique, the stow 'n go and the swivel 'n go seating arrangements. The reason: the routan has the underfloor storage areas that come with stow 'n go, but volkswagen opted to make the second-row seats thicker and more comfortable, so they won't fit in the storage bins. The third-row seats fold into the floor, and the second-row seats can be removed to create a flat load floor that is big enough for 4' x 8' sheets of plywood. When the third-row seats are up, there is a handy well behind them that's great for groceries. the routan is offered with two engines, the chrysler 3. 8-liter v6 and the chrysler 4. 0-liter v6. Handling, however, is somewhat cumbersome. The ride is pleasant enough, ironing out most bumps, but it can feel a bit top heavy at highway speeds. In short, it is not as pleasant to pilot as the honda odyssey, toyota sienna, and nissan quest are. entertainment features will keep the kids' attention, however. Video game systems can be plugged in, and each screen can show something different, including the front navigation screen. Also offered is vw's joybox hard-drive radio. It has a 30-gigabyte hard drive that can hold thousands of song and picture files. the routan is priced about a thousand dollars more model for the model than the chrysler town & country. It has a much nicer interior than the chrysler, but lacks the chrysler's innovative seating features. Like the chrysler, the routan is a great rolling living room for families. lineupthe 2009 volkswagen routan is offered in three models, s, se, and sel. The s and se models come with a 197-hp 3. 8-liter v6 and a six-speed automatic transmission. The sel comes with a 253-hp 4. 0-liter v6 with six-speed automatic. When ordered with the rear-seat entertainment package, the s 27,300) and includes the dvd entertainment system with a single screen, one year of sirius satellite radio, a bluetooth wireless cell phone link, three-zone manual climate control, am/fm/cd/dvd/mp3 sound system with a six-disc cd changer, automatic headlights, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. Also offered for the s model are trim pack 1 785) with black roof rails and a trailer towing harness, and alloy wheels 450). routan se 29,600) adds three-zone manual climate control, six-disc cd changer, eight-way power adjustable driver's seat with lumbar adjustment, lumbar adjustment for front passenger seat, second-row captain's chairs, power side doors, overhead storage system, steering wheel audio controls, second- and third-row sunshades, universal garage door opener, security alarm, and p225/65r17 tires on alloy wheels. The se with rear-seat entertainment 32,700) comes with dual dvd entertainment screens for rear-seat passengers, one year of sirius satellite radio, am/fm/cd/dvd/mp3 sound system, usb connection, auto-dimming rearview mirror, bluetooth wireless cell phone link, rearview camera, power liftgate, and automatic headlights. Trim pack 2 1985) includes a sunroof, power adjustable pedals, towing prep, and black roof rails. A climate package 445) adds heated front seats and remote engine starting. routan sel 33,200) gets leather upholstery, three-zone automatic climate control, interior air filter, power rear liftgate, auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated first and second-row seats, power adjustable pedals, high-line front floor console with adjustable storage, and a bluetooth hands-free cell phone link. The sel with rear-seat entertainment 36,300) includes dual rear-seat dvd entertainment, one year of sirius satellite radio, a usb port, and a rear backup camera. Two option packages are offered for sel: trim pack 3 2325) includes a sunroof, power adjustable pedals, power-folding third-row seat, remote engine starting, towing prep, and black roof rails. The navigation package 2475) includes a navigation system with touchscreen, usb connection, joybox 30-gigabyte hard-drive, one year of sirius satellite radio, and a rear backup camera. routan sel premium 38,400) includes high-intensity discharge headlights, chrome mirrors and door handles, auto-dimming exterior mirrors, premium driver information center, sunroof, fog lamps, power adjustable pedals, remote engine starting, 506-watt nine-speaker sound system, power folding third-row seats, eight-way power front seats, memory for the driver's seat and pedals, 115-volt power outlet, and rear park assist. The sel premium can be ordered with an entertainment package 2725) that includes rear dvd entertainment with dual rear screens, joybox 30-gigabyte hard drive, one year of sirius satellite radio, usb port, and a rearview camera. A navigation package 2475) adds a navigation system with touchscreen, usb port, joybox 30-gigabyte hard-drive, one year of sirius satellite radio, and a rearview camera. An entertainment and navigation package 4500) combines equipment from both packages. The towing prep package 600) includes a load-leveling suspension. safety equipment includes dual-stage front airbags, head-protecting curtain side airbags, tire-pressure monitor, abs with brake assist, traction control, and electronic stability control. Optional safety features include rear park assist and a rearview camera. walkaroundvolkswagen routan uses the same architecture and some of the same body panels as the chrysler town & country and dodge grand caravan. It's a large vehicle, but it's about the same size as several competitors, including the nissan quest, honda odyssey, and toyota sienna. Cargo room is comparable. the boxy main body is the same as the town & country's, but the routan has vw styling from the front pillars forward. The grille is unmistakably volkswagen, resembling that of the new tiguan compact suv. The tailgate is also a vw design, with the main element being the vw logo placed dead center. base models have manual sliding doors on both sides while higher line models have power sliding doors. The top-line sel model has a power rear liftgate. On no model does the rear glass open separately. routan comes standard with 16-inch wheels; 17-inch wheels are standard on se and sel. interiorthe routan's greatest advantage over the town & country is the quality of the interior materials. The routan also takes advantage of most of the t&c's thoughtful entertainment features, but lacks the innovative seating options that give the chrysler a considerable advantage in the minivan class. where hard plastic dominates the dash and doors of the town & country, the routan has nicely padded door armrests and a quality soft-touch upper dash. It's not all luxury level, though. The lower dash is hard plastic and the trim piece that bisects the dash is thin plastic. On one model we drove, this piece didn't fit well either. Joybox is also offered in two versions, one with a navigation system and one without. Both include a touchscreen, and both versions have a 30-gigabyte hard drive that holds music and picture files. Those files can be ripped from a cd or downloaded from a thumb drive plugged into the vehicle's usb outlet. When the navigation system is ordered, the hard drive also holds navigation map information. The navigation system has voice activation, and comes with one year of sirius satellite radio. routan's controls are easy to use, though those on the right of the radio or touchscreen can be a bit of a reach for the driver. The climate controls are located below the radio, and they're self explanatory. The gearshift is mounted between the radio and the instrument panel. It's easy to reach, leaves plenty of room for other controls, and includes an electronic gear readout in the instrument cluster. room up front is plentiful. There is plenty of head room, and leg room will only be lacking for the tallest drivers. The front captain's chairs provide an upright driving position with an suv-like view of the road. A tilt steering wheel and available adjustable pedals should help most drivers tailor a comfortable seating position, but some might prefer a telescoping steering wheel to bring the wheel closer to the driver. when it comes to storage, the routan has two glove boxes and some cubbies in the center stack for small items storage. A total of 13 cupholders are.
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