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Hatchbacks Volkswagen Rabbit New Rabbit Owners - give us your report!
208 messages, Last post on Apr 29, 2008 at 5:17 PM
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I have bought my full equipped, manual 5 door Rabbit 07 one month ago. It's my fifth Volkswagen, so I know them very well. My last one was a 2001 Beetle 1.8T. I had a Passat 1.8T (1998) before. What stunned me is the LACK of torque compared to the 1.8T, contrary to what I have seen written in many posts. It may be that the engine is still not fully broken in (900 kilometers), but still the 5 cylinders is nowhere near the kick in the pants feeling of the 1.8T. No question about that! It's NOT an exhalirating engine, though it is fine. The torque curve is spread more evenly across the RPM band compared to the 1.8T which has a big torque rush between 1 800 and 2 200 RPM. The acceleration numbers may be similar in the end to 100 km (I doubt it though) but you don't have the immense "kick in the back" feeling. On this I am dissapointed... I don't feel the "so torquey' people talk about. Of course it's all relative to what cars you drove before. But I disagree with people saying the car has tons of torque. Simply not true! It HAS better torque than japanese 4 cylinders. But LESS than Volkswagen turbos. Forget about the numbers: you don't feel them! May I remind people that the 170 lbs comes at near 4 000 RPM.If you shift at 2500/3000, you cannot compare that car to a 1.8/2.0T. Also,the Rabbit has a 3.65 differential wich may explain a LOT. The turbos have a 3.95... The first gear is TOO short. The recommended tire pressures are TOO high (34 PSI) wich gives a harsh feeling on bad roads, more so from the rear suspension wich is not isolated enough. The Bettle was more compliant on bad roads. So do I love the car? A stunning YES. The point is don't test it back to back with a GTi/Jetta 2.0T... On the other end I'm stunned by the interior quality/materials. The level of standard features is simply amazing. The back passengers interior space is unbelievable. The ajustable center armrest is the best in the industry! The velours seat material is very pleasing and easy to maintain contrary to last generations velours. The shift mechanism is well defined and precise and better than the Beetle. The electro-machannical steering frees you from that anoying hydraulic sounds (apart from that I don't see any difference). And after a month not a single bugg/rattle. The sound system is a hair above average but decent. The 6 discs/MP3 in-dash changer is unique as a standard feature on a 4/5 door in this category and my best personal feature. I had no problem making mp3s with Acoustica CD burner and the Rabbit sound system shows artist/song and folders with this software. The 4 years garanty is a cut above the competition and contrary to what people tell, I never had a SINGLE problem with garanty repairs at my dealear.
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Replying to: xanax54 (Jun 30, 2007 9:01 am) You're right in saying that the Rabbit has a very even power band; it delivers good power throughout the RPM range, but not GREAT power anywhere. Nonetheless, my experience has been that the car "feels" quick the majority of the time, especially once you've adjusted to the gear ratios. I do disagree quite vehmently with your comments about the (premium) stereo. I believe, for a stock system, it's a phenomenal stereo system and I've been ecstatic with it from the start. The friendly, bright console, the large display, the ease of use, and quality of sound -- all of these are huge positives in my books. I think there's no doubt about build quality. It's an exceptionally solid and well-assembled car, and there's no question (IMO) that the fact that it's built in Germany makes a world of difference. As far as reliability goes...I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
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Replying to: xanax54 (Jun 30, 2007 9:01 am) a lot of 1.8t owners on vwvortex have commented on the power delivery of the rabbit; i believe that the torque is actually pretty close, but the rabbit delivers it without any turbo lag. there are many a 1.8t drivers on that website that switched to the 2.5 and have nothing but good things to say (most of them better than what they were saying about the 1.8t) about the engine. granted to each their own, and the 2.0t is a TOTALLY different ordeal. This cars engine is on par with entry level midsize sedans; to say it lacks torque basically mean you shouldn't compare it to anything under a 2.5 displacement engine, or anything that doesnt have forced induction. to say the rabbit isn't torquey makes less sense than saying it has less torque than a 1.8 turbo. |
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Replying to: sir_enitie (Jul 01, 2007 7:17 am) how was it a torquier engine than the rabbit when it was a 'dog' below 3000rpm? not even the rsx type s has as much torque as the rabbit, i think that k series only had like 140lbs of torque; did you have a type s? if not, its even worse, becasue the base rsx engine only had 135 lbs of torque. Do these engines like to rev more than the rabbit? oh yes, definitely. but are they 'torquier'? not a chance. the rsx (both base and type s) make their power high in the rpm band, thus needing to be revved; the exact opposite of whats commonly referred to as 'torquie'. I think there's no doubt about build quality. It's an exceptionally solid and well-assembled car, and there's no question (IMO) that the fact that it's built in Germany makes a world of difference. As far as reliability goes...I guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? totally agree; although the engine in our cars IS sourced from mexico, but everything else is wolfsburgian. if its any consolation, my rabbit is about to clear 23k in less than a year, and still no problems. 
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Finally. My 94 Toyota Camry has been dead for nearly 3 weeks, and I'm tired of being the passenger in my carpool. It feels good to finally be able to get behind the wheel of something that runs. Anyway, my buying experience. I picked up the 4 door United Gray with the Anthrawhatever Gray Interior, and the anti skid control. The model I saw in the lot also had a sunroof and 16 inch rims--not something I needed or was looking for, but I doubted I'd really be able to find a base model 4 door automatic in the color I wanted. I got the vehicle for 21,300 out the door after taxes, licensing, a $50 dollar dock fee, and destination. They even threw in the Gorilla gear floor mats (after I said that I could probably find them for $80 online) for the front and back, and the big mat for the hatchback along with a set of velcro shelve things for no extra charge. I did the math and it was like getting the vehicle for $900 below invoice. My Uncle who went with me made them give me $10 of gas also. I'm extremely happy with the price I paid, and the buying experience was great. I went in looking to get just a base model Automatic for 19,800 at best. I purchased it with 70 miles on the vehicle. I also asked about maintenance programs and extended warranties. The Finance guy was surprisingly cool, the only thing he tried to sell me was Lojack which I declined. I had to ask him about the maintenance and he basically said that "VW's are more expensive to maintain than Japanese cars. If you get the maintenance plan you're going to pay now instead of later." Not to mention that it is only good at the dealer I'm purchasing the maintenance program from. Eldaino's messages about his expensive maintenance, along with someone elses post about maintenance programs made me ask. I plan on putting about a 1,000 dollars away soon for a "expensive maintenance fund." So I am officially a Rabbit owner, and I have absolutely zero buyers remorse. I will try my best to drive frugally and get some decent MPG out of it in the next few months! -Abel |
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My math was a little bit off... as far as the "$900 below invoice" It was more like $750 below MSRP. Good enough for me.
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Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Jul 05, 2007 10:30 pm)  i'm suprised you couldn't find a base four door auto for less than high 19k; i've seen em without sunroof and rims with the auto for mid 18's. But anywho, you got some good options and the price is fantastic, so is the color! (my bunny is united gray as well!) I finally got around to changing the oil myself, it was no walk in the park initially, but now i got it down. I think i'll take her back to the dealer for a big service, like the 40k and then do the smaller ones myself again. At anyrate, congratulations man, enjoy your awesome new ride!
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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 06, 2007 4:40 am) Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll be sure to post here often.
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Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Jul 06, 2007 7:45 am)
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Hey all! I've never been a VW owner before and Im super excited!! ive been driving a 93 honda civic for the past 5 years and its been a tank! im looking forward to getting my new car here on tuesday and becoming a part of the chat!! any heads ups on the car? anything you wish you'd known from the get go but didnt? advice? let me know!! 
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