Road test: Routan minivan's a Chrysler in VW clothing

There's no quicker way to plug a perceived hole in a model lineup than taking someone else's product, making small changes and then rebadging it. So it's not surprising that Volkswagen took that route to add a minivan to its showrooms.

Designing a new model from scratch can cost a billion dollars or more. Even making the existing VW Eurovan legal for U.S. roads would have cost a fortune, VW says. And American consumer interest in minivans has been declining.

Still, it's a little disappointing to see a badge-engineered van from the company that produced the iconic and innovative Type 2s, aka Microbus and Transporter, in the '50s, '60s and '70s.

As you probably can tell from the accompanying photo, the Routan is a seven-passenger Chrysler Town & Country that's been Volkswagen-ized. VW claims it has "German-tuned" suspension and steering, but both are nearly indistinguishable from Chrysler's American-tuned versions, with lots of sway in corners and wallow on the highway. The tester felt like all of its 4,600 pounds.

VW says the weird name derives from the word "route" with the syllable "an" added so that Routan would conform to "Touran" and "Sharan," the names of two vans VW sells abroad.

As noted in the accompanying data box, the tester was an '09, but except for small changes in standard equipment, the 2010 is nearly identical.

For 2010, Routan prices begin at $26,700 with freight for a version with the less powerful and less economical of two available engines - a 3.8-liter, 197-hp. V-6 that is EPA-estimated at 16 miles per gallon in city driving, 23 on highways. The tester's 251-hp. 4.0-liter V-6 is preferable, much peppier and with EPA numbers of 17 and 25. I averaged 20.5 mpg over six days. The 4.0-liter delivers zero-to-60 mph acceleration in 10.2 seconds, VW says, good enough for a family truckster.

To get the 4.0-liter, one must opt for an "SEL" listing for $37,300. Both engines are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions that are smooth-shifting, very responsive to accelerator inputs and manually shiftable.

Except for some serious sun glare on the gauges and displays, the interior is as functional as it is rich. Available options include a dual-screen, rear-seat entertainment system. But unlike the Town & Country, the Routan is not available with second-row seats that fold into the floor.

The Routan gets a top, five-star, rating from the federal government for its front- and side-impact protection, as do the Chrysler T&C and Dodge Caravan. Consumer Reports hasn't published a reader-based reliability rating for the Touran, but the T&C, built in the same factory, is deemed "much worse" than average - pointing up another potential downside of badge engineering.