Thoughts on 2010 VW Routan (Chrysler GC)

[volvos_rock]

So my wife informs me in early Oct that little #3 is in the oven

, and I had just bought her the 2009 Volvo S80, Dec 10. Now a 5 seater sedan is fine for 4 of us but is not going to cut it for 5 of us, and the needed gear. So decided to trade the S80, start looking at 7 passenger Volvo XC90s, CPO cars of course. Come to find that they have a fatal flaw, for our nine year old to get to the third row, with two infant/toddler seats, she will have to climb over the folded center of the second row

, come to find that all seven pass SUVs, with the exception of the largest, GM and Ford offerings, all have this flaw.... So start looking at alternatives. We have friends who own a VW dealer so naturally look at the Routan. My wife and I are as anti minivan as it gets, but it impresses us. Do some research and find it is a rebranded Dodge, not my favorite, but we purchase it anyway.

 

[volvos_rock]

sorry posted, prematurely, by accident....

After almost three months of ownership, the VW is a nice vehicle and was less expensive than the Chrysler version (apparently due to lack of interest, low sales). It rides and drives well, there are a few quirks with it, the brakes are under sized, and the rotors get eaten (warp due to overheating) quickly, but they are covered by VW without question up to 25k miles IIRC. I have never driven a van of any kind before, and I will say that it is an extremely functional vehicle, the dogs love the fact that they can walk around, the kids love the rear seat entertainment system and I have made enough appearence mods to keep me happy with a van. The only thing I miss from the Volvo's is the moonroof. The upside is I got to keep the S80 and we traded our 02 V70XC, although I was torn, with that decision to, but it is nice to have the exec type car as my DD and for when we want to go out w/out the kids. So bottom line, IMHO, is the VW or it's Chrysler counterpart is worth a look.

 

[The_Jeff]

Even if one doesn't like Mopar in general you could concede they make a darn fine van.

Couldn't the 9 year old access the rear through the sliding door, ducking under the annoying shoulder belt of the 2nd row? What if you got something with a rear/ middle bench seat and put the rear facing infant seat in the middle with all three kids in one row?

I have 2 kids and 4 cars and logistics of such are a challenge for me as well. I'm okay trading every year as my needs change, but most people have to consider growth as well.

 

[AuthorEditor]

How's the gas mileage? Are you saying you go through rotors every 25K miles? That seems rather short.

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: volvos_rock
sorry posted, prematurely, by accident....


I laughed!!!!

- Vikas

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
How's the gas mileage? Are you saying you go through rotors every 25K miles? That seems rather short.


That's not unusual for a 5th generation Mopar minivan. Chrysler has a TSB for brakes, and is offering some form of an extended warranty for front brakes as I recall.

 

[volvos_rock]

Thought someone may find that funny...., the seating issue is with the 7 pass SUVs, not the van. The front rotors were replaced at 18k miles. The gas mileage is not very exciting, by the dash we are getting around 16.5 MPG, mixed.

 

[JTK]

~16mpg does seem low, but it is wonderful wintertime.

Is this the old-school pushrod V6, but with the 6spd auto? I would have thought it would do better fuel mileage wise.

Regardless, they've all got quirks here and there. Thankfully you don't hear of the transmission issues anymore.. then again, it's probably because that effects pretty much everything now.

They're the ultimate family vehicle. I know we tried to keep the SUV route years ago and it wasn't easy with 5 of us. I wouldn't even try it now with 6.

Joel

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: JTK
~16mpg does seem low, but it is wonderful wintertime.

Is this the old-school pushrod V6, but with the 6spd auto? I would have thought it would do better fuel mileage wise.


The Routan probably has the 4.0L SOHC V-6, though the 3.8L OHV V-6 was also available. They're not dramatically different as far as fuel economy, 17/20/25 for the 4.0L and 16/18/23 for the 3.8L.

Both come with the 6-speed 62TE transmission, which is supposed to be a better unit than the 4-speed 41TE was. We had two 41TEs (an '03 and an '07) and didn't have any trouble out of either, though neither shifted with much grace or confidence. The '07 was much better than the '03, but you still had to "drive around" some of the weak points (like a CLUNK into 3rd if at idle, or a bump shift into 1st if stopping too quickly). It'd also get confused if you changed throttle position when it was about to shift. Reliability-wise, they were good, but there was much to be desired in the refinement/programming area.

 

[volvos_rock]

It is the 3.8 with the 6 speed as HF stated. Still has the occasional downshift bump into first. It shifts as smooth as the Volvo, with a few exceptions. And there are 4 big clunky, heavy snow tires on it (hankook Ipikes). IIRC the MPGs were up to 17.5 - 18.5 or so with the summer set up.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: volvos_rock
It is the 3.8 with the 6 speed as HF stated. Still has the occasional downshift bump into first. It shifts as smooth as the Volvo, with a few exceptions. And there are 4 big clunky, heavy snow tires on it (hankook Ipikes). IIRC the MPGs were up to 17.5 - 18.5 or so with the summer set up.


That sounds just about right. With our '07 T&C with the 3.8/41TE, we'd get 16-18 in town and between 22-25 on the road. In NC, our worst economy comes in the summer, because of the extremely humid summer and moderate winters. The A/C on the van draws fuel economy down more than any other vehicle I've owned...it's just a large space to air condition. Our worst tank ever was a 14.5 mpg...and it was in July as I recall, and mostly around town driving. I think our best tank was a 26 mpg, and that was actually the very first tank. We bought it in Virginia and drove it back to North Carolina on a mild June evening...no A/C use and relatively warm temperatures.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: volvos_rock
It is the 3.8 with the 6 speed as HF stated.


Have you had it on any extended highway runs? I'm just curious of the MPG numbers in that situation.

I know our 2008 Odyssey is somewhat horrible for it's day/day use, getting 19mpg tops. However for steady highway, it will do mid 20's easily.

Our old 2001 Windstar with 3.8L & 4spd auto was the same for day to day use (around 19mpg), but highway use was about the same. Maybe 21mpg tops.

Joel

 

[volvos_rock]

No, unfortunately we do not do alot of highway driving, we live in a rural area and most is back roads. The PA farm show will be coming up, that'll give me a reason to do a longer run on the highway.