We currently have a black 2010 VW Routan. When you first look at the car it looks great. The interior is all leather. Both of the front seats have two levels of heating for cold days. There is a large screen navigation, color reverse video view, aux inputs, CD player, as well as front access DVD player. There are two drop down screens for each of the rows. The second row of seats are two large captain chairs. The sliding doors open at a touch of a button. There is also a pull down screen to block sunlight. The back row can accommodate two adults comfortably and 3 children comfortably. The car looks great and has wonderful amenities. However, the drawbacks are all with the structure of the car and maintenance of the car. We have had several flat tires and getting the spare tire is extremely complicated and requires specialized tools to lower it from underneath the car. Additionally the tire pressure monitors frequently erode and cause the tire to become flat. Additionally we have had to replace the brakes and related parts several times. Our mechanic has told us that this is common in this model.

I like that the car seats a lot of people without sacrificing too much in terms of handling and power. The van has a lot of power, good acceleration. It is also fully loaded with lots of different entertainment features -- I wish we had been able to pick and choose only the things we wanted versus having an all or nothing approach, however. My favorite thing about this van is that we can bring our entire family with us, including the dog, with plenty of room left over for cargo. We use the van on road trips a lot, and drive over seven hours at a time in the van. While it doesn't have the best gas mileage, it is certainly cheaper to use the van than to fly to visit far away relatives. This is the main family car, so it gets a lot of use, but has held up pretty well with only one major repair (beyond normal maintenance). It is also very easy to clean, with leather seats and plastic mats.

I really like my Volkswagen Routan minivan. It feels like a very nice vehicle that I am proud to drive. My other friends who have several kids like I do have been impressed with it when I showed it to them and told them about it. It's so comfortable and many of the features are very intuitive so it is easy to learn your way around this minivan after just a few drives. I think the spacious feeling is perfect for my large family of 5 kids. Even my golden retriever sits comfortably on the floor. It's just right for my crew!