Tuanies

During my wife's pregnancy, we talked about getting something bigger in a couple years as my HHR SS may not be big enough for a family. Fast forward to after our daughter was born and we've found the HHR SS to be too cramped and especially uncomfortable for longer trips.

We test drove the Sienna, Grand Caravan, Town & Country and Mazda 5. She loved the Sienna but the pricing and the Sales guy's insistence on the Sienna being our "dream car" made me want to punch him in the face, because lets be honest, if my dream car was a Sienna, or any Toyota, I may as well jump off a bridge.

We loved the 5 but they didn't have an Grand Touring models within a transferable distance. We waited, and then spoke to my mother in law who's had 3 kids and came to the conclusion that it might not be big enough, especially if we want to keep it around for a while.

I talked her into test driving a VW Routan because I heard they were giving them away. I test drove it that day, discussed it with her, did more research, etc...

Came back the next day, took it out on loan for a couple hours, let her drive it and she enjoyed it so we went for it.

Traded the HHR SS in - got $14k for it, still owed $15k and just rolled the $1k into the new loan (it was an '08 5-speed with every option including LSD and red interior) - for a 2011 VW Routan SE with Garmin navigation and rear seat entertainment (dual 9" LCDs).

Ended up paying around $29k with 0% financing for 72 months so my payment was only $35 more a month than the HHR, with GAP. List price on the Routan was $37k and about $35k MSRP.

So far, couldn't be happier. The Routan is a lot bigger and fits all the baby crap + a Costco run. We can't wait to start going on more roadtrips .

The new Chrysler Pentstar 3.6L V6 is surprisingly smooth and packs a decent amount of power. The interior quality is a major improvement coming from the HHR and we couldn't be happier. The steering is quite responsive and the suspension is quite tight with little body roll (for the size). I'm astonished by how a couple suspension tweaks make the car drive worlds better than the Chrysler and Dodge versions.

I'll always miss the HHR SS and how much fun it was, and its been good to me for the past 3 years but we need something bigger - especially if we want to have another child in a year or two.

And onto the pictures -

Farewell HHR


When I brought her home the first time


One of my favorite pics


Hello Routan




Our little 2-month old




Little baby video
http://vimeo.com/27227668

nacademus

That baby looks small enough to fit in the back of an HHR...


just saying.

You caved to the woman, didn't you? lol.
Safe travels.

SS fan

Sorry to see it go too Great looking Kid you 2 have With that new ride you have room to expand the litter might as well have a couple more, now that you have joined the ranks of MINI Van owners, Good luck to ya hope all goes well for you 3 now.

Tuanies

Yea but maneuvering the car seat into tight park spots with a normal door gets annoying.

I grew up with Dodge Caravans, so it never bothered me, just makes more sense than getting a Crossover that's not as convenient and cost more.

We're going to sell her 2000 Exploder so I can get something fun, but I can't decide what I want >_<. There's a '95 Audi S6 Avant manual that is calling my name though...

nacademus

I was just poking fun. I think you did rather well on that deal, for sure.
Whenever you get around to it, how about a short review on the new ride?

Tuanies

It wasn't much of a change, people were already calling the HHR a minivan anyways :p.

Tuanies

So far its been great, there's plenty of power for passing and the manual shift mode on the auto is great for downshifting to go up steep hills.

Hoping to take it out for a roadtrip sometime this month - I just need a break since the past month I've been running around every weekend for work and being in friend's weddings >_<

solman98

Don't forget what your driving if you get on twisty roads. Those made #9 of the top 10 worse handling vehicles. T&C and the Caravan did score a little worse (barely).

We have the new Caravans at work, the new motor is nice and seems to have good power. Tranny seems to hunt for gears around town. But I guess that is somewhat expected with a 6 speed.

nacademus

Isn't it essentially a Chrysler? The Town and Country and Caravan would be essentially the same platform.

Tuanies

Yep its a Town & Country / Caravan with stiffer suspension and tweaked power steering - it does a lot to change the feel and how it handles.

Also the interior was reworked with VW touches (padded dash cover and soft touch surfaces) but still had Chrysler switches and such. Before the 2011 Chrysler and Dodge updates, the VW was a major improvement, now its pretty on par.

Also the VW doesn't have Stow'n Go, which is great because the middle row seats are bigger and more comfortable but we still have the storage bins below.

Here's an identical interior