VW to Give $1,500 for College With New Routan Minivan

We’ve seen some innovative incentive offers before. Recently, car companies have jumped on the exploding gas-price craze, offering to help pay for fuel. Well, college costs are growing rapidly, too, which is why VW is targeting families with an incentive to save for future education funding.

With every sale of a new Routan minivan, VW will pay $1,500 into a UPromise account supplied by the buyer. The college-saving website then allows users to put the money into a 529 plan.

It’s not a bad idea, especially to tout a new model hitting the market for the first time, but VW says the Routan won’t hit dealerships until September. That’s a long time to wait after generating buzz with this college-cash announcement. The Routan is based on Chrysler’s Town & Country minivan and will have a starting price of $24,700. 

More VW Routan News

Video: VW Routan vs. Chrysler Town & Country

Volkswagen's minibus is perhaps the most iconic van of all time. Now the automaker is getting back into the van game, but with a model — the Routan — that is completely different from its old minibus; it’s based on Chrysler's minivans. In this video, we compare the new Routan with a Chrysler Town & Country to see where they're the same and where they differ. You can share this video via YouTube.

Up Close: 2009 Volkswagen Routan

I didn't understand this car when I first heard about it, and now that I've seen it I still don't understand it. Espousing the brand's newfound access to a "high-volume market segment" — perhaps the horde of minivan buyers heading for the exits? — Volkswagen CEO Stefan Jacoby introduced the Routan (ROO-tan) to journalists. It's no secret that this is a rebadged version of the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan, so I set out to find exactly how the Routan bucks those routines.

2008 Chicago Auto Show: 2009 Volkswagen Routan

• Competes with: Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Town & Country
• Looks like: Volkswagen missed the “minivans are out” memo
• Drivetrain: 197-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic, or 251-hp, 4.0-liter V-6 with six-speed automatic
• Hits dealerships: Summer 2008

Volkswagen famously got into a game it didn’t know how to play a few years ago when it debuted the Phaeton luxury sedan with a big price tag, putting it into a segment it didn’t have a place in. Minivans are actually a VW trademark, with the iconic Microbus and even the Eurovan in the 21st century. The Routan hopes to reclaim the minivan mantle for the company, but it looks to be not much more than a Chrysler underneath the skin.

Now, that’s not to say the new Dodge and Chrysler minivans aren’t good. They have a lot of value, but it looks like VW skimped on revamping the Routan interior with its trademark high-quality materials. The company says the Routan will start under $25,000, though, which might sway someone looking at a similarly equipped Town & Country or Dodge Caravan, which start at $27,895 and $27,000, respectively, when equipped with the same 3.8-liter engine.

Stability control and power sliding doors will also come standard.

How much of a Chrysler is the minivan? Both engines are from Chrysler, as is the optional touch-screen navigation unit with hard drive, which Chrysler calls MyGig. Not borrowed is the popular Stow N’ Go seating feature or the new Swivel N’ Go setup; that could be a deal-breaker for buyers. The Routan will be built in the same assembly plant as the Dodge and Chrysler products, too. More photos are below. Let us know if you think the price is right for this VW version of the minivan.