VW Helps Make Minivans Almost Cool

Though piggybacking its new minivan on Chrysler’s Town & Country platform, VW promises a van that’ll have a character all its own. The new van, dubbed the Routan—sharing the "-an" suffix with VW’s other minivans, Touran and Sharan—will be unveilled next month at the Chicago Auto show. Chrysler agreed to lend VW its basic platform, including the option of either the 4.0, 3.8, or 3.3 six-cylinder—but the handling and suspension will be tweaked for a specifically VW feel. When you add to this the all-VW sheetmetal and interior (though it won’t end up looking nearly as cool as the concept, below), the van’s Mopar heritage will be undetectable until you start trying to work on it. VW is hoping to have the van released by late this year.