>> And I've been kind of taken by the Element, but.. thanks for a dose of
reality! <<

Well I've listed all the negative points, there are allot of positives as
you have seen by the responses I got. They are the same positives that made
me buy it in the first place. It's just that it was not the right vehicle
for me and my family and the Eurovan has definitely turned out to be what I
was really looking for.  I wanted to list all the negatives so you can make
an informed decision.  BTW, I had a 2004 Ex AWD automatic. It got about 18
MPG in the city and 22 on the Highway.  Pathetic for a 4 cyl.

>> I'll reserve my judgment about the Routan until I see/drive one.  Isn't
it the ultimate dose of automotive irony though?  The company that actually
invented the genre (1950 Microbus) is depending on the company that stole
that claim (1984 Minivan) to have its minivan built. <<

Absolutely agreed. I don't agree with all the bashing of a vehicle that
hasn't even hit the showroom yet.  Do I think it's somewhat ill conceived
that VW is going to try to sell a minivan built by Chrysler when everyone
else is bailing on mini-vans? Yes. But that does not mean it's a bad
vehicle. I just think VW needs to build something unique and a diesel
powered microbus concept might be what people will be looking for as
everyone who once flocked away from minivans' to SUV's may come back seeking
better mileage.

Bryan