2007 Motor Trend Car of the Year: Testing and Finalists
Needs More hop to get out of the hole
By Allyson Harwood
Volkswagen has brought the Rabbit name back to the compact segment for the U.S. market. It replaces the previous-generation's Golf with an all-new model that sports a cute bunny badge here, but will still be sold as the Golf around the globe.
While affordable, pocket-rocket performance and a terrific, neck-snapping powertrain are the cornerstones for the awesome GTI, those elements don't translate over to the Rabbit, which is a shame. We weren't expecting the turbocharged 2.0-liter four from the GTI, but something in the same family would've been nice. Value is the highest priority for the Rabbit, and that becomes clear as soon as you start the engine. The two- or four-door Rabbit is currently offered only with a 150-horsepower, 2.5-liter inline-five, an engine that was unfortunately the item that stood out the most for judges. It got our four-door Rabbit to 60 in 8.0 seconds and through the quarter mile in 16.1 at 85.3 mph, which aren't bad numbers. The problem was how the engine achieved them. The five lacks refinement and feels primitive. It's thrashy and harsh and seems as if it's been pulled from another era. It keeps this four-door from being fun to drive and distracts from the car's many positive attributes.
The Rabbit itself is everything you'd expect from Volkswagen: dark, yet well-designed interior, comfortable, supportive seats, weighty steering, good cargo space, and impressive brake feel. It's stable and well planted at speed, feeling more substantial than its $15,620 base price implies. The Rabbit also contains such impressive standard equipment as an electronic differential lock, dual front and front/rear side curtain airbags, and a tilt/telescope steering wheel, making it a good value for the money. We just wish it had a different engine.
| 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit |
| Base price range | $15,620-$18,695 |
| Price as tested | $19,845 (4-door) |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, FWD, 5-pass, 2- or 4-door hatchback |
| Engine | 2.5L/150-hp/170-lb-ft DOHC 20-valve I-5 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| Curb weight (f/r dist) | 3093 lb (60/40%) |
| Wheelbase | 101.5 in |
| Length x width x height | 165.8 x 69.3 x 58.2 in |
| 0-60 mph | 8.0 sec |
| Quarter mile | 16.1 sec @ 85.3 mph |
| Braking, 60-0 mph | 124 ft |
| 600-foot slalom | 65.5 mph, avg |
| Lateral acceleration | 0.77 g, avg |
| MT figure eight | 28.4 sec @ 0.57 g, avg |
| EPA city/hwy fuel econ | 22/30 mpg |
| SUM UP | Shares Platform With Gti--But Comparing Them Is Like Comparing Dr.Jekyll With Mr. Hyde. |
| Bet you didn't know | The decision to change the name was so last minute, the first Rabbits shipped to the U.S. were actually badged as Golfs. |
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