After seeing the Rabbit commercial and noticing that it starts at $14,990, I got curious and went on the VW website to see what consumers get for $14,990.

I gotta say, I am pretty impressed with the standard equipment they offer.

Here is some of the standard stuff you get with The 2-Door 14,990 model:

-5-cylinder 2.5 (150hp- 170trq)
-Independent suspension
-ABS, 4 wheel
-Front, Side & thorax Airbags
-Power windows, locks
-CD-Player, mp3 readable, 10 speaker sound system
-Remote Entry, folding keys
-6-way adjustable drivers seat
-Road assisstance for 4 years, no charge
-Anti-theft security system (Immobilizer system)
-side mirror blinkers
-the usual (cupholders, 5-speed manual, yada yada yada...) http://www.vw.com/vwcom/content/obje...bbit_specs.pdf
- a nifty box to hold all of this stuff

 

wow....that is nice for standard equipment....Cruise control too!

 

It is kinda sad that "independent suspension" is noted. It's usually a given. Yes - I'm aware that other cars on the market beside the Mustang also have rear beam axles - just not performance ones. That car does look good - just heard the brand's reliability not that great. I especially like the fact it doesn't have that silly chrome "mouth" in the photo like the GTI or the current crop of Audis. IMO, this looks much better.

 

i think the reason that VW is advertising the independent rear is because VW in the first four generations of golf/rabbit and jetta used a solid beam axle, and one of the quirks of the mkV is that they went to independent all around.

as for reliability..... i drive a 99 jetta daily and it has never left me stranded. for 14990 your in a nicer, higher quality, larger car than all the new ultra minis that are coming out from the japanese makes.

 

Forgot to add about the sweet dual chrome exhaust tips

 

Unless I'm in Europe again, I would never drive Volkswagen.

 

Why?

 

I heard many negative things about Volkswagen in the US. Few of my friends had Golfs and many of them had engine and transmission problems.
Other than that, I don't think they're worth money. Friend of mine recently got brand new Passat 2.0L and I think that car is not worth $24,000.

 

i think the newer vw's are fine. The new 5 cylinder has a funky sound to it. The quality in the interior is extremely nice for the price. THat new 2.0l engine is awesome. 200hp, direct injection, they got rid of almost all the nasty vacuum problems.

vw's are great enthusiast cars, for the person that likes working on it himself. Engine problems, the worst i had was a bad coil, so i converted it to an msd blaster 2. Yeah they're automatic trans stinks for a fwd auto... so just buy the stick!!!

 

The only thing I can find fault with this car is the name Rabbit. Yeah, I understand it's a marketing thing but still...

This is a lot of car for the money. If I weren't moving to Europe next year I'd seriously consider buying one.

 

I would have to agree with Zoran-VW has many engineering/build issues here. A ggod friend of mine works as a tech with a VW store and has related the amount of work these cars require.
On a good note-he did say that they are getting better, though.

BTW love the commercial

 

the commercial is great, yes vw's take work. Bt for the money, the aftermarket support, the fun to drive factor, and how nice they are. and their awesome marketing, i personally enjoy driving a vw very much.

but the mustang will be better

 

Of course! Especially the Mustang you have on order

 

There is also another reason why I don't like Volkswagens. Where I'm originally from, Volkswagen is "the car". There are more of them than Yugos on the streets and my dad used to own one when we were living in Serbia.
So I never wanted to be like everybody else, I wanted to have different car than anyone else. One of my favorite cars while I was living in Europe was Fiat Tipo.

Here in the US, many Serbs are driving Volkswagens because of the reputation they have in Serbia.

 

It speaks well of VW that you have to try that hard to talk yourself into disliking the brand.

 

lol yeah. you have to prove to yourself that you dont like a brand.

kind of like me and general motors. WORST CARS EVER

 

I personally like this car a lot for what it is. It is in my long list of "would-be" new cars I might buy in the very near future

 

Well just to chime in I have had a lot of problems with my 97 gti. In fact, I've spent more fixing it than I paid for it. I think it is pretty well known that VW's have reliabilty issues which is a major reason why they are sell so few cars in the U.S. now.

 

i dont know, i think the day of the week adage works a lot on vw's, i guess mine was just a wednsday car. but i have not had many problems, really not any. and from what i have heard the new mvv platform is working really well. The early mxiv's were horrible though.

 

Only time will tell... I'll keep my eyes open on consumer reports and carsurvey before i buy any car.