2007 Volkswagen Rabbit
It’s a practice repeated more often than you may imagine. Automakers look for Mother Nature creations to name their vehicles. Can’t think of any? Let me help: Include the following words to this sentence “I drive a…” The words are: Stingray, Barracuda, Hornet, Tercel, Eagle, Firebird, Sun bird, Thunderbird (am I missing any birds?) Bronco, Beetle, Cougar, Mustang, etc. I could go on and on with the animal kingdom. The German maker is not any different and instead of creating, it re-created an icon that lived for ten years—from 1974 to 1984 to be more specific.
The VW Rabbit is nimble and quick, requiring short stopping distances and small turning spaces. It proved ideal for squeezing through tight urban streets and sliding into small parking places. With a 2.5 L engine and a firm suspension system, the 2007 Rabbit is available with a choice of a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic Tiptronic® transmission. At the heart of the Rabbit is the 2.5-liter, inline five-cylinder, dual-overhead camshaft engine delivering 150 horsepower at 5,000 revolutions per minute. A 170 lbs.-ft. of torque develops at 3,750 rpm, with 90 percent available from 1,750 rpm to 5,125 rpm.
If you prefer a higher level of your own noise, Volkswagen has added an auxiliary audio jack to the Rabbit. Our test drive came equipped with an iPod adapter, which proved to be somewhat complicated to use. I found it difficult to use my own playlist on my iPod seeing that the radio display showed some confusing double digit track number instead of the artist name and song. I also couldn’t shuffle manually to my favorite playlist because all it showed on my iPod screen was VW’s logo with the song selected by the Rabbit. Good effort on VW’s part but a simple aux jack alone would have solved my musical frustration. 
As VW’s entry level car, the two-door Rabbit with five-speed manual transmission starts at $14,990. What it lacked with the iPod jack, it made up for in other areas. Its fuel efficiency is not compromised for driving performance in this latest version of the Rabbit. The EPA estimates fuel efficiency at 30 miles per gallon in highway driving, and 22 mpg in city driving. 
4 comments:
Seems nice enough for a small five-door. Does it have alloy wheels or just wheel covers?
It does have alloy wheels available. They can opt for either the 16" Magny Cours Alloy Wheel Package ($400 - including the 16" wheels and P205/55R16H AS tires) or you can fork out a little more and have the P225/45R17 91H AS (PIA) Tires with the 17" Wheels Silver Vision V Alloy Upgrade (PIA).
I may have to test drive the Rabbit. I'm starting to shop for my own car and I'm looking for something fairly inexpensive but sporty and fun.
The Rabbit would be a good pick. This is what VW stated in a recent press release: In a comparison test of six entry-level sedans, the editors of Car and Driver ranked the 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit first. Other vehicles included entries from Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota. The results appear in the December 2006 issue of the magazine.
The Rabbit swept top rankings in several vehicle attribute categories, including driver comfort, ergonomics, features and amenities and exterior styling. More importantly, editors scored the Rabbit highest in the subjective experience categories of “Gotta Have It” and “Fun to Drive.”
“This acknowledgement reflects upon the Rabbit’s distinctly German-engineered ‘driver’s car’ image, as well as its exterior and interior design qualities,” said Adrian Hallmark, executive vice president, Volkswagen of America, Inc.
The Rabbit made its return to the U.S. market this June, having been previously marketed from 1975 through 1984. It has posted year-to-date sales of 8,245 units through October, more than doubling the monthly average posted by its Golf predecessor. Available in both two-door and four-door hatchback body styles, the Rabbit starts at $14,990.
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