The 2008 Chicago Auto Show
The 2009 Volkswagen Routan minivan was officially unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show on February 6th, 2008. Volkswagen also confirmed at this event that the Routan would roll into VW dealer showrooms in early Q3 2008.
Drivetrain: Nothing Unexpected
The Routan minivan will inherit its mechanical underpinnings from the Dodge/Chrysler minivan platform upon which it is based. That translates into 4.0 and 3.8 six-cylinder engine options, a six-speed automatic transmission, and a FWD configuration. Despite VW's well-deserved reputation as a leader in the use of diesel engines in their vehicles, a diesel powerplant won't be available.
Interior: VW Gets to Work
One of the weak spots in Chrysler Group vehicles recently has been the bland interiors, which tend to feature lots of inexpensive plastics and other low-cost materials. (Aaron Gold complained about the low-rent interior plastics in his review of the 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan.)
VW representatives have publicly stated that the VW minivan will get a revamped interior, which will likely translate into the use of higher quality materials.
The Routan will not be getting either the Stow 'n Go or Swivel 'n Go features found in the Dodge/Chrylser minivans, however: the space underfloor occupied by the hardware for those options will be converted to additional storage space on the Routan.
Exterior: Big Changes Planned
Although the overall exterior shape of the minivan is largely unchanged, VW has given the Routan some significant styling changes to align the vehicle with the rest of the vehicles in the VW portfolio. These visual changes also help differentiate the new VW minivan from its Dodge/Chrysler cousins.
Pricing: Starting at Under $25,000
Volkswagen stated that the Routan would be priced competitively, promising that is "...delivers a competitively priced entry into thei high volume segment with prices starting below $25,000." With the aforementioned improvements to the Routan's interior over Dodge and Chrysler models, top-end pricing could theoretically approach $40,000 for a loaded, fully-optioned vehicle.