2007 Volkswagen Rabbit - First Drive - Car and Driver

[hdug86989]

isn't that a VW Golf?

[ruthimegi]

i have this car and it is stolk..... it isnt slow...

[imanstark]

get the 2008 model it has 170hp. its decently quick, and has basically all of the attributes of the 07 model

[joemomma824]

i want this car!

[revanrogan]

dont forget this is the 2007 rabbit- 150 horsepower, the 2008 has 170

[icannotfly]

slow? i love my rabbit, but i'll admit that it doesn't have the world's best accelleration.

that being said, though, once i get up to speed on the highway, i don't have to slow down for ANYTHING. i can't even begin to imagine how many time's i've been blown past by a supercar, then screamed past it minutes later in a turn.

[n8554rgyi]

@icannotfly Really? The Rabbit has a skid pad rating of .81; the same as a Plain Jane Honda Civic sedan. And the VDub is SLOWER than said Civic from 0-60. Therefore it looks like the "super car" which you "screamed past" had slowed down for other reasons. Maybe to boost your ego a little? :)

[icannotfly]

@n8554rgyi amateur driver was my guess

[gkpawel]

in europe is it a golf and for 14000 euro you become a 1.4l engine with 75hp :D

[TheseYeahThese]

wow. i dont think its slow at all comparede to other similar cars.

[APurpleBox]

Looking to buy a new car, and iv bin looking at the 2007 Vw rabbit, is this thing actualy slow? because i want a powerful car.

[KoolCordell]

@APurpleBox in a word yes 8.5 to 60 mph with the manual my 1994 oldsmobile 88 did it in 9 back in the day maybe look at a gti not only better mpg figures but also much more power and 0 to 60 mph in 7.1 for the stick

[b0mccue]

@APurpleBox I bought a 2007 VW Rabbit 4 door new off the lot in 2007. I LOVE my car. I have the 6 speed automatic transmission with Triptronic. When it’s in “D” (Drive), the transmission is designed to try to keep the engine below 2k rpm for good gas mileage. This is why it has 6 gears. When you want POWER, shift it to “S” (Sport). This changes all the automatic shift points so you can take every gear to the edge of the red line. Tons of power and lots of fun!

[jakes88ful]

I own an '07 Rabbit, and what a POS. It was attractive and upscale looking when we bought it, but has had nothing but problems. That's not just me, it has bad reliabilty ratings overall. The 2.5 is the worst engine in it's class. Not a lot of power, terrible mileage for a small car, and the redline is a pathetic 5800 RPM. Sure it's handles well, but my sister, in her much cheaper Cobalt XFE, will beat me in a race, while getting a whole lot better mileage and reliability. I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT!

[MrVolkswagonRabbit]

I have one at the moment. Trust me, you'll fall in love with it =)

[G0nny]

The R32 was mk 4.

[MrCharming123]

Rabbit? What the heck...this is a GTI...

[Nebraskahusker23]

@MrCharming123 No...this is a rabbit

[Dante1969]

Per Example... Alfa 75 in the world, Alfa Milano in America.

What wrong with original names?

[Dante1969]

This is Vw Golf 5.

Rabbit was the name given from the american import to the very first mk1, because they don't know what is a Golf Gti.

You can even call this Supra Stardust, but it is Golf.

Stop giving weird name to cars that just have their name, because you are americans

[jakes88ful]

@Dante1969 It was the German marketing group that gave it the name Rabbit to appeal to young girls and homosexuals. It worked, but sales still fell due to it being uncompetitive, expensive and unreliable. The Americans didn't name it Rabbit, so stop bashing us for Germany's stupidity.

[bryantweiss]

The rabbit equipped with a 5 speed manual is a blast to drive...the torque comes in very low causing it to pull quite well..it certainly is not slow and driven right can be alot of fun

[OMWagghhh]

I just recently got my 06' 5 speed manual rabbit s, its 170-200 hp with minimalistic mods doesn't seem like much, but its light weight makes this car quick and a blast to drive, if you are thinking about purchasing a rabbit, its awesome, once you have your first test drive you'll fall in love

[triathlete007]

If it doesn't have a diesel, then it's not a true rabbit. Catch a clue VW!

[m1rchegfn]

why rabbit not golf ?

[internationalantifa]

America isn't Europe.

[DJTEVAdotCOM]

I personally thinks its too rounded...i prefer the last style before this one...though Ive seen the 2010 version is little more squared off and looking better than this model.

[jsics45]

I just bought myself the 3 door with the sport and comfort package, I have to say, its pretty quick, but the gas mileage so far isnt the BEST. The bi-xenon HID headlights are awesome to.

[JELH]

Volkswagen recently announced, they will be dropping the Rabbit nameplate on the sixth-generation Golf, when it goes on sale in USA and Canada in September 2009.

Rabbit no more. The new car will be sold as the Golf.

[Rabbitz106]

the 2007 only have 150hps the 2008/09 comes with the 170hp but still the statement as it slow is false. mine is 2007 an actually i think is pretty fast i have got to the top speed on highways and pretty quick. :D

anyways I love it!

[MoxleyMauser]

This video states the rabbit as slow, when really this is false. The rabbit equipped with 170hp gets from 0-60 in about 8 seconds. Really for a market Volkswagen, this is quick. Im not sure whether they are comparing it to the Civic si or the lamborghini gallardo..

[MrWankerSpanker]

I get tired of reviewers from C/D and R/T dogging every car as slow. They're used to driving 300+ HP cars home every night and taking all the high performance cars to the track so they have a pretty warped view of speed. I couldn't imagine what they'd say about my car with a 1/3 less power then this Rabbit.

[AnimepimpYT]

@MrWankerSpanker err..Slow?

[jorkjica]

hee hee! agree! He must have just test driven the lamborghini. My 2009 170 hp rabbit is actually quite ferocious when you want it to be so I couldn't see the 150 hp being too much slower. Even Consumers Reports states the rabbit cost significantly less than the GTI yet you get close to it in performance and handling - again this is the 2009 but again the 150 hp couldn't be that much slower?!?!

[oldtwins]

Agreed. It is hilarious calling this car slow. Want a slow econo car? Try the Chevy Aveo or Toyota Yaris. Those cars have anemic engines that make you sweat on the merges.

[Brandtalones]

I just put some money down on a two-door Rabbit. I noticed that this video's main gripe was with the power. I also noticed in their stats 150 hp instead of 170. Anyone know what they did to up the power? It's still the same size of engine.

I'm pretty psyched, needless to mention...

[MoxleyMauser]

I think 150hp is for the 2007 model, the new 2009 is 170hp.

[HesseJamez]

No registration number at the front side? Is it California?

[jadetraveler]

I had a 2006 Rabbit, and now I have a 2009. The 2009 has 170HP, which I think is pretty decent for this car. It got 170HP starting with the 2008 model year, I think. With the automatic in "sport mode", it takes off pretty quick.  And it can easily pass cars on the highway.

[DualofChaos]

the 2009 rabbit is much better than the 2006 model but you should have waited for the new rabbit coming out next year.

[jadetraveler]

I heard VW is planning to quit selling the Rabbit in the US because they aren't making money, due to the down economy and poor exchange rate. So I might not have been able to buy a 2010 model even if I wanted to.

Besides, I'm not a big fan of buying the first of a re-design. Since the 2010 model will be (at least somewhat) a re-design, it may have its quirks. Since the MKV Golf/Rabbit is at the end of its production cycle, VW has had the time to work out the major kinks with it.

[Psihomodo]

150 hp slow? Euro Golf with petrol 150 is more than fast, and even 1.9 TDI sticks you to the seat... What do the do to the US versions, choke them?? And this bragging with cylinder count for no reason? My god, a 3.4 V6 would drive you to the 250 km/h blockade in about 6-7 sec in an Euro or Jap version... with a turbo of course or better yet a "kompressor" ;)

[spoofish]

yeh its a Golf, i got one.. they got awsome handling and braking and shitloads of torque..

[OscarMaris]

They didn't just change the body style and name, genius, it's a brand new car and it's still the Golf in Europe. And you didn't say "the old golf" you just said golf. Mr. brainpower over here.

[TheAgent06]

The Golf still look classier. This rabbit reminds of those old cheap Honda Civic with the hatchback.

[soulstudio]

I'm not sure why some say the engine's noisy, it's one of the smoothest, most balanced and best sounding engine I have ever heard. If you look at the torque curve and 0-60 figure, it also beats all Japanese cars in its class. A flat torque curve sure doesn't feel as exciting as a top end specialist - VTEC, but hey, you are only being fooled by the sensation.

[sayfaylo]

the best way to know for sure is to test drive it and compare it yourself!

[jadetraveler]

I had a 2006 Rabbit and thought the engine was a little noisy. But now I have a 2009 and it seems quieter.

[TheAgent06]

VW holds its value and just looks good compares to Hyundai or Honda or Toyota that just look cheap in my opinion...the rabbit it is in the upper 15K as oppose to lower 15K from the other cars....u wan't find alot of people giving their VWs.

[DualofChaos]

the car is really good except for its crappy engine! fuel economy is 22MPG, thats worse than a 230 HP BMW 328i which has an extra cylinder. Its noisy and sounds like its dying when going faster, I would know since I drive a Jetta with the same engine. Buy a mazda 3 hatchback: same power + better mileage.

[arcadianraider]

Or get the diesel.

[DualofChaos]

I wish there was a diesel here for the U.S

[jadetraveler]

I bought a 2009 recently. If the diesel was offered here in the US, I may have bought the diesel version instead.

[jadetraveler]

Before I bought my 2009 Rabbit, I was comparing against the Mazda3 hatchback. Last I checked, the Mazda3 has a less powerful engine (156HP I believe, vs. 170 in the Rabbit) but is rated for the same fuel economy (around 22/29).

[jorkjica]

I LOVE my 2009 Rabbit. The 170hp engine is smooth and quiet and pulls incredibly!!!!

[MoxleyMauser]

True, but if it had 150 hp, you would get better mpg too.

[jorkjica]

True. I drive mine very conservatively keeping it in the 1000 to 2000 rpm range in city driving and have been getting 26 to 27 mpg. It is nice to have the power for safely maneuvering into freeway traffic...I just got tired of my other cars which took so long to accelerate; making getting on busy high speed freeways, a little difficult sometimes.

[GForceOfGroveStreet]

Volkswagen rules, big time!

[tosikforyou]

pffft...VTEC....sigh.....

rotary all the way

[FORCDIN]

The handling is great and interior materials are best in class. But the 2.5-liter isn't happing at high revvs. Give me a VTEC engine over the inline-5 any day!

[GerhardtKussel]

Your foolish. Japanese make poor engines. VW ist besser!

[GerhardtKussel]

This is my favourite small car. Better than the Opel Corsa. You have to get the R32 for most fun.

[homemadevids]

It's a cute little car, but I'll take the 2.0T GTI any day!

[jadetraveler]

I like the GTI, except for 2 things - As a turbo, it requires premium gas; and a turbocharger is one more thing that will eventually fail and need fixing. Without the turbocharger, the GTI's engine would have less power than the 5cyl engine.

[audis4mister]

i saw bring back the beautiful Vr6 engine

[jadetraveler]

Oh really? I hadn't heard about them bringing back the VR6 engine. That would be cool.