Used 2011 Volkswagen Routan Consumer Reviews
Chrysler's neglected step child
Vanessa Moody-Laird, 09/17/2018
SEL Premium 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
Same engine and transmission as Chrysler's Town & Country, but the T & C recalls don't apply to Routans. We've had to replace the TIPM twice, the alternator twice, multiple cylinders have need repair, the electrical has needed work, and now the transmission is gone. Plus the mpg is way less than they claim. I will never own another Chrysler product, especially one disguised as a VW.
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12,000 miles and going strong
fairest, 10/16/2011
SE 4dr Minivan w/Rear Seat Ent, Nav (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
We purchased the 2011 Routan for our summer driving season. This van has been great for us. The navigation and ent. system are very easy to use. It is also nice to have the various electronic access points in the rear seats. We drove the van 12,000 this summer and cannot be disappointed.
Tipm Module Issues
Carlos, 02/21/2016
SE 4dr Minivan w/Rear Seat Ent (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
First of all, these cars are built by Chrysler, and has an issues with the tipm module which only cost to repair $1,000 or more with no guaranty that will not happen again, I did some research and found a lot of people having this issue, it causes the car to turn off while driving it, or sometimes will not start at all. I have 53K miles on it. Also the engine is weak and the transmission is starting to give me problems, along with a side door making noises when I open it. Stay away from these vans. It's 21 February 2017 and the VW has NOT done anything about this. They disrespect their clients from left to right. Stay away from VW.
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Electrical and service nightmare
justsaynat, 03/11/2014
SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
14 of 15 people found this review helpful
***2017 update- finally got rid of my Routan. We bought a Ford Expedition. On the Routan, the leatherette fabric has been wearing out, tearing and flaking off on the seats for the last few years and especially the driver seat. There is always something broken or failing on this car. The rear breaklights were never sealed properly so every 3 months the lights short out. Pretty annoying. It's sad because it was my favorite family car, it's a nice looking car, it drives nicely when it's not breaking, it's comfortable, I love automatic doors, but it's not a good investment. There were some weird electrical things going on with the locks not locking all doors. We live where there is snow and ice so we had to finally go back to an SUV. ***2016 update- More problems and more problems. Service people know me well. All I can say is it's a good thing I got an extended warranty!! The leatherette is ripping on my seat and both passenger and driver side door handles have lethally sharp, chrome pealing and cutting the heck out of our hands. These things are not covered under warranty and would cost a fortune to fix. Other than that, we have had to replace the rear gasket over twice in one year, the belt in the passenger side door holding up the window, snapped, the fan belts in both engine area and AC both gave out, the list goes on. Good thing the stopped making these vans. I still love the way it looks and feels, but I will be selling it before the warranty ends. ***********We Purchased from Ken Garff VW in Orem in November of 2011. Within less than a month we were at the service dep. getting things fixed. First it was the paint and weather stripping around all the windows chipping and pealing and discolored. Then it was several trips for a shifting problem. They said it was electrical and they said they fixed it. But we were back 5 times and 2 so called recall updates to the electrical before finally another location replaced something I the engine. That seemed to help. But then the motor for the AC and heater broke. Then the electrical went crazy and my car shut off mid driving. Now it's in the shop and I am ready to call it a lemon and get a new car.
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PERFECT FOR US
Howard Kesselman, 12/21/2016
SE 4dr Minivan w/Rear Seat Ent (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
Bought the vehicle when we had 5 dogs and 3 cats to go to our vacation home. It has given us no problems, gas mileage is good. Seems to drive itself. Only problem is the city we moved to does not have a VW dealer. Has a VW authorized repair shop, but so much of this is Chrysler if we had a major problem iI am not sure that they would know what to do. We have 76000 miles on the car now and love it. A lot of highway mileage, probably 80%. I can get over 30 mpg if the speed is kept around 55. At 75 on the highway mpg is around 26. City is 20 or 21. Been great for hauling stuff around Still great at 83000 miles. Almost drives itself. Had to sell it as it is difficult to get serviced in small town. It is part VW and part Chrysler and VW service center here did not have the equipment to service warning light. Chrysler dealer would not help with the electronics so had to sell. DO NOT recommend for small town.
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don't buy one of these
Pat, 02/04/2016
S 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Make sure you purchase an extended warranty if you must own one. This is a big/heavy van...feels way heavier than the previous generation grand caravans. Brakes are undersized....chews through pads at an amazing rate every 25k or so. 30k miles driver's side seat heater shorted out and had to be replaced. 72k miles flex plate in transmission had to be replaced. 75k miles spun rod bearing and had to replace short block. 95k miles torque converter solenoid and leaking transmission lines replaced. Since 50k miles random electrical issues with cam position sensor (i believe a resulting mis-fire was the root cause of the rod bearing failure) and inability to start vehicle. Dealer can do nothing since no computer only gives generic cam position sensor error and it never does it while at the dealership. Dealers don't seem to know anything about these vehicles since they are made by chrysler. interior quality is crap, when temperature/weather changes the video screens and storage in the ceiling rattle like crazy until the whole interior is up to temperature. bluetooth connection for hands-free calling is garbage....too slow, too hard to set up compared to other manufacturers sunlight coming in over driver's shoulder completely washes out LED displays on dash (odometer, outside temp, etc). front window deforster vents are in the completely wrong place...blow warm air higher on the windshield than the resting position of the wipers. in snow and sleet the wipers and lower windshield ice up resulting in the window not being cleared by the wipers
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Family of 5 loves their Routan!
Tim Beldner, 01/03/2016
SE 4dr Minivan w/Rear Seat Ent (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
7 of 8 people found this review helpful
We purchased our new 2011 Routan in September of 2011 from Bommorito VW just West of St. Louis, MO. This is on of the few cars we have ever bought new. It has been a GREAT buy! If memory serves me right we purchased it for $24,500 as they had an $8k off of MSRP deal. We opted for two DVD player screens but in reality, one would have sufficed. My only regret is not purchasing the built in GPS... We have just under 80,000 miles on it (writing in January of '16) and have had only minor issues. The rear door stopped working and one of the sliding doors was iffy for awhile. Rotors always went out around 70,000 miles. Have had multiple long distance road trips, one covering 3,200 miles (Charlotte NC to Omaha NE to Harmoney MN down to Memphis, TN and then back to Charlotte) and we average and incredible 28 MPG, pretty sweet in my opinion. I probably averaged 70 - 72 MPH on that trip. I wish VW had kept making this car, said to see it's value drop when production stopped;( Have our 4th kid on the way so may need to upgrade to a bigger vehicle in the next 6 months or so but if not for that would keep the car until it died... Anyone land more than 150k miles on their Routon without major issues? Anyway, really like our routan and do not have any buyers regrets 80k later!
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Best Car We Have Owned
carademono, 05/24/2011
SEL 4dr Minivan w/Rear Seat Ent, Nav (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
96 of 133 people found this review helpful
We generally move through cars every few years as leases expire etc. This one has been a tremendously fun surprise. We drove the Odessey and the Sienna (owned a 2006) and did not think there was any comparison. The VW is far superior. This car is easy to drive and actually fun. The kids love the room and the dynamic seating arrangements. There is a crazy amount of storage and the included entertainment package is better than expected. Do not understanding the lukewarm reviews on this vehicle. Do yourself a favor and give it a look. You will love it.
Transmission is still a problem
gjavellana, 09/06/2011
SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
19 of 26 people found this review helpful
Very dangerous. Was on a freeway at 60MPH with a baby in tow when the car stop and will not move. The day before I brought the car to the dealer to check because I told them I step on the gas but the car will not move, and I was going on a roadtrip. Was told nothing wrong with the car. The next day 60 miles away from home the car stalled on a freeway. WORST WARRANTY SERVICE. Called roadside assistance and was told that nobody can help us because the nearest dealer needs an appointment first ( Cardinale Way VW). Called Volkswagen and they said work with dealer because they are a private company. What happened to company warranty.
Not Bad...Could be better.
ministerpaul08, 12/30/2011
SE 4dr Minivan (3.6L 6cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
The 2011 VW Routan is a drastic improvement over the previous year due to design refreshes and a more potent powertrain featuring a six speed transmission, the new Penstar 3.6L 283 HP Six cylinder engine, and euro sport tune suspension. The build quality of the Routan's interior is very good with excellent materials. Exterior styling is nice and not overly done and boxy like the Dodge/Chrysler models. Its sleek sloping lines are just right. Storage is abundant and replaces the stow n go found in the Routan's cousin. The Routan is an excellent choice over Chrysler, but considering quality and refinement... Honda and Toyota may be a better choice.