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Volkswagen Rabbit
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Comments
In Poet the Jetta also has alloys, plus who knows what else. But the Rabbit at the end (not in the middle this time) is still the base model.
In Jumper the New Beetle has alloys, but the Rabbit at the end (yet another different ending) is the base model.
So VWoA is showing you what the cars CAN look like, and showing you what the base model looks like. Which one you buy is up to you.
I ordered up a blue 4-door with convenience package, ESP and alloys....to be told that none can be found, and it'll be 6-8 weeks. Is this the norm?
Although my wife and i have no kids, we do use our rabbit as our main vehicle. (its the only car we got!)
Plenty of space. Whenver friends come out with us, there is no complaints of sitting in the back, and we have the 2 door!
The 2 door and the four door have the same dimensions and back seat space, the doors are just a bit longer on the two door and because of the nature of the sliding seats, it makes entering and exiting from the back no big deal at all, even if you were getting some kids out of a car seat!
I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters all younger than me and when me and my wife go visit my fam, they love going in our bunny. Although it may be tight for a 3rd person (not so much because of shoulder space but because the rear floor isn't flat), we've done it anyway and they had a blast. 2 people fit back there extraordinarily well.
If your wife is consdering the four door there should be no problems, they just ease the getting in and out factor. Pletny of space and hatchback versatility.
Highly recommended!
Best of luck
Don't wait to buy a rear-facing car seat. Buy one before you go car shopping. You are going to need one anyway. We just picked up one at Toys R Us for only $49.
TAKE IT WITH YOU to the car dealer and see how it fits. No, you don't need to "tie it down." Just lay it on the back seat facing rearward.
Here's the shocker: VERY FEW cars will allow you to use a rear facing car seat without crowding the front seat near the dash/steering wheel and/or requiring a pretty upright front seat.
Why? Because the rear facing child seats are SO high (threfore they block the front seat from reclining) and SO deep (therefore you can't slide the front seat too far back).
Even with a PT Cruiser, which has VERY upright front seating, hence among the most rear seat legroom in a smaller car, I had to put my seatback pretty straight up. And I'm short, so I'm already pulling my seat closer to the steering wheel than most people.
You have to do one of three things to make things work:
1. Buy an enormous vehicle with tons of rear seat room (in small cars, the PT Cruiser, Dodge Caliber, and Nissan Versa are about the best you can do); or
2. Buy a wider vehicle so you can put the rear car seat in the middle position so its "deepest" part falls in between the console (a narrower vehicle won't work, since the shoulders of the baby seat will hit the shoulders of the car's seats); or
3. Buy a minivan and use one of the extra rows for the car seat.
I'm still cranky about this issue since, let's face it, newborns are incredibly tiny, yet newborn seats take up the MOST space of any car seat.
Once your baby is out of a rear facing seat, the Rabbit is fine. I know; I had a 2004 Golf, with less rear seat legroom than the Rabbit that now replaces it, and it worked fine, even with the child seat in the "outrider" position directly behind my seat or my wife's seat. It's tight if you are tall, though.
Good luck, and let us know what you find out (I've got another baby, hence another rear facing seat, on the way....)
Yes, you need to take a baby seat with you when you're shopping for a car. But before that, you need to take a little time to shop for the baby seat. Safety is the top priority -- remember that bogus Consumer Reports story a month or two ago, that said most seats failed their collision test? It turned out that they were testing at 70 mph instead of 35 mph -- but one of the seats still passed the test at 70 mph!
I think the rear seats are roomier in the 2007 Rabbit than in the 2006-and-earlier Golfs like I have. But many families found the Golf satisfactory for one baby, and sometimes even for a new-born and a toddler. They just ran into trouble trying to fit another kid in the back with two baby seats.
I am going to buy rabbit and according to many reviews including on this site it is a great car. But there are not reviews on winter driving of this car. I'd appreciate your feedback on how is the engine on cold start? Is it rough before it warms up? How trany works in the cold? And how is the car's suspension when car is loaded with 4 people and gear in a trunk?
I live in north carolina where we get snowfall at the very least 6-7 times during winter months. And we get a TON of ice storms which are worse.
The rabbit does great. Even the 2 door has an anti slip regulation feature that helps keep your engine speed down when it detects slippage. The sheer weight of the car makes it amazingly sturdy also.
We have pretty cold mornings here; a lot of times in the mid 20's. The engine itself when first turned on will rev to about 2300rpms and slowly within a few seconds get down to about 800 rpms (yes eight hundred its a very low revving engine.) after that you can reverse and drive normally and the engine warms up very quickly. This semi high rev is perfectly normal. Note: if you reverse while the engine is still in the process of revving down- you'll jerk back a little bit. Normal too, but i just wait the extra 15 seconds to avoid this.
The tranny (be it cold or otherwise) is probably one of the high points of the car. It is flawless and smooth and very quiet.
4 people and gear? No problem. I used to have a civic (06) and even though i still love the car, when the ac was on and had 5 people in it, it got bogged down a bit. I have not had a chance to try this with the rabbit with the ac on, but as far as 5 people and stuff in the car goes, the 170lbs of torque are GREAT. This car is very punchy, it just loses its top end rather quickly. It still is a nice highway cruiser, but accelerating, say from 55-80 is not as impressive as from a full stop.
Hope this helps and good luck with your purchase!!
I wrap a battery blanket around my other vehicles' batteries for extra protection in the winter, but the battery in the new Rabbit looks like it comes in its own plastic case, so putting the blanket around that might be a problem.
I've heard that the 2.5 litre engine sounds like a blender full of marbles upon cold startup, but it goes away after a minute or two of driving.
As for snowy conditions....drive slowly, drive carefully, and put on decent winter tires. You'll only drive as good as your tires will allow.
I have an '07 2dr auto Rabbit, bought on 1 Dec '06. It currently has 3800 miles, ave about 27.7 mpg, no problems yet. Except this one: when I start the car in the morning or after it has been sitting for a couple of hours, the rpm starts at 1500 and it takes 30 secs to 1 minute for it to get down to normal idle (around 800 or so). Has anybody had/have this problem? Is it a problem I should worry about? Thanks
It's normal for an engine to have higher revs for a minute or so in the morning (usually after a cold night). The engine's management system will adjust the motor to run a bit richer and faster for a minute until it "warms up", and then the idle/rpm's will slow to the normal rate.
Entirely normal, for the most part.
1. Although the Turbo Jetta was much faster, I am not a power-monger and I don't care for the acceleration delay in a turbo. It's a lot more expensive too.
2. The 2.5 Jetta seems to be a LOT more car for not a lot more money than the Rabbit. They get the same MPG, but I don't really need the extra space.
3. As compared to the Nissan Sentra, I really loved the
Rabbit...the tight feel and handling were great. I do not understand why the Rabbit has such a low MPG rating. I guess I can afford the gas, but why don't they do better? With the price of gas in Germany, it would seem they would want more fuel efficiency. What are you Rabbit owners honestly getting in MPG in combined city/fwy or in just hwy driving?
4. I am 6'4" with VERY long legs. I was VERY impressed with the leg room in both cars. There is absolutely no compact or mid-sized Japanese car that comes close. And believe me, I've looked at lots of them.
5. I like the fact that the Rabbit comes from Germany. However, the only German car I've ever owned was a 99 Passat 1.8 Turbo. I was not impressed with the service problems with that German-made vehicle. I went back to Camry...boring but reliable. I just miss the German feel but I don't want something that needs to be in the shop much more than a Toyota. Maybe my mistake was getting the turbo? Maybe the 2.5 is a better, more reliable choice? I know the turbos are fussy about only sipping premium fuel, etc. That offsets any savings on gas money real fast.
Thanks for your tips and advice. I really loved the feel of both cars!
The 2.5 is a very strong engine with good power, just not espcially fast or fuel-efficient. OTOH, the Rabbit is a 3000-lb car, while the Fit and Yaris are about 800 lb lighter. Maybe better to compare to Matrix and Vibe.
If you want great fuel economy, look for a 2006-or-earlier Golf TDI.
None of my friends can believe how roomy the front seats are.
I've had mine since June, and still think its one of the best cars out there for the money.
My legs have never been happier...and I got the stick shift, since its the only stick i can remember in many years that was comfortable for me to drive.
I average 28-30 on mostly freeway driving...and its a blast to drive.
The 2.5 is strictly for North America... sadly we dont get the great variety of engines they do in Europe...although I believe the ultra clean diesel will be back for 2008.
1.4l TSI has 170hp/177 (at super low 1750 rpm) torque, coupled with 6 speed auto 0-60 in 7.7 sec...AND...AND ...fuel consumption? 28 city and amazing 48 hwy!
i hope to see it in 2008 models...
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f120867/7
Aside from some cosmetic differences, e.g., seatcovers, it seems to me that the only big difference between the Rabbit (4 door) and the Jetta with the 2.5 engine is that the Jetta is a traditional sedan and the Rabbit a hatchback.
The EPA volumes for both cars are about the same (94/15 for the Rabbit and 91/16 for the Jetta); however, a hatchback is more versatile. Your personal preferences and needs should determine which one will best meet your needs. In Europe, the hatchback versions of the VW MkV and the Focus outsale the sedans -- in the US it is just the opposite.
Reliabilty is a concern for any brand -- so far -- I have not had any problems. BTW, VW's warranty is longer than many brands (48 months v. 36 months)and includes free towing.
and as i said before, i`m not too happy with the 2.5 inline 5, not that much horsepower and bad mpg... and it doesn`t rev... i personally would`ve prefer the 2.0 non-turbo FSI with 150 hp@6000rpm and close to 50mpg... and itz 4000 euros between a turbo and a non-turbo... that would be what... $5500? less than a GTI
I would however, trade the 2.5 for the TDI in a heartbeat. I will be making that decision in 4 years.
as far as the jetta being a lot more car for the money, its not that much more. You can get a ve edition for pretty cheap, but it lacks even alloy wheels. (our rabbit was 17095 and it has the auto tranny and alloys.) The trunk on the jetta is huge, but the rabbits hatch and folding seatbacks are great.
The reason for the rabbits gas mileage is a combination of things. First of all: displacement. 2.5 litres so its the biggest in its class with the most torque but not the most powerful horsepower wise. Cylinders: five of em. Not four. Even big 4's in midsize cars like the accord, camry and altima are around this size and don't have five cylinders.
Weight: this car is a rock, it needs a big engine.
Granted these may all seem like negatives, but if you look at mileage ratings for cars of a similar engine size (mazda 3 2.3, accord, camry, altima) they have similar figures. Check the new epa ratings on www.fueleconomy.gov and the difference will seem smaller. And remember, those engines are smaller, have less weight to lug around, and are all aluminum. Suddenly its not so bad. And all of them have one cylinder less.
My wife and i have a 30 mile commute to work everyday (to and from not 30 each way.) so we drive mostly highway. I'd say its split around 80 % highway and 20% city. We average 26-28 mpg. And i keep the speedo at 80mph if not more. (people in nc are nuts!) City driving is a little less, maybe around 20 mpg, so its right on with the new and old epa ratings.
Yes the rabbit is roomy. I loved my old civic, but i feel like more space is available to my stretching pleasure in the bunny!
I looked at a gti, which has the same engine ast the jetta you drove, but the fact that the car costs so much more and that it requires premium, really offsets the gain in fuel ecomomy. Turbos are just one more thing to worry about once it comes to service, as much as i like them, so maybe the rabbit would be better for you. As far as reliability goes, it seems that less and less people are experiencing problems with thier rabbits and newer vee dubs in general, i think vw finally realized it can't make a profit off of a car that just drives well but has horrible reliability.
Oh and the rabbit is assembled in germany but the 2.5 is sourced from mexico.
I hope all of this helps and best wishes with your decision!!
50 mpg on a 2.0 naturally aspirated? I'm sure it would do better than the rabbit now, but that seems a bit lofty....
See: http://www.volkswagen.de/vwcms_publish/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/de3/mod- elle/golf/golf0/zahlen___fakten/technische_daten.detail.0.7.html
It also says it requires premium (93) gasoline.
On rural roads MPG is 37.33.
Any Corolla or Civic can match that rather easily.
That sounds better. Better than what i get too.
On rural roads MPG is 37.33.
Any Corolla or Civic can match that rather easily.
yes they could match it, but maybe not as easily as you think. And this is a 2.0 we are talking about, and not even honda has a 2.0 that gets that kind of mileage. The toyota and honda are both sporting 1.8's. Even though it requires prem. fuel, the performance offset sounds like it would be worth it.
If honda made an R20 like the r18 in the new civic, then this statement would be a bit more true.
The urban numbers are Rabbit 21.4 mpg and the Civic is 28. I would say that's not much of a contest on mpg.
we are talking about 135-140 horsepower, and the vw has 150. Only a honda 2.0 could match that. But currently they have none.
I wish honda would bring the euro spec civic hatch with the 2.2 diesel. That would be sweet too!
I have not encountered this problem. The only issue i've had was a need to readjust my windshield wipers. But it was nothing big. Very happy with the bunny. I think that most of vw's issues have been worked out with this new generation.
You are all helping a great deal with this decision. I'll post another message in a more general area. I'm still not sure how where this will post.
The Rabbit is MUCH more comfortable for a tall person, and it fills up by voracious ego much better. LOL There's just something about a German made vehicle that fits my life better. After my 99 Passat issues, I feel like I'm taking a risk, but I plan to purchase the Rabbit 4 door. My only hesitations are reliability, resale, rattles, the stereo volume that has a mind of it's own, and fuel economy. But, after a few spins around the freeway ramps with it, I'm sure I'll forget all about them.
I think I'll go with the dark grey exterior, lighter grey fabric, tiptronic and alloy and rubber mats. Is the traction control and the rear airbags worth the extra expense? About 3 times a year, someone will use the back seat. Anything else you would recommend I consider?
I wish I could get a dimming rearview mirror and compass. But I'll get used to that too...
Where did someone buy this combination for 17K? Or was that a two door? I'm not sure why they are so much less.
So, who wants a great 03 Camry XLE w/ leather/alloy and only 52K miles?
Thanks again, guys (and gals!).
The thing about that is that it is really more a Honda/Toyota thing. From what I have seen, Nissan is genereally pretty much average in terms of reliability rankings by CR, etc. Granted VW has been below average.
To get an idea of the magnitude of the difference, you could compare edmunds estimated repair costs. Over 5 years and 75,000 miles, they give a total figure of $815 for a rabbit and $637 for Sentra. This is about a 25% difference, which sounds like a lot when looked at on a relative basis like that. But when looked at on a absolute basis, an average difference of $36 per year sure would not be a reason to choose one over the other, if it were me.
I don't know how accurate their mantenance cost estimates are, but edmunds shows $4500 for Sentra vs. $3341 for Rabbit. If this is accurate, it more than makes up for the difference in expected repair costs and offsets some of the fuel economy difference, as well.
I know what you mean about the interiors; vw really owns everyone in this respect. I still really liked my old civic's interior, but the rabbits is a tiny bit better. Jeffyscott is right about the quality issues; nissan is pretty average in this regard, so i'm not suprised at your reaction to the sentra.
My stereo has been fine.
Reliabilty is defintely a long term thing, but if it makes you feel better my wife and i have had our rabbit for six months and we are just over 13k with only one windshield wiper adjustment done at the dealer under warranty and thats it. No other problems at all. (if you can even call that a problem.)
As far as resale value goes, the rabbit and vw's in general do very good; not as ultra well as honda, but thats probably because of past reliabitlity issues. So the fact that they still hold their value despite those past issues is impressive. (a little off topic, but the R32, which is the highest performance golf or rabbit you can get even above the gti, is one of the very VERY few cars in recent years that actually commands a used price that is only a few hundred dollars off its orginal msrp!)
Yes i was mr. 17k rabbit. But mine was a two door, and as feature-laden as it is, the 4 door adds things like a sunroof, traction control (the 2 door has 'anti slip regulation' which controls your engine speed over icy or wet pavement.), heated seats, a different fabric and actual adjustable vents for the rear passengers. It also has body color side moldings and a nicer six disc cd changer.
But the interior is not really any nicer and the amount of back seat room is exactly the same on the 4 door. (the 2 door's actual doors are longer to compensate for the lack of 4.) Its just the whole 'getting in and out' convinience that the 4 door makes easier. Anyway, my 2 door was 17095 and it has the tiptronic and the 16 inch alloy wheel package. Maybe a more optioned out 2 door would be better for you? 3 times a year is not all that much to go the extra mile for a 4 door imho, but it really is up to you.
I have the dark (united gray) exterior with the dark gray (anthracite) interior. Its a wonderful color. Hope this helps!!
Putting aside style and focusing JUST on reliability, will I be as happy with a Jetta as a Rabbit? I know the Jetta is assembled in Mexico, but otherwise it's the same engine and frame or so it seems. The interiors are remarkably similar too. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Rabbit, but I was quite fond of that lighter grey interior leatherette and the fact that the Jetta was basically already equipped the way I wanted. I don't care about the sunroof, but even at my height, I don't loose too much headroom. Thanks again.