Just wondering what everyone thought of the Vw Rabbit- it seems to be winning hatchback comparisons in C&D mag for 2 consecutive years. Other than mpg and price what would be advantages of the Fit vs. the Rabbit? They seem to have similar cargo space, etc..

 

rabbit is a vdub and from what I understand newer model vdubs have allot of keepup involved.

 

Vw's have always had a lot of upkeep involved and that will never change.
So WERD

 

funny that you mention it, cause starting in 09, vw's will come with free service for the first 3 years of ownership.;)

 

Nice little car (Well pretty big if you factor in the near 3000lb curb weight). My friend has one, with a cat-back exhaust it's one of the sexiest sounds ever. Loads of torque too... although with i/h/e my fit kept up with his until 3 gear. Both cars share similarities and differences. One thing to note - he had to have his brakes completely replaced at 8000 miles, and now about 4 months later the problem is happening again. It's under warranty but how many times will it do it, especially once the warranty is up? Also his best mileage to date was 27 and that was when he tried to get good mileage. But it really is a nice car you would have to check it out yourself and see which one you like better as both are missing things the other has.

 

I'll help you out here. I think i'm the only (or at the very most one of the only few) fit freakers who also owned a rabbit.

I had a 2 door 2007, auto transmission, 16inch alloys. It was a great car.


Before everyone comes into this thread saying 'vw this and vw that', take this into consideration: even consumer reports RECOMMENDS the rabbit now. yep, it gets the same little red check mark that the civic and fit get.

Obviously, fuel economy is going to be a fit high point, but it basically boils down to this: youll be able to go just as far, but the rabbit is going to cost you about 10-12 bucks more to fill up, because of its much larger gas tank. It actually gets gas mileage on par with an accord, while offering more torque and similar hp. Its also on par with cars in its price range that offer engines that big(like the 2.3 mazda 3.)


i understand why you are comparing the 2, the rabbit has a very friendly base price: too friendly in fact. VW is loosing money on every single one they sell, because the content doesn't match the price. They are ridiculously nice on the inside, and they have a great handling/ride balance. These are the things that have been helping it win comparisons. Its a quick little car too: the version i had was the 150hp version, and they have upped it to 170, and the last 170hp version car and driver tested went from 0-60 in 7.6 seconds, which is dangerously close to cars like the si sedan. (edmunds put it at 7.1. in all fairness, c and d got thier si to do the same deed in about 6.8 seconds.)

the fit does haul more cargo though. and the fit has better steering feel and better body roll control. The rabbit has a better ride and much better high speed stability. just depends what you want! both great cars.

FYI, i had my rabbit (and 07) for a year and 30k. No issues whatsoever, just wanted something that wasn't so costly to service. (which is the only big downside.)

 

i will agree on the exhaust note, it was sexy as hell and i miss it. I go compliments on it from neighbors all the time, thinking it was a v6 or a diesel. :)

 

My friend has the 08, I don't think there's much difference in exhaust note but with an intake and custom 2.5" cat-back... OMG that I5 sounds beautiful. It's fairly nimble too for what it is. I haven't owned one but I have driven his a few times, it was pretty nice to drive too although the 2008s suffered major from rev rang. We brought it down to a VW tuner shop locally though and they made a ecu reflash for the 2008s based of his car that included fixing the rev hang. Aside from his brake issues it really is a nice car. And if someone was looking at them I'd suggest seriously considering it.

 

dunno about the brakes, as that has always been an audi/vw weak point, but i wonder if the rev issue has to do with the newly updated engine(which is new for 08 and has the extra 20 poines.)


I miss it a lot actually, it was a hell of a stable car (great suspension tuning and its a bit porky.) and super safe. My exhaust was stock, but i can only imagine what it sounds like. is it a custom exhaust? or an actual brand? i know that borla and nuespeed make exhausts for it.

 

The Rabbit was on my list of choices when I was shopping for a new car. But the history and consumer reports of reliability kept me away. Specially since I am the type that owns/drives a car until it dies for the most part. So once I get past the warranty, I might get hosed.

 

thats too bad, since this generation rabbit is now reccomended by them. i had no issues with mine.


now mkIV's are a hit or miss, but the latest generation has done WORLDS better.

 

I was orig. considering the GTi... and maybe should have driven the rabbit...but I was wanting to get as close as I could to having something that was versitle, and most of all depenable. Hondas are the Glock of cars (built to be dependable...>> although they're not from Austria) and that's a big factor....the nimble handeling,mileage, go-cart ride, and fun-factor are just icing on the cake for my love for my fit!
:D

 

I have to say I love the look of the Rabbit. But since I have been a VW nut since 88" I have learned that I don't want to work on them anymore. I also help start a VW/AUDI Tuner shop in Maryland and have tons of time playing with Audis/VWs. And I love VAG vehicles but when I had to make a decision on reliablility I bought a Honda. Also VAG vehicles sound awesome tuned!

 

wow! congrats to everyone who has participated...i think we have just hit a milestone. More than 5 posts in a vw related thread and no real negativity!;)


you guys are making me miss my rabbit even more.


but again, in all fairness, the fit def has its merits. its more 'chuckable' has a more direct connection to the road, and has more performance parts going for it. and fuel economy,while not bad for what the rabbit is/does, is still in favor of the fit. cost to own is better too.

to me, the rabbit would be a great dd to have with a few minor mods, in addition to a project car, be it a honda or otherwise.

 

Will a rabbit run on 87 octane?

 

yep, it sure does. i remember it saying on my gas cap that if i wanted 'optimal' performance, i could put in premium, but only 87 octane was required. this snippet is not seen in the manual or anywhere on vw's site, so it may just be a weird german thing.


i did put premium in a few times, but i never noticed a difference.

 

If u had any work done to it we usually recommended a higher octane.

 

hmmm....i know that if i had any ecu stuff done i probably would, but seeing as how VW extracted 20hp and 7lbsft of tq more without making the jump to 91, i think there would be little reason to do so, unless you went F.I., which if i'm not mistaken, there is only one kit in development.


basically for mods on a rabbit, you are limited to i/exhaust, suspension mods and wheels/tires. that and various 'EDM' styling parts.

 

I think ngpracing.com has been working on a bunch of mods on the Rabbit. Also I have been told in the past if u run a higher octane some people report better MPG. But I would always run a higher octane in a modded ride to get everything u can out of it. But this is my opinion, so if u don't agree so be it just my .02.

 

Your only post and this is it :rolleyes: Hmmmm, looks like somebody is hunting around for a new car.

If you are seriously stuck between them nothing beats a back to back test drive. I find that the Fit feels surprisingly upscale inside, also the driver feedback is great. It isn't something you can quantify into numbers, you litereally just have to go expereince it for yourself.