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i have worked the dealer auctions 3 times a week for the last 4 years... i have only seen 3 vehicles spontaneously burst into flames while going through the sale -- 2 of them were VWs and one was an Audi... all of them were model year 2001 and newer...
My friend just got the '08 Rabbit. Nice car, both cars have a lot of standard features, one of the things I like about his Rabbit is the auto down AND up windows for both driver and passenger. Also the 5 cylinder sounds absolutely MEAN with exhaust and intake, unbelievably mean. However he only gets at best about 23mpg. I average about 33mpg in the 5MT Fit. Rabbit also seems to be a bit bigger, much wider. It's also significantly faster than the Fit. For the most part I'd say your biggest choice would be better MPG, not as fast but more nimble in the Fit; or less MPG, faster, less nimble but more interior space in the Rabbit.
No not speed, I know the obvious outcome of that.;)
I have driven both and I don't know about the nibble comment the rabbit is surprisingly quick in twisties. I'm am not so much concerned with gas mileage. Just a fun little car that I can take spirited drives in.
Surprising because it's an overweight 3000 pound car? It may be nimble for the simple fact that it's a small size car but between the two the Fit is always going to out handle it and the 08s will always be faster.
The 2.5L Rabbit is probably okay, though mpg is lousy for the HP. OTOH, the lousy mpg will be consistent!
The 2.0T in the GTI is going to be check engine light city.
Fit has no torque band. The Fit's lighter weight sucks on California's messed up freeway roads, unfortunately. Conspiracy, I tell you. Fit should be miles more reliable than Rabbit or GTI.
If I were VW, I would have used a VR4 before that inline-5 motor...
Well, since you posted on the Fit forum, you must want a Fit.
Also, I hear there are lots of maintenance issues with VW cars. Check Consumer Reports - VW cars do not have a good reliability rating. Honda has excellent reliability ratings. None of the VW cars are recommended by Consumer Reports. Pretty much ALL Honda cars are recommended... Seems to me like an easy decision to make.
And best of all: both MPG and the very low emissions of the Fit feels very environmentally responsible.
The 2.5L Rabbit is probably okay, though mpg is lousy for the HP. OTOH, the lousy mpg will be consistent!
The 2.0T in the GTI is going to be check engine light city.
Fit has no torque band. The Fit's lighter weight sucks on California's messed up freeway roads, unfortunately. Conspiracy, I tell you. Fit should be miles more reliable than Rabbit or GTI.
If I were VW, I would have used a VR4 before that inline-5 motor...
I looked at the Rabbit before I bought my Fit, but now I'm sorry I bought the Fit. The paint on the Fit is very thin. The carpet is extremely cheap and I have holes in it already. Lack of armrest is annoying. Finally, car is needs more power. The car is put together with typical Honda quality, but you can tell how they got the costs down to sell it so cheaply.
My wife's daily driver is an 06 Jetta with the 2.5 5 speed, so it's a very similar platform to the new Rabbit, although the 08's did get a HP bump. Ny daily driver is an 07 Fit Sport 5 speed.
Fit pros: Gas mileage is ridiculous (in a good way), handling is great, car is very easy to drive, nice interior, loads of versatility.
Fit cons: Could use more power, but in fairness, it is not designed to be a fast car. I certainly didn't buy one with the feeling it would be a rocket. I find it perfectly adequate and with the handling it does have, it's also very fun.
Jetta pros (assume they would be similar to the Rabbit): Pretty good power from the 2.5, great interior, very comfortable on long trips, everything is built "heavy", very safe car, feels planted to the road.
Jetta cons: mileage isn't as good as the Fit (although it isn't poor), quite a heavy clutch and not as "easy" to drive as the Fit.
Both cars have been extremely reliable thusfar, with my Fit needing a rad hose leak fixed after about a week of having it and the Jetta not needing any repairs since new.
Around town I'd lean towards the Fit. If it's being used on the highway more or for longer trips, I'd go with the VW.
Linear Mode
