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Japanese Vs. German

12 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM

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#1 of 12 Japanese Vs. German by ronwen Dec 28, 2007 (2:11 pm)
Hello to all ... Tomorrow I venture from the safe confines of Honda products into my 1st test drive of a German engineered vehicle. Although German Eng. is supposedly synonomous to excellence, I've stuck to the proven track record ( Consumer Reports ) of Hondas for 30-years. Can anyone give their take on what their initial experiences were if / when they made a similar move? My interests are in a 2-dr. 2008 VW Rabbit.                    Thanks , Ron S...
#2 of 12 I have made that move. by benpolovick Jan 03, 2008 (6:54 pm)
I recently purchased my second brand new car- a 2008 Volkswagen Rabbit, 2 door manual. The first car that I purchased brand new was a 2000 Honda Civic DX. My civic was a great economical car and suited my needs well at the time (I was 20 when I bought it). After the Civic I purchased a used, but in excellent condition, Acura Integra- another Honda. The Integra was similar to the Civic, but had better performance and slightly better materials and build. I was very happy with both cars and was quite Honda-minded by that time.   The timely introduction of the new Rabbit and clever VW marketing caught my attention back in 2006. Though I wasn't in the market for a new vehicle at that time, I had been wondering what it would be like to drive one ever since. Now, in 2008, I was ready to buy a new car and had been hooked by the new Civics. I was pretty sure that I wanted one until I test drove the Rabbit. I quickly forgot about any interest in Civics after experiencieng the sweet German ride. I'm not sure which VW model you're interested in, but one common denomenator between all VW's (and German cars for that matter) is that they are very well built- firm, strong, tough, rigid, and solid. German cars have noticeably better build quality than Hondas or Toyotas- just drive one and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about. My rabbit is a small car and is by no means a tank, but it feels as strong as one.   A comparable Honda or Toyota to my Rabbit will have an equivalent or slightly higher price tag and will have less performance. Though, they will have better MPG, it's not worth it for the decrease in power, in my opinion. For me, the Rabbit was a perfect balance of economy and performance- not the most gas savvy, but also not the weakest. VW could easily make a car as gas-economical as Honda, but it would be at the expense of performance- something I love dearly about my Rabbit. It has great acceleration for it's class.   As far as reliability goes... take care of your car and get regular maintenance done. If you do that any car will last as long as a Honda or Toyota. That's my take. Cheers! Replies to this message: ronwen (Jan 03, 2008 9:03 pm) extech2 (Jan 05, 2008 3:44 pm) vdubsalesguy (Jan 09, 2008 5:11 pm) benpolovick (Jan 09, 2008 5:44 pm) eldaino (Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm)
#3 of 12 Re: I have made that move. [benpolovick] by ronwen Jan 03, 2008 (9:03 pm)
Replying to: benpolovick (Jan 03, 2008 6:54 pm) Ben -   I did take that Rabbit test drive last week, and must say that your observations cer- tainly echo my initial feelings after the test spin. Strong, solid, road hugging, etc. The only downside is that I must make my 1st VW / German ride in an automatic. After driving for over 40 + years I must look into purchasing my 1st "non-stick". Health related reasons are why the this change must occur.   I'm in the midst of negotiations with the dealer and hope we can finalize a deal this weekend - - - - if so it will be a 4-dr, w/ alloy wheels, ESP, Sirius satellite, mats and mud flaps,,,,,,,,,,, my wife shot me down on the 2-dr. Hatch. It still looks like it will be a fun car, and maybe the Tiptronic will help me forget it's not a Stick. Replies to this message: extech2 (Jan 05, 2008 3:44 pm)
#4 of 12 Re: I have made that move. [ronwen] by extech2 Jan 05, 2008 (3:44 pm)
Replying to: ronwen (Jan 03, 2008 9:03 pm) We have a 04 Honda Accord V6 auto and an 07 VW GTI DSG auto so I can compare them. They are equally quick; the Accord is more comfortable; it cost less to maintain; it has the same gas mileage. But the VW is much more fun to drive and it feels more secure at higher speeds- 80 mph or higher.
#5 of 12 German! by dsg_master Jan 07, 2008 (5:18 pm)
German all the way!!!!
#6 of 12 Re: I have made that move. [benpolovick] by vdubsalesguy Jan 09, 2008 (5:11 pm)
Replying to: benpolovick (Jan 03, 2008 6:54 pm) Volkswagen could easily make a more fuel effecient car, but at the expense of safety. VW carries more weight because of side-impact door beams, Safety cell construction, more airbags, double wall doors, etc. Most people would not give up these safety features to pick up 1-2mpg. Glad you like your Rabbit Replies to this message: benpolovick (Jan 09, 2008 5:44 pm) eldaino (Mar 24, 2008 12:05 pm)
#7 of 12 Re: I have made that move. [vdubsalesguy] by benpolovick Jan 09, 2008 (5:44 pm)
Replying to: vdubsalesguy (Jan 09, 2008 5:11 pm) The laws of physics say that, just by virtue of a car being made heavier, it has more momentum and resistance to being plowed over upon impact. I know the extra weight on VW's is a big factor as to why they feel less like tin cans than Hondas, but I feel as if the materials themselves which VW's are composed of are of higher quality and strength. I would love to see the German Engineers find a way to reduce curb weight by a few hundred pounds without sacrificing the build quality and integrity. This could help a little with gas mileage. My Rabbit is averaging about 24 mpg, mixed driving. That's acceptable, but I wish it could be just a little better. I still love my Rabbit though and am thus far very happy I chose it over the Civic.
#8 of 12 08 Rabbit by tdibob Mar 03, 2008 (6:10 am)
I have decided to get a Rabbit. 2 Dr or 4 Dr is the question. Are seats on 4 Dr. more comfortable.? Cloth seats vs velour seats ? Like the 2 Dr for a sporty look. Replies to this message: ronwen (Mar 03, 2008 9:10 am) tdibob (Mar 04, 2008 4:59 am) ronwen (Mar 04, 2008 5:28 am)
#9 of 12 Re: 08 Rabbit [tdibob] by ronwen Mar 03, 2008 (9:10 am)
Replying to: tdibob (Mar 03, 2008 6:10 am) Yes, the 2-dr looks more sporty, but once inside and actually motoring I don't think you'll notice the difference-------- my 4-dr really handles well.   As soon as the weather breaks I'm going to have the body side moldings painted black. My Rabbit is white & the black side moldings on the 2-dr are what ( I think) gives it a more sporty appearance.   As far as the seats I'm very satisfied with the cloth.   Hope I've helped - - - Ron S .. Replies to this message: tdibob (Mar 04, 2008 4:59 am) ronwen (Mar 04, 2008 5:28 am)
#10 of 12 Re: 08 Rabbit [ronwen] by tdibob Mar 04, 2008 (4:59 am)
Replying to: ronwen (Mar 03, 2008 9:10 am) Thanks for your input. I need to sell my BMW325i with low miles first. I have to go back to automatic transmission as I am having sciatica problem. Shifting is painful sometimes. Replies to this message: ronwen (Mar 04, 2008 5:28 am)

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