Assistant Web producer Scott Evans drove the Routan to the 2010 SEMA Show. He came back wondering about the van's raison d'etre.
"Volkswagen did an admirable job of dressing it up, but all of the Town & Country's ghosts haunt the Routan. The brakes are fried and make the whole vehicle shake when you get on them hard, and they aren't that great to begin with. Under even moderate braking, the console shakes violently, tossing off anything sitting on it and rattling like a paint mixer. To be fair, it handles pretty well for a minivan and the 4.0-liter V-6 is surprisingly strong. The transmission is about as smooth as they come and the ride quality is quite nice."
| 2010 Volkswagen Routan |
| Months/miles in service | 7/14,249 |
| Avg econ/CO2 | 18.2 mpg/1.07 lb/mi |
| Unresolved problems | None |
| Maintenance cost | $0 (1-oil change, inspection, rotate tires, machine warped brake rotors) |
| Normal-wear cost | $0 |