Minivan Towing

A look at the new Volkswagen Routan minivan and you think you've seen this car before. You.

To fill a glaring gap in the line of the German carmaker above, Volkswagen turned to Chrysler to supply their new model, the seven-seat people carrier based on the popular Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country Flat platform. Although VW focuses on the German engineering of the car, most of this model is decidedly American, not a bad thing, but a better explanation of what consumers buy.

Minivan History

25 years ago that Chrysler Corporation has transformed the automobile industry on the head while driving on a trio of people carriers car-based minivans they nickname. Based on the popular platform K car, the Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Chrysler Town & Country is rapidly becoming sellers moment that families who have long avoided breaks adopted these vehicles.

With three rows of seats, cupholders galore, and fuel efficient engines, the Chrysler trio helped the company recover from its financial crisis prior to the point where the Chrysler Corporation had the money to acquire the American Motors Corporation few years later.

Compact and fuel efficient, new minivans has created an entirely new segment of vehicles that is always led by Chrysler today, but with some serious competition in the form of the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna.

Volkswagen and Chrysler to forge a partnership

For Volkswagen, a partnership with Chrysler makes good business sense because it allows the German carmaker to use existing technology, saving the company money while allowing Chrysler to maintain its own production levels up.

The Routan comes standard with a 3.8-liter V6, offering 197 hp and 230 lb-ft. torque. A 4.0L V6 will be available rated at 251hp and 259 lb-ft. torque. Routan features German point suspension and steering optimized for handling and advanced driving dynamics.

Standard traction control and ESP in all seasons bring safety and security of the Routan. The Routan comes with a host of standard and optional features desired, including the system remotely starting the engine, power second row windows, towing preparation package with automatic load-leveling rear suspension, power sliding doors , Conversation Mirror, Entertainment System with rear seats with two 9 inch screens for second and third rows, wireless headphones and remote control, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and SIRIUS Traffic data, dual power sliding doors with power windows, a Touchscreen Joybox TM DVD entertainment system navigation with 30 GB hard drive, remote-operated liftgate with flood lamp, seating for seven and up to 21 seating configurations.

The Routan carries NHTSA 5-Star Safety Assessment and like all 2009 models, Routan comes standard with Volkswagen's Carefree Maintenance program.

Volkswagen introduced the Routan is the right time that the vehicle emits an estimated 23 mpg on the highway, which is the average for this car class. And, with prices starting at less than $ 25,000 the Routan offers a lot of cars for a Decent amount of money.

(Source: Volkswagen of America, Inc.)