Minivan - Volks Wagon's Routan Vs. Honda Odyssey

we have a VW, 2 things that I don't like, very expensive to get fix / oil change, you can only feed it with premium oil.
Honda sounds more economy friendly to me.

Hi - My neighbor has a Routan. She told me she was disappointed that it's very much a Chrysler. After she said that, when you look at the VW and Chrysler, they do look much the same, the VW just costs more. She had an Odyssey right before that without complaint. I have a very good friend who absolutely loves her Odyssey, thinks it's the best investment she made.

I have a 2006 Odyssey and love it. I checked out everything such as Consumer Reports, etc and the Odyssey and the Toyota Sienna seem to always be the tops. I had always had Toyota products but so far, love the Odyssey.

The Routan came out after I got mine so I can't say much about it except for you have a history of performance, reliability, etc with the Honda.

Also, I was just at Honda for a minor part yesterday and the new Odyssey comes out in 2011. I bought used but if you do go with Honda and want new, maybe get a great deal on the 2010's since some people always want the newest model of car.

Good luck.

Love my Honda Odyssey but am curious to learn ore about the Routan.

Personally I would buy a Town and Country or Grand Caravan. American made cars is what pays the bills in our neck of the woods!

Those are both great choices and great car makers...

...For me at that point it would come down to the tiny little features in a minivan, ease of getting in and out, accessories it already comes with, cost to repair, warranty - little extras like that...

...I've owned both Hondas and Volkswagens and was happy with both - I've found the German cars cost a little more to fix - but do tend to be extremely safe - the Hondas I was a little disappointed to learn that it is one of the car makers (as is Toyota) that the little "black box" that records certain "crash data" is something that Honda does NOT make immediately available to anyone - like Toyota - whereas there are several car manufacturer's that if you want the software to download that information - it's readily available for really...anyone...

I don't know what Volkswagen's policy is on this - while you never plan on getting into a wreck with the recent publicity regarding Toyota and their not releasing information or making it readily available I know that if something happened I wouldn't want to have to fight with my car company to see if the pedal was sticking or if the airbags properly deployed...

For me - when I read that it was a dealbreaker and I told myself I would never buy another Honda/Acura (I've had both) again...until the policy is changed...

Again, I don't know about VW's policy - both are excellent vehicles - I would just see if one has little features you prefer or even a color you like more than the other - it's a big long-term purchase...so make sure you're happy with your car!

I'd definitely go with the Honda.We bought our minivan 3 months ago,its a great car...So very spacious & so many great features..

I drove VW's from age 16 until about 5 years ago (VW Rabbit, Corrado, and Passat Wagon). I LOVED driving them, and I HATED paying to get them fixed.

In my experience, the VW feels like a great car. It drives great. It's super safe, but if you have anything go wrong, it is going to cost you a ton of money to get it fixed. Then, random strange things will go wrong... your check engine light will be on... then off.. then on again.

Buy a Honda. You can't go wrong with that one.

J.

I love my Odyssey, so many great features.

And just and FYI, the line about American Made stamp is getting pretty blurry. The Town & Country is only 80% with profits going to Germany. As far as I am concerned Honda has vested itself in America and I know many happy Americans employed at Honda plants in the US.

Check out this website if this is something you are concerned about.

http://www.automotiveaddicts.com/inthenews/07-10-06.html

Happy shopping!

If you're considering the Odyssey, consider waiting until fall. They're releasing a completely redesigned 2011 version of the Odyssey (we saw a prototype at the Autoshow), which is updated and much neater than what they sell currently.

As for me, we just bought the new 2011 Sienna. Absolutley love it!

I'm not familiar with the Routan but Odyssey's are better than Uplanders and Astro Vans... =) Odyssey is my favorite mini-van but my hubby is an anti-mini-van man so we own SUV's... =) Good luck!

The Routan houses a Chrysler engine. It is not "German engineering". It's a collaboration between VW & Chrysler. Just thought I'd mention it - not many people know this.

We drove the Routan as a rental for our last 2 week vacation. I wasn't impressed at all. I'd definitely go with the Honda. I also remember my husband telling me it wasn't a real volkswagon, just a rebadged Chrysler with some VW styling.

I cannot comment on the VW but I can say my husband and I have been mini van shopping too and we are going to buy the Odyssey. I have not heard one bad thing about the Odyssey. I NEVER thought I would say this...but I cannot wait to get our mini van!
Good luck on your decision!

LOVE my Honda Odyssey!!! It's our "heaven on wheels". We have plenty of room for the two of us, our two kids, and the rest of our family!! We've driven it with it full of 8 people many times and everyone is always amazed at how comfortable it is. It's just a wonderful, safe, efficient vehicle. Perfect for busy families!!

I'd go for anything Honda vs VW. Vw isn't really Germans made, expesive to fix, and I can't remember what but something is know to go out a lot and is expensive to fix. Honda is well known for it's dependability and and is just a great company all around. We have a Pilot and the only the that has gone wrong with it is normal wear and tear on the brakes.

My first car was a VW Jetta. Like the previous poster, I loved driving it, but it was CONSTANTLY at the shop with annoying and expensive repair issues - usually electrical - check engine light, turn signal lights malfunctioning, etc.- and I bought it new!

I have a 2006 Honda Pilot - also bought new - and have NEVER needed to have it serviced (knock on wood) except standard maintenance, oil change, etc. SO HAPPY. Can't wait to buy a second Honda when this one is paid off!

VWs just don't have the reliability of Hondas.

I don't know anything about the Routan, but I just got an Odyssey this year and I love it.

Hi! I've never driven an Odyssey, but I currently own a Routan, and I absolutely love it! It is such an easy ride, and a breeze to handle. We have the package that comes with the "back-up camera" which allows you to see behind you when in reverse... it is such a great safety feature, and I would highly recommend it. Good luck in your search! Hope you find what works for you!