MONT TREMBLANT, Que. -- Question: how do you buy a new Audi for $20,000?
Answer: stop at your local VW store and order a Rabbit.
OK, so you don't get the four circles of the Auto Union on the grille and some of the metallic or woodgrain bling is missing from the interior, but the new Rabbit (nee Golf) is the funky, sporty German compact that's as quiet, smooth and refined as its richer cousins.
More so than the also recently redesigned Jetta, more so than the excellent Passat, the Rabbit has the feel of VW's upscale luxury brand, primarily due to its fantastic sporty feel.
Rabbit, as some of you may recall, was the name of VW's compact sedan back in the 1980s. Plagued by poor reliability, the Rabbit name was retired in favour of Golf, by which the car has gone elsewhere in the world. And then Golf went on to have some reliability problems of its own.
Now, VW, in Canada and the U.S. at least, is going back to the Rabbit. John White, vice-president of Volkswagen and CEO in Canada, said reaction to the name change has been positive, primarily among those who don't remember the name from previous versions.
While the body work and interior got subtle makeovers, the biggest change is under the hood: the 2.5-litre, 150-horsepower five-cylinder engine from Jetta has come down to Rabbit, and in this car, it sings.
Mated to the standard five-speed manual transmission, it's quick and responsive. Feed in throttle and you're rewarded with excellent acceleration. The transmission is quite sweet, too, with buttery smooth and almost intuitive shifts. The clutch is a touch heavy, nicely so, with good feedback on release. The optional six-speed automatic transmission works well enough, with quick shifts, smooth downshifts and Tiptronic manual shifting. But the most fun in this car is with the stick.
Handling is quite good, but the suspension is a little softly sprung for a European car. The speed-sensitive electric power steering does the job well enough, but lacks some of the feedback of hydraulic power steering. On centre, it feels a touch vague.
One of the key marketing stories on Rabbit is its price. The three door starts at $19,990 and the five-door at $20,990. That's a few thou above entry-level Civics, Corollas, Mazda3s and Nissan Sentras, but the Rabbit pricing is competitive once you compare comparably equipped models. There are no cut-price, decontented Rabbits -- yet.
Bruce Rosen, director of marketing, said that's primarily because there are few customers for strippers today. And he admitted that even when they do introduce their strategy to take Rabbit down in price, it's less about selling the cheap version and more about getting people in the door and have them then ask "It's nice, but do you have something with air? Power windows? Cruise?"
Standard equipment on Rabbit includes four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, cruise control, air conditioning, power windows, traction control, active headrests, front and front side air bags and anti-theft alarm system with remote locking.
The Rabbit rides on a fully-independent suspension, with MacStruts with stablizer bar in front and a four-link setup with coil springs and stabilizer bar in rear.
The engine is a 2.5-litre, 20-valve, DOHC five-cylinder rated at 150 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. Power comes on smooth and strong with nary a hint of torque steer.
One of the most-overused cliches in automotive journalism must be "fun to drive," but there's little else that describes the Rabbit. Good acceleration, excellent handling and intuitive controls make for a car you just want to drive.
That it's wrapped up with fit and finish to flatter even an Audi is only a bonus.
While the base price models are nicely equipped, it doesn't take long to get a Rabbit that's worth a whole lot more carrots.
The six-speed automatic (any automatic, save for a clutchless manual such as the Direct Sequential Gearbox, is an abomination on a small car, in my view) is a $1,400 touch. Add the $400 convenience package (premium radio with six-disc in-dash CD changer, diversity antenna and front and rear floor mats), $565 alloy wheel package (16-inch), the $1,400 sunroof package, the $205 cold-weather package (heated front seats and washer nozzles) and $450 electronic stability control, and even a three-door Rabbit snicks up to $24,410. Add the $100 air conditioning tax and $695 destination charge, and the final price is $23,805 with the stick, $25,205 with the autobox.
The five-door option list is similar, except the cold weather package is wrapped into the convenience package for $605, the same price as the two combined in the three-door. Also, the rear-seat thorax air bags, $450, are not available on the three-door.
A loaded five-door is $25,255 with manual, $26,665 with automatic.
VW's White said that projections are to sell 4,500 units in six months, though he added later the projection is conservative.
He said that while VW does not play the zero-finance or incentive game, a Rabbit is available for $218 per month on a 48-month lease with $2,000 down, at 5.95 per cent, which he said is less per month than some of the less-expensive rivals with zero per cent.
White said VW is answering questions about reliability with new investments and new procedures at the Rabbit assembly facility in Wolfsburg, Germany. Unlike some models with shady pasts, this one is not built in Mexico.
The 2007 Rabbit hops in to dealers next week.
The specs
2007 Volkswagen Rabbit
Engine: 2.5-litre DOHC, 20-valve, five-cylinder.
Power: 150 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm.
Torque: 170 pound-feet @ 3,750 rpm.
Transmission: five-speed manual, six-speed automatic with Tiptronic.
Steering: speed-sensitive electric power assist.
Brakes: four-wheel disc with ABS, hydraulic brake assist and brake-force distribution.
Suspension:
Front: MacStruts with stabilizer bar.
Rear: Independent four-link suspension with coil springs, stabilizer bar.
Wheels: 6-inch by 15-inch steel wheels with wheel cover, 6.5-inch by 16-inch alloys (opt.).
Length: 4,210 mm (165.8 in.).
Width: 1,759 mm (69.3 in.).
Height: 1,479 mm (58.2 in.).
Wheelbase: 2,578 mm (101.5 in.).
Curb weight, three-door: 1,349 kg. (2,974 lbs), manual. 1,379 kg. (3,040 lbs.), automatic.
Curb weight, five-door: 1,393 kg. (3,071 lbs.), manual. 1,423 kg. (3,137 lbs.), automatic.
The Bottom Line
Price: $19,990 (three-door), $20,990 (five door).
Highs: Silky smooth powertrain, funky good looks, one of the best interiors in the compact segment.
Lows: Slightly vague power steering, softly sprung suspension.
Verdict: Hare-raising good fun.
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