Volkswagen likes other companies' vans better

October 2, 12:28 AMOrlando Auto ExaminerMichael Block

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Volkswagen has apparently thrown in the towel on building its own vans from scratch, no surprise since sales of the EuroVan were rather dismal. Instead, VW has adopted the platforms of vehicles made by companies that I’m surprised to see Volkswagen cooperating with. 

The first is the VW Crafter, introduced in Europe and Australia in 2007, but not for sale in the United States. The front bodywork, rear taillights, and engine and transmission are sourced by VW, but the body is in fact the latest-generation Mercedes Sprinter.

Volkswagen Crafter/courtesy of westfalia.org

This vehicle will likely find more of a following with commercial users than its Mercedes parent platform, as the VW inline-5 diesel will likely be more economical than the Mercedes V6 diesel. The Crafter starts at slightly more than $200 more than the Sprinter.

The latest of Volkswagen’s ventures outside its own factory is the new Routan minivan, which should be arriving in US showrooms right now. The Routan is based completely on the latest-generation Chrysler minivans, the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town-&-Country. Only the bodywork is unique to the Routan; all engines and transmissions are Chrysler-sourced. The Routan is being offered as a more upscale version of the Chrysler minivans, with a higher quality interior… yet strangely missing the Stow-N-Go feature that made the Chrysler minivans so accessible. This time, the Routan costs $515 more than its parent platform.

Volkswagen Routan/courtesy of vwroutanminivan.com