I readily admit that minivans are not my first choice in transportation. The drive experience just doesn’t do it for me and, yes, the image they convey is also a factor.

Putting that aside, I respect the place they occupy in the lives of millions of Americans due to their versatility, flexibility and passengerhauling capabilities. Heck, my kids prefer a minivan to many of the vehicles that find their way onto my driveway.

Since I spend quality time behind the wheel of many vans, I take a lot of written and mental notes. So this week I’m pitting the Nissan Quest against the VW Routan; it’s a modernday cage match pitting Goliath against, well, Goliath.

The Routan is a bit of a ringer because it’s based on the industry’s best-selling Chrysler minivans.

The Quest is somewhat of a maverick in that it features styling that breaks away from the minivan pack. The flowing lines and cool SkyView glass-paneled roof make this van lean more toward a tall wagon.

As for the Routan, I like how VW slanted and molded the ends of the Chrysler van and added new headlights and taillights. VW also did a few cosmetic tucks to tighten up body gaps and threw in some attractive wheels.

Since styling is subjective let’s call this one a tie. Moving inside, this is where the battle is won or lost. Let’s face it: These vehicles are basically rooms on wheels. Both vans cater to passengers and cargo-hauling needs. The vans were top-tier models and border on limo-like luxury, cushiness and convenience.

I found the Quest roomy compared to other minivans on the market. The seats were comfy and adjustable. Front seat dimensions were given special attention with plenty of first-row shoulder room. Nissan describes the seats as having “furniture-style” design, which complements the contemporary living room look designers put together with nice lines and contrasting textures.

The Quest’s second- and third-row seats fold down and drop forward to the floor. The third-row seat easily folds into a storage well in the floor. A nice touch is third-row seats that have automatically folding headrests with a spring assist so you can quickly tuck the seats down flat. This provides Quest owners with 148.7 cubic feet of cargo space.

I liked the full-length rear overhead console that is available with the SkyView roof. It creates aircraft-like interior comfort zones with personal reading lamps and air vents. It also serves double duty housing the Quest’s optional DVD entertainment system’s dual 8-inch fold-down color display screens and includes rear climate controls. How’s that for luxury and convenience?

The Routan started with a nice Chrysler interior and upgraded the quality of interior components. This is evident by a dash that is better looking and driver friendly. The VW seats were better than Quest’s, providing more support and they were made of higher quality leather. The steering wheel also had a richer feel to it.

The Routan offers a host of functional features including a conversation mirror, a rear seat entertainment system with two 9-inch screens for second- and third-row passengers besting the Quest’s by a full inch, touch-screen navigation with the 30 GB JoyBox Multi-Media Entertainment system, dual power sliding doors with power windows, power-fold third-row seating for extra storage room or tailgating and no less than 13 cup holders and plenty of storage bins.

The optional heated front- and second-row captain’s chairs will be nice this winter for the first two rows of passengers.

Compared to the Quest, the Routan comes up a bit short in the storage department with 144 cubic feet with the seats out of the way. The power storage feature is a really nice feature to have.

Summing up the interior, the Routan has a few more unique features than the Quest, but the design, comfort and increased storage give the Quest the nod. Under the hoods, the Quest comes with a DOHC 3.5-liter 235-horsepower V-6 and 236 foot-pounds of torque. All models feature a dash-mounted five-speed automatic transmission. With this combination the Quest achieves 16 city and 24 highway mileage figures. The Quest’s V-6 has some decent torque and pulls away strongly from traffic lights.

The Routan has the proven 3.8-liter Chrysler V-6 with 197 horsepower and 230 foot-pounds of torque. It is backed with a six-speed automatic with a manual shift mode. Fuel economy for this combination is 16 city and 23 highway. Giving up 38 horsepower yet being lighter by about 700 pounds, the Routan’s V-6 does feel stronger than the numbers indicate. Acceleration away from stop signs is good but highway fuel economy is a tick lower.

Score another one for the Quest. On the road the front-wheel-drive Quest carries passengers in an unassuming manner. By that I mean don’t expect a road-hugging, high-speed, firm ride. Quest features a four-wheel independent suspension with a rear multilink design and front and rear stabilizer bars. Power-assisted rack-andpinion steering is standard, but it felt a bit over boosted. Body sway is present and the ride is well dampened. The four-wheel vented disc brakes with antilock braking system, brake assist and electronic brake force distribution covers stopping chores well. Acceleration is good and spinning the front tires is no problem.

As for the Routan, Volkswagen engineers once again improved the Chrysler standard pieces to twist out the best ride they could with the components provided. The front-drive Routan delivers the ride quality segment buyers expect.

The Routan’s ace is the electronic stabilization program. ESP has been called one of the most important safety devices developed because it helps prevent oversteer and understeer (fishtailing). ESP is the sum of three functions – antilock brakes that enable individual braking and control at the four comers of the vehicle, traction control, which affects acceleration, and yaw control, which addresses tire spin.

The on-road driving experience goes to the Routan. The two test vehicles were a 2009 Nissan Quest 3.5 SE and a Volkswagen Routan SE. The Quest 3.5 SE starts at $35,650 and the Routan SEL starts at $33,200.

On a purely functional basis, both vehicles perform and deliver the convenience, cargo and passenger-hauling capabilities expected from vans. I have to say that the level of luxury and convenience continues to impress. Both vans seat seven comfortably, fuel economy is respectable and each offers great cargo flexibility. During my drives neither van displayed any ill-handling tendencies and both vans feature some attractive styling – for a minivan.

Overall, I liked the Quest’s flowing styling, the cool SkyView windows and contemporary interior; the engine performance kicked it over for me – but just barely ahead of the Routan.