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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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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 12, 2007 7:19 am) I've always found it funny that all Canadian manuals follow extreme conditions (I'm not only talking VW here), whereas the moment you get across the border, it's back to the normal conditions. Since my climate (Toronto) is roughly the same as that of New England and other northeastern states, there should be no reason why that which applies to one shouldn't apply to the other. Whatever the reason, I think that changing oil every 5000mi is a good idea anyways. As far as fluid checks and tire pressures, every owner should do that on their own anyways. I could get on a rant about how owners "expect" their cars to operate maintenance-free in perpetuity, but I'll resist. |
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Averaging right around 24mpg after two tanks of gas and have driven around 550 miles with a little over 600 mpg on the odometer total. (I drive at least 500 mi a week). I've noticed my radio jump up in bass for a split second when merging on to the 134 in Taluca Lake today so I will have to turn that automatic radio adjusting thing off. Also: my dealer didn't tell me that the lumbar support knob on the passenger seat was broken. I'm guessing it was broken when they gave it to me, because a friend of mine who is an Audi owner (and was my first passenger) with the same kind of seats accidentally pulled the knob out. I will be taking it to the dealer soon for a repair. It doesn't bother me too much since I am never a passenger in my car, and so long as they fix it without hassle. The "Gorrilla gear" mats in my car are vey cool. but I notice there are little twistable knobs on the floor of my car that look like they're for the mats, and you slip them through on holes in the mat, and twist them so that the mat stays in place. My Gorrilla-gear rubber mats with the rabbit logos do not seem to fit very well over these. Any suggestions? I'll probably ask my dealer when I bring it in to have the seat fixed. Still love the car and all it's odds and ends, the 10 speaker system in the 4 door is freaking great and the car is getting more fun to drive every day. I am still driving very conservative, and when I start the engine cold it's RPM's are pretty high and I let it warm up. Once or twice even after waiting for the RPM's to drop when I shift my automatic tranny from park to reverse it makes a little bit of a grinding noise, but then seems to run just fine. Hopefully just part of breaking the engine in! |
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is this feature not standard on two doors? i havent noticed my music changing in volume
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Replying to: o_rabbit (Jul 12, 2007 10:35 pm) sharpedge: i've got the monster mats, they are rubber, and they fit just fine into the little plastic parts on the floor. |
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Since Saturday my wife and I are proud owners of a new 4-door manual, black Rabbit. It was a tough decision considering all the makes and models available in our desired (albeit stretched) price range, but ultimately we were won over when we took the bunny for a test drive. The only options we decided to splurge on are the sunroof and 16 inch alloy wheels, but with so many standard features we needed nothing else. In the end we got an excellent deal and were able to spend a bit more on extended warranty, paint and interior protection (10 years), and ding/dent/crack/whatever-God-throws-at-you protection as well. In the end, our total came out to around $21000. As part of dealer incentives we also have 3 free oil changes and free car washes for a lifetime. They filled up our tank, and with 26 miles on the odometer, we were out of there. And with not a moment to spare; ours was the only manual on the lot (it wasn't even ON the lot; it was inside the showroom and they had to move it out for us) and there was already another couple there ready to buy! My wife is an expert with a manual transmission, but I've never driven one except to practice in a parking lot in her 1992 Celica AllTrac (an exceptionally bitchy, unforgiving, and overall pain-in-the-ass transmission). But in this car the transmission feels so beefy and forgiving, and gear changes are literally under your fingers (short throw stick adds to the sporty feeling), that after 3 days I feel that the panic of street driving is starting to recede. And although many reviews (see Motortrend for example) complain about the engine being "thrashy", my wife can coax the most beautiful gutteral purrs out of that puppy. She even attempted to race a WRX from a light, and although we lost (naturally, the other car had twice the hp), our Rabbit kept itself composed and didn't whimper for a second. Which leads me to believe that it's all about how you drive it, and perhaps some editors' abilities to drive a manual leave much room for improvement. After owning a 2000 Hyundai Accent for 7 years, driving is once again become pure joy. Especially those quick trips to the store, with no fewer than 6 lights and stop signs in between, where I can revel in the fun of changing gears when I want to and practice my starts/stops. And we're still amazed by the whole "Raumwunder" characteristic: inside the car feels as spacious as an Accord or a Camry, yet outside the dimensions are smaller even than our old Accent. The black color and low stance give it a solid look, and the quality of its construction is felt throughout. Even the instrument panel is simple, friendly, and economical, and lacks nothing that the competing Japanese cars offer in their cluttered interiors. Anyway, I can continue with superlatives for a long time. Not to say that I don't have my critiques, but for the amount of money we spent we really feel like we got the perfect car for our current and near-future needs.
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Sorry in advance for another wordy post. I have reached the 1,000 mile point and my car is officially broken in 1 week and 4 days from purchasing it--averaging a little less than 24 mpg for now. It looks like my current tank is going to be significantly better MPG then my previous three. On the Tips and Advice section of the manual page 11 it says that for the first 600 miles that you shouldn’t drive any faster than "3/4 the top speed on the speedometer." My speedometer goes up to 160mph. Did this mean that as long as I lay off the gas, and made sure not to drive any faster than 120 mph for those first 600 miles I was breaking the car in nicely? And for the last 400 miles (600-1000 mi) I could’ve been gradually pushing the engine to its top speed, or it’s maximum permissible RPM. This was obviously meant for autobahn regulars?? I guess I was driving ULTRA conservatively keeping it under 80mph as often as I could remember. Now that I’m broken in, I find myself easily accelerating to nearly 90mph without even realizing it. I have 16 inch alloy rims, and drive with low AC on and still can’t believe how this vehicle is so quiet and smooth at high speeds. I’ve often got to rely on my cruise control, or be constantly check my speedometer to make sure that I am not driving at felony speeds on the Orange County and Los Angeles freeways. (When I manage to drive without traffic of course.) I Still have not taken my Rabbit in to the dealer to get my passenger seat fixed, but will eventually get this handled. My girlfriend along with one of my carpools that suffers from back pain enjoy the heated seats. They still seem like an unnecessarily posh standard feature on this car that just gives me a guilty smile when I think about them. There is absolutely NOTHING else out there in this price range that offers this hahaha. Eldaino: My Monster Mats must either be different, or need or have something removed in order to snap in to place. The holes that line up with the knobs on the floor seem much, much too small. They are the rubber mats with the rabbit logos on the sides, one more thing I’ll have the dealer check when I finally get a chance to bring my car in.
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Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Jul 18, 2007 2:21 am) alas i wish the two door had the heated seats! keep enjoying your ride man! i too find it terribly easy to go to fast. Even my buddy with the 300hp civic was suprised when he took a ride; he looked at the speedometer and said, 'dude we are really going that fast?'  Unless they meant the top governed speed (which is for the rabbit, 130 mph) i guess that yes you were babying it. But its ok, i did exaclty the same thing. |
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Replying to: rogerrabit (Jul 17, 2007 8:13 am) |
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Nearly 2000 miles on my United Gray 4 door. Noticed that this vehicle does not like discount gas. My first 3-4 tanks were from a local Shell station that I've always went to and that has really great prices, and usually no problems. BUT I noticed that the engine ran a little bit "burpy" and at times was concerned that one of my brake calipers might be frozen since It seemed like there was a "frictiony" feel when I accelerated, or even when I just rested my foot on the gas pedal, ESPECIALLY compared to when I went to a Mobile for my last tank, and now Chevron for my current tank. I've been only using Regular 87 Octane Gas. At first I thought it had to do with having the vehicle broken in but there's been a noticeable improvement in the quality of the drive since I filled up at Chev, and my perceived MPG Getting about 20-30 miles better than usual on each quarter tanks so far, and the overall feel on the gas pedal is much more smooth. (does this make sense? I'm trying to describe the vibrations of the engine you feel on your foot when it's on the throttle...) Anyway, hopefully this will finally boost me above 25 mpg + since I've painfully been driving this car conservatively and getting a less-than-mediocre 23-24 MPG. I don't want to start using 89 since the extra 10 cents a gallon defeat the purpose of going to Shell, so I'm willing to just get the 87 at a better gas station. The MPG could have something to do with ethanol content in some gasolines (since it is not as efficient as good old fashioned fossil fuel gas alone), but I haven't done my research yet. ******************************************************************** Still love this car, and now that I'm using (what I think is) a better fuel, the quality of the drive has made me loiter in my car for a minute or two when I pull in my drive way and contemplate doing a quick lap around the block....  I've also really started noticing all the subtle cool sounds this car makes, especially the shocks and suspension when going over a speed bump. The sleek pneumatic hiss the car makes when you go over a speed bump with the windows rolled down is niiiice. And the Straight-From-An-Airplane-Stewardess-DING the radio makes when you mute your radio, or your refuel light lights up is really fitting compared to all the annoying sounds so many other cars make. I will often mute the radio when I have a new passenger, saying "Listen to this" right before I try to find some speed bumps to take 'em over once I've muted the radio. . . 
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Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Jul 29, 2007 1:35 am) i like the sounds the bunny makes....i just didn't consider the shocks/bushings sound one of them. especially since i didn't notice it until about 15k. but maybe it was always there? 
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