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Volkswagen Rabbit Reviews & News from the Pro's (CR, C&D, Edmunds, etc.)

21 messages,  Last post on Nov 06, 2006 at 12:14 PM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen Rabbit, Hatchback

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#12 of 21 Re: Snooty VW Dealers [orbit9090] by dc_driver Jul 13, 2006 (8:58 am)
Replying to: orbit9090 (Jul 13, 2006 4:34 am) I have to agree with you here. That has been my experience with two out of the three local VW dealers in my area. As for customer service when there is an issue, VW is by far worse than any other car manufacturer I have owned. Not just snooty, but incompetent.   I will not even go into all of the reliability and customer service issues I had with my 99 Jetta (VR6) that I leased for three years except to say that I got out of the lease 6 months early and swore it would be many, many years before I bought another VW. I recently was in the market for a sporty compact car and, while I liked the look and feel of the new Rabbit, just could not pull the trigger based on reliability and customer service concerns. I bought a Mazda 3 instead...   That said, I think the Rabbit is exactly what VW needs, except they missed the ball on fuel economy. The Rabbit is not bad, but now is the time to have a car that gets 30+ MPG. Sales of the Toyota Corolla are up 30+ %, Honda Civic 28%, and Mazda3 almost 20% over this same time last year. Replies to this message: micweb (Jul 13, 2006 9:29 am) backy (Jul 13, 2006 3:18 pm) rgarner (Jul 13, 2006 6:36 pm)
#13 of 21 Re: Snooty VW Dealers [dc_driver] by micweb Jul 13, 2006 (9:29 am)
Replying to: dc_driver (Jul 13, 2006 8:58 am) The Golf/Rabbit is an odd car (in terms of size and gas mileage).   It is sized like a Corolla/Civic, for example, but weighs more like an Accord/Camry, and consumes gas more like an Accord/Camry.   I think in Europe the size, weight, insulation from NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) make the Golf/Rabbit equivalent to an Accord/Camry over here - except that it is 3/4 size.   So if you are a fan of small but great cars (as I am - I owned a 2001 and 2004 Golf), the Golf/Rabbit is very appealing. But you aren't going to get Corolla/Civic mileage.   On the other hand, I don't think the Rabbit value can be beat. What other car comes with so much stock safety equipment at that price (or at all)? Including an antislip differential, which has to be great in the snow.   Try pricing out the Focus hatchback with the safety package that only includes front side airbags/curtains, and not full length curtain protection. And try finding Mazda3's with side curtain airbags. Scarce.   The Civic/Corolla only weigh 2500 or so pounds, well under the IIHS recommendation for "midsize" weight/safety. The Rabbit is closer to 3100 pounds, putting it up an entire level in the safety classes.   Finally, where else can you get a 150 hp, 170 lb-ft engine, 5 cylinders at that? And it STILL gets the same gas mileage as the 115 hp, 4 cylinder engine it replaces. (And VW, in my experience, doesn't "fake" its mileage numbers the way other companies do - it's one of the few cars where I actually GOT my freeway rating in freeway driving. Other cars promise 35 or 38, but deliver 5 mpg less.) Replies to this message: backy (Jul 13, 2006 3:18 pm) rgarner (Jul 13, 2006 6:36 pm)
#14 of 21 Re: Snooty VW Dealers [micweb] by backy Jul 13, 2006 (3:18 pm)
Replying to: micweb (Jul 13, 2006 9:29 am) About the only car I can think of that comes close to or even betters the Rabbit in standard safety equipment for about the same money is the Sonata, which includes ESC as standard, and also ABS with EBD, active front head restraints, and 6 airbags for a couple hundred more list than the Rabbit 5-door. The Sonata is a larger car but has more power (Rabbit has a little more torque) and gets better fuel economy. However, the Rabbit has the ASD and also offers rear side airbags as an option (although ESC is an option rather than standard). Replies to this message: rgarner (Jul 13, 2006 6:36 pm)
#15 of 21 Safety, Sonata and built in Deutschland by rgarner Jul 13, 2006 (6:36 pm)
Replying to: backy (Jul 13, 2006 3:18 pm) Someone asked where the current Rabbit's are birthed. To my knowledge they're being built in Wolfsburg.   Personally, I'm glad that my Rabbit is built in Deutschland. However, it probably means less and less that a German car is actually built in Germany, since all the manufacturers are having to replicate quality in different countries. Sometimes a car is a piece of junk regardless of where it's built. My Focus was junk, and I don't think it would have mattered if it was built by Jose in Mexico, Rick in Ohio or Jurgen in Germany.   In terms of safety, the Rabbit is definitely in a different class than my Civic. In the land of Suburbans and Hummers, I feel so much safer in my Rabbit. That's important to me.   My wife has the new Sonata, which definitely has a host of safety features. I just wish they would start putting some effort into the interior design and layout. It's butt ugly inside, but the wife doesn't care.
#16 of 21 VW Scores Jump in JD Powers Survey by jpmccormac Jun 29, 2006 (8:16 am)
According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) StudySM released today Volkswagen is the most improved nameplate (I think I read elsewhere that VW moved from 24th to 14th place.). The survey measures owner delight with the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles.   Full report here: http://tinylink.com/?W3unZOeTKe
#20 of 21 The focus... by Sylvia STAFF Jul 22, 2006 (5:37 am)
of this discussion is for reviews writting by the various magazines and sites and not your personal experience with VW's.   We can have a discussion to debate the reliability of the Rabbit specifically, but it needs to be a separate discussion.   Thanks!
#21 of 21 Snootalicious by eldaino Nov 06, 2006 (12:14 pm)
The vw dealer i recently bought my rabbit from was the best dealer i have ever dealt with; sales person was very easy to deal with and not pushy or arrogant at all! By far the best experience i have ever had. But i also understand not every vw dealer may be like this; unless you have 'been to them all' its hardly worth judging what everyone's buying experience will be just because of the make they choose. and i agree with micweb; the rabbit seems to cater to a little bit different audience, don't ever go into thinking you'll get civic mileage, but then again the sticker in regards to horsepower and milege estimates are dead on whereas a lot of other automotive companies seem to exaggerate a little bit.

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