2011 VOLKSWAGEN Routan

Not what I thought

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 3 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 3

Since I bought this car its had problems after problems. Parts can only be purchased from dealer, and most mechanic can and does not work on these cars. Three times I've had to take the car in for mechanical reasons and it stays working great for a few months before something completely new pops up. The dealer charges even the days the car seats in the parking lot waiting for repair.

Tipm Module Issues

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 2 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 2 Safety Rating: 2 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 1

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.

don't buy one of these

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 1 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating:

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

Family of 5 loves their Routan!

Performance: 0 Comfort: 0 Fuel Economy: 0 Fun To Drive: 0 Interior Design: 0 Exterior Design: 0 Build Quality: 0 Reliability: 0 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 3

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!

still going strong

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 4 Reliability: 4 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 4

We have over 61k miles with no major issues. Only problem is the brakes. My dealer replaced them at 26k miles no charge then I had to replace them at 55k miles with aftermarket cause oem rotors are crap. Other than the brakes I'm happy with my purchase. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

Electrical and service nightmare

Performance: 1 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 1 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 1 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 1 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 1 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 2

***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.

Cannot stand this van

Performance: 4 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 2 Interior Design: 2 Exterior Design: 3 Build Quality: 1 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 2 Reliability Rating: 3 Safety Rating: Technology Rating: Value Rating:

This is my first minivan and I bought it used to save some bucks. However, I completely regret my purchase. My main complaint on this thing is interior quality. It seems like everything is taped together. Both front seats creak, creaks in the pillars, rattle in the dash and right sliding door rattles. Not to mention the windows rattle when they are down. The suspension on this thing is definitely stiffer which is fine but when the interior is built so poorly it easily shows. The worst part is the Caravan seems better by a small margin. I am ditching this thing for an Odyssey and willing to lose some cash on my trade in. That's just how much I hate it.

great gas milage

Performance: 3 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 3

I have owned this vehicle since August of 2011. I have put only 8600 miles on the vehicle, and have made to extended trips, one of over 500 miles. On that trip I filled up at start and drove 276 miles. I drove between 65-70 mph, made one stop, and got over 30 miles per gallon actual. I had issues with the vehicle's cruise control. Sometimes it will work, sometimes not. Has been to dealer twice and whatever they did, cruise still not working properly. Also have noticed a jerking feeling frquently when backing. Dealership said they know of problem but to date they have not fixed it. I like the car overall. Drives well, fairly quiet on road. The free oilchanges for 36 months a plus.

Not Bad...Could be better.

Performance: 3 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 3 Fun To Drive: 4 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 4 Build Quality: 3 Reliability: 3 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 3 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 3

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.

12,000 miles and going strong

Performance: 5 Comfort: 4 Fuel Economy: 5 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 4 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 4 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 4 Reliability Rating: 5

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.

Transmission is still a problem

Performance: 1 Comfort: 3 Fuel Economy: 2 Fun To Drive: 3 Interior Design: 3 Exterior Design: 3 Build Quality: 1 Reliability: 1 Comfort Rating: 3 Performance Rating: 1 Interior Rating: 3 Reliability Rating: 1

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.

Best Car We Have Owned

Performance: 5 Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Fun To Drive: 5 Interior Design: 5 Exterior Design: 5 Build Quality: 5 Reliability: 5 Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5

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.