 The
original Volkswagen Rabbit was sold in America from 1974 through 1984; it
was remembered as a driver's car that would just keep on running. In recent
memory the Golf replaced the position of the Rabbit giving us something low
cost and very solid from Germany. For 2006 the newly named Rabbit is a Golf
sized vehicle that is totally fun to drive, just like the original.
The 2007 VW Rabbit is
 available
as a two door hatchback or as a four door hatchback. As more Americans turn
to compact vehicles instead of SUVs for better fuel economy, the VW Rabbit,
similar to the old Golf brand name, offers high quality at a low price.
Behind the wheel of the Rabbit, you
have a feeling of being in a very well built car. Take turns fast, stop on
a dime, and accelerate quickly from a dead stop. The Rabbit is responsive
and comfortable, even with four large adults. On the highway the Rabbit
exhibits the feeling of being in a much larger vehicle. The car can go
fast, into triple digits and inside you feel as if you are going 50 mph. It
is quite inside, and the engine is very smooth. Passing at high speed is
relatively easy and maneuverability is excellent. It is very hard to get
this type of feeling behind any car much less in a car starting at $15,000.
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 We
did not find the VW web site to be very helpful. Features are difficult to
get a hand of and text is very small so you have to be young to be able to
read it easily. We thought it was made for a hip teenager rather than an
adult buyer. Perhaps VW has mixed up who their buyer is because most
Rabbits we have seen on the road are driven by mid-age adults, not
teenagers. So we would like a total redesign of the web site where you have
someone actually presenting the car to you telling you about it, more like a
movie, and also have large photos for you to view.
 The
exterior body is smooth and compact with a drag coefficient of 0.32. Walk
around and you have a feeling of a well built car with thoughtful design
throughout. The overall length of the Rabbit is similar to that of other
compact vehicles we have tested. However, because of its smooth exterior
styling that flows from front to back you actually want to be inside the
Rabbit. A dual exhaust tipped rear valence is made to wrap the tail end
nicely so that nothing underneath shows. Design elements are rounded oval
shapes from the front headlights to the rear tail lamps. The Rabbit looks
very sharp sitting on the street corner.
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 Interior
design is equally well built with the use of high quality parts on the dash
and instrument cluster. There is 94 cubic feet of passenger volume in this
little car and a total cargo volume of 46 cubic feet. We have come across a
few people who are calling the VW design boring and uninspired. Perhaps it
is a bit bland, however, the exterior and interior design is functional and
that makes it enjoyable to drive. Inside you have high paneling all around
giving you a feeling of being in a safe enclosed space. Quality can be felt
in the strong door pulls, which inside are made of real metal, and the heavy
weight of all doors. Felt trim surrounds the edges of the doors as well for
a high quality look. The outside rear view mirrors also feature turn signal
indicators, something found in high end vehicles.
 The
stereo system is quite nice for a standard system on a low priced vehicle.
The 10 speakers are quite good and deliver excellent bass. A 6-disc CD
changer with MP3 is standard as well. In the glove box we also found an
iPod adapter which lets you hear all your music on the car's stereo system
without any distortion and also charges your iPod while in the glove box.
It was much better to have this feature rather than have the Sirius
satellite radio. On this vehicle the satellite radio was slow, it was hard
to change stations and it did not display full station names or track
information. |
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 Front
seats are heated and quite comfortable. We did not like the cloth material
used on the seats because it was a faded black color and looked cheap,
especially in the sun. Hopefully leatherette would be standard in all cars
soon. The rear seats are also quite comfortable and roomy. You do have to
move the headrest up a bit to have a comfortable back seat if you are a
adult and then fold them back down to make room for cargo should you need
it. We liked the solidity of all parts inside, nothing is made cheaply and
nothing feels light weight or flimsy.
 Inside
the VW Rabbit features a great deal of small things that we are hear to
point out for you which you would probably never see on your test drive.
The air conditioning system features a pollen and odor filter. Outside rear
view mirrors are powered and heated for cold winter days. The steering
column is height adjustable as well as telescoping for more comfort to every
driver. All four windows are powered with one touch up and down for
ease-of-use, something that we have not seen in any other vehicle in this
price range. VW also offers a adjustable center armrest with cooled
storage. It can be pulled forward to fit more drivers and passengers and
its height is adjustable as well. Broth front seats feature height
adjustment as well as lumbar adjustment for optimum comfort for a vast range
of driver sizes. The driver's seat is powered for the backrest recline
feature as well. For those who need more room the front passenger seat is a
fold flat seat. The rear seat is split folding with a strong armrest as
well which offers a pass through to the rear trunk.
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Interior lighting is particularly well done and includes vanity mirrors with
lights, reading lamps for the front and rear as well as lights on the rear
view mirrors which light your path when you approach the car. Inside you
also have a nice glow of ambient lighting all around with all switches lit
up for easy viewing. We liked the fact that the large VW badge on the trunk
was also a trunk latch, something that first showed up on the Passat.
 On
the VW as in most German cars you have a nifty feature for your blinkers
when you want to indicate a turn. Here you just tap once and the blinkers
signal three times without you having to hold down the blinkers. In the
Rabbit you also have a great heating system which gets warm very fast.
The German
made sunroof is equally impressive offering an easy one dial function and
being very quite in its operation. The sunroof also provides a quiet
interior when opened with little wind noise.
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 The
VW Rabbit is powered by a 2.5 liter 5-cylinder engine. This engine
generates 150 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 170 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,750 rpm
and sends all this power to the front wheels. We found the engine to be
superb in fast takeoffs. The engine is also very smooth and quick,
something you have to feel yourself in a test drive when comparing this
vehicle to any other in the small car segment. There is simply nothing like
a true German built engine. The exhaust note is also quite sporty with a
growl of a much larger engine.
 The
five speed manual transmission is wonderful. It offers good feedback when
shifting and provides a great notchy feel while having quick shift points
and short motions for each gear. While we suggest the automatic for city
driving the manual is definitely more fun for those living in the suburbs.
An electro
mechanical power steering system is very precise and delivers good amount of
road feedback. We disliked the plastic steering wheel which felt slippery
and cheap. A small investment in a leather wrapped steering wheel would
significantly improve on this. You can pick one up at autosupermart.com and
stitch it on yourself. |
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 The
Rabbit features an independent front and multilink independent rear
suspension that provides great road mannerism for a smooth ride on the
highway and a non-jarring ride on bumps roads. Front and rear stabilizer
bars make quick maneuvers easy on the driver. The overall driving
characteristic of the Rabbit are far superior to any other small car we have
driven to date.
The VW
Rabbit offers a great deal of safety features such as driver and front
passenger front airbags, as well as front side airbags. Side curtain head
airbags for the front and rear are standard. Front seat belts are height
adjustable, something you do not find in every small car. You also have
daytime running headlights as well as side protection door beams in case you
are up against a SUV. Anti slip regulation, and an electronic differential
lock along with antilock braking system keeps you going in the direction you
want to go and help with straight stops which are shorter.
The unusually high level of passenger
protection and safety provided by the Rabbit earned the Insurance Institute
for Highway Safety's 'Top Safety Pick, Silver Award' for front offset, side
impact, and rear crash protection.
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 A
basic new vehicle warranty of 4-years or 50,000 miles is offered with a
5-year powertrain warranty. Corrosion is covered for an impressive 12 years
which we have not seen offered by any US or Japanese automakers. Road side
assistance is also provided and most VW dealers offer some kind of loaner
car for your services.
 Our
test car in Reflex Silver with Anthracite cloth interior starts at a retail
price of $16,990. This includes a lot of standard features. A power
sunroof is optional at $1,000. Electronic stabilization program which is
essential in our minds costs $450 as an option. Sixteen inch alloy wheels
are optional but at a low price of $400. Sirius satellite radio is $375 but
we say skip it on this model. Add a destination fee of $630 and you have a
total of $19,845. About 75% of the parts on the Rabbit are from Germany.
The final assembly point is located in Wolfsburg Germany with both engine
and transmission being made in Germany. The window sticker shows gas
mileage of 22 miles per gallon city and 30 miles per gallon on the highway.
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The
original Volkswagen Rabbit was sold in America from 1974 through 1984; it
was remembered as a driver's car that would just keep on running. In recent
memory the Golf replaced the position of the Rabbit giving us something low
cost and very solid from Germany. For 2006 the newly named Rabbit is a Golf
sized vehicle that is totally fun to drive, just like the original.
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