What’s Oprah’s latest giveaway? Not, thankfully, chicken. She’ll be giving away two Routans. Hey, cool! But does the Oprah endorsement mean that the Routan is any good? Well, according to Consumer Reports Cars…not really.

Here’s what Consumer Reports had to say after testing:

The Routan is built by Chrysler, with limited modifications to its Town & Country/Dodge Caravan minivans. The T&C Limited scores 64 in Consumer Reports testing, and it is not recommended due to predicted reliability being much worse than average.

The VW version is distinguished with a more familial grille, a soft dash top, and retuned suspension and steering that gives it a slightly more responsive and taut feel. However, the result is less than convincing. While we have not completed testing on our Routan, the Chrysler engines in other minivans are a bit noisy and not particularly fuel efficient. The cleverest elements from the platform — the second-row seats that fold into the floor known as “Stow and Go” or the “Swivel-and-Go” seating-are absent from the Routan. Although the large bins under the floor that the seats stow in are still very useful for storage.

Well, if nothing else, the Routan’s ad campaign brought us the odd and creepy Babymaker application.

Free Volkswagen Routans from The Oprah Show [Consumer Reports Cars]

(Photo: JMRosenfeld)

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