I don’t know of any positives to come out of this continual switch-a-roo. Maybe the new Rabbits will become a classic rare “hare”? Har-har-har (that was a joke people…. *crickets*)

‘It seems price and fuel economy concerns are important the Gaywheels.com consumer,’ said Gaywheels.com founder Joe LaMuraglia. ‘60% of the vehicles on the most-researched list are hatchbacks and four of those six have a MSRP starting at under $16K.’

Of course not all of those searching are fuel and cost conscious, as there’s a Maserati GranTurismo at #10 on the list. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what the fourth quarter results bring, especially if the economy takes any kind of upturn in the near future.

I would buy one of these in a heart beat, but what really sucks for my personal situation is the timing of its release. I just went through the process of buying out my GTI, and we’ll be swapping my wife’s Jetta for something else come this January. Oh well, who knows what will happen between now and then. ;)

Read more at Autobloggreen.com

Head on over to Edmunds Inside Line and watch the video. They’ve got some photo shots as well. One thing about the video… could it be any lower quality? I know it’s a spy video and all, but it’s so compressed I can hardly see anything. lol

RABBIT

• New 170 hp/177 lb.ft torque 2.5L 5cyl engine standard on 2 & 4dr
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
• New trim level naming. Rabbit S 2dr and Rabbit S 4dr

GTI

• 15mm ride height reduction on all 2 & 4dr
• Sirius® Satellite radio now standard
• Reflex Silver is now special order only
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
• New trim level naming, GTI and GTI Autobahn

NEW BEETLE/NEW BEETLE CONVERTIBLE

• New trim level naming, S and SE
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) now standard
• Temporary use spare tire
• Fog lights deleted from all trims
• New 16” alloy wheel S
• New 17” alloy wheel on SE
• Delete Shadow Blue on sedan and convertible
• Delete Platinum Gray on convertible
• Delete reflex silver on convertible
• Laser blue no longer available with gray interior
• Black not available with crème top
• Delete front floor mats
• Delete Leather seating surfaces from all trims
• Delete rain sensing wipers on all trims
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Cold weather package available on S as stand alone option

GLI

• Reflex Silver is now special order only
• Climatronic deleted from all trims
• New trim level naming, GLI and GLI Autobahn

JETTA

• New 170 hp/177 lb.ft torque 2.5L 5cyl engine standard
• Delete 2.0T engine (only available on GLI)
• Automatic only available with SEL
• Temporary use spare tire
• Laser Blue replaces Shadow Blue
• Delete Wheat Beige
• Front and rear lower valance in black textured color on S and SE
• Body color front and rear valance on SEL
• 2.5 badge included on S
• 16” steel wheels with full covers standard on S
• Delete Climatronic from all trims
• Delete leather seating surfaces from all trims
• Power recline standard on all trim levels
• 17” wheel standard on SEL
• Delete Homelink from all trims
• Cold weather package now optional on S
• 16” alloy wheel now optional on S
• Sunroof now optional on S
• Premium sound package (includes amplifier and 250W) now optional on SE
• New trim level naming, S, SE, and SEL
• Leatherette now named V-Tex

PASSAT Sedan and Wagon

• New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Temporary use spare tire
• Chrome window trim now standard on Turbo
• New 16” alloy wheel on Turbo
• New 17” alloy wheel on Komfort
• Delete Shadow Blue
• Delete Wheat Beige on wagon
• Heated washer nozzles only available on VR6
• Bi-Xenon headlamps w/ AFS now standard on VR6
• Manual side and rear sunshade now standard on sedans
• Manual side sunshades now standard on wagon
• Power 12-way driver seat now standard equipment
• Heated front seats optional on Turbo and Komfort
• Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
• Leather shift knob now standard equipment
• Delete Pure Beige leather comfort seats
• Delete gray leather and V-Tex
• New interior trim on Turbo
• 3 spoke leather multi-function steering wheel included with Lux
• Dynaudio now optional on Lux
• Adaptive Cruise Control optional on VR6
• 4Motion is only configuration available with VR6 wagon
• Manual transmission only available on Turbo

EOS

• New trim level naming, Turbo, Komfort, Lux, and VR6
• Leatherette now named V-Tex
• Lux only available with automatic transmission
• Winter starting assist mode standard on VR6
• New 17” alloy wheel on Lux
• New 18” alloy wheel on VR6
• Delete Wheat Beige
• Rear Park Distance Control included in Lux and VR6
• Chrome front grille louvers included on VR6
• Power 12-way driver seat now standard equipment
• Leather steering wheel now standard equipment
• Leather shift knob now standard equipment
• Leather parking brake handle now standard equipment
• Windblocker now standard equipment
• Ambient lighting deleted on Turbo
• Micritech interior trim now included in Turbo
• Center sliding armrest now standard equipment
• Heated front seats now optional on Turbo
• 17” alloy wheel optional on Komfort

Touareg

• New exterior colors (White Gold, Galapagos, Alaska Gray, Cranberry)
• Chrome grille with logo and chrome eyebrows standard on VR6 FSI
• Chrome matte grille with logo and chrome eyebrows, chrome air intakes, chrome grille slats standard on V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
• Darkened Taillights
• New, central headlights design
• Sporty, more aerodynamic rear spoiler
• Electronic Parking Assistance now standard equipment
• Power Liftgate now standard equipment
• 19″ Wheels with all-season tires optional on VR6 FSI but included in V8 FSI and V10 TDI Twin Turbo
• Larger screen for Multi-function Indicator included with optional Technologie Package
• New Option Packages
• Dynaudio now available in package for all trims
• Sirius® Satellite Radio now standard equipment
• Next generation TPMS – now standard equipment
• ABSPlus standard
• ESP Innovations standard
• New front seat design, more comfortable front seat side bolsters, new seat stitching design now standard equipment
• Gray seat trim in leather and leatherette deleted
• Silver Metallic Plastic interior trim standard on VR6 FSI with leatherette
• Servotronic steering no longer available on 3.6L VR6 FSI
• Comfort Suspension replaces Sport Suspension on VR6 FSI

Check out more photos and information here.

* Image courtesy the owner

But moving the brand upscale? That’s crazy. And stupid.

VW is a blue collar brand. I mean come on. It’s the people’s car. To move it away from that undermines the rich history VW enjoys. Not to mention the fact that many people have their mind made up about VW – good bad or indifferent. It’s going to be difficult to change that. Especially the folks that have suffered from poor quality issues. I can hear the groans now: “Ohhh, they couldn’t build a decent Jetta or Passat, so how in the hell are they gonna cater to the stuffy crowd?”

Personally I think this spells trouble for VW. They had already started moving in a great direction by honoring the history with the GTI and Rabbit (I mean, car of the year for the GTI ain’t too shabby) so why move away from that? I’ll say it now – if VW starts looking down their nose at people, I’m moving away from the brand.

You hear that Martin? Of course you don’t. I’m no longer your target market. You don’t care what a middle class 25 year old thinks any more. Maybe if I could afford a piece of crap Phaeton, then you’d care. For your sake (and VW’s) I hope this is just a rumor. Or better yet, one of those brand adjustments 95% of consumers don’t notice.

I love the usage of the black magic GTIs and Rabbits. But seeing this, it’s really starting to make me wonder how many guitars and cars VW thinks they’re gonna sell off this. I mean really, how many folks jam out of their car? If you do, or know someone who does, please share. I’d love to hear about it.

All in all it’s pretty positive, and a fun read. Some of my favorite parts:

From the rear, the new Rabbit appears unpimped from the Mk 4, repeating the cartoon theme with Power Puff Girls’ eyes taillights.

The Rabbit’s handling is, as always, its strong suit. The car’s electromagnetic steering system feeds back like Slash’s guitar, tracking straight over choppy pavement and adjusting the assistance according to speed.

This Wolfsburgian Rabbit feels a lot more solid than its hecho en Mexico predecessors.

Man, plus 5 for the Powerpuff Girls reference! TTAC’s main concern is the supply & demand issue. Though this is mainly a penetration car for VW, dealers still make next to nothing for each sale. This could lead to some disappointed Rabbit fans…

Click on a thumbnail to view a larger version.

Options

Models

¹ – Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle specific to California and NE Region States (ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI, NY, NJ)

Factory Options

Port Installed Options

The press release can be seen here.

And the ad can be seen here:

Out… rageous…

God, will VW start pushing a color other than white? I love the inclusion of the macbook, but wanna hit the guy for putting freakin’ stickers on it!

The MK V platform cars are noticeably larger than their predecessors: both inside and outside. Larger wheelbase only helps with the already stellar handling of the MK V platform cars. The stock 2.5 liter 5 cylinder engine cranks out 150hp and 170ft/lbs of torque. This is an engine that doesnt hesitate pulling the 3000+ pound car – in fact, I would go as far as saying this is a peppy little machine. The Rabbit’s suspension is slightly softer than the GTI’s, but isn’t mushy to the point that I felt I would lose the car on the clover leaf at highway speeds. The lines are blurred slightly with the upcoming release of a 4-door GTI, but for the money the Rabbit is a great deal. Fit and finish is top notch – especially for a car starting under 15k. Compared to other cars in this segment, the standard options in the Rabbit FAR exceed those of the competition. Combined with the awesome crash ratings, the Rabbit seems like a no brainer for a car buyer looking for a fun car that is easy on the wallet.

Don’t take my word for it, though – go test drive one yourself, and I promise you will be just as surprised as I was :]

I love the play on the whole Rabbit concept, and the extremely slight sexual suggestion. Great stuff.

Sizing the little guy up, I have to say I’m really diggin’ on the overall look and feel of the car. It seems sturdy, and it doesn’t look as “dumbed down” as the base Golf looked next to a GTI. The Rabbit stands out with it’s own style in a way the Golf didn’t. I do have some reservations about the plastic side moldings though – I can’t say I’ve dug those on any car I’ve come across. I can deal though. But let’s evaluate the features against something within the Rabbit’s class. VW likes to use the Honda Civic:

Whoa. Power everything! Intermittent wipers, security system, ABS…for 15k?! Looking at this comparison, I’m taken back to the days of my intemperate youth when I visited a Honda dealer about a Civic. They actually offered me one without air conditioning and floor mats! Ugh. I’ve always considered VWs to be somewhat feature-rich, but never really looked at a side by side comparison such as this. And as for what really counts, a 2.5L 150hp engine with 170lbs-ft of torque gives this little guy some serious getty-up.

And the new site rocks! Built in a similar fashion to the new GTI site, you can build your Rabbit by choosing your color, transmission, wheels and interior. Anyone care for a built in iPod adapter? How about a two screen DVD voyager? This experience is fun enough, but hit “breed my Rabbit” once you’ve finished crafting your beauty. You’re prompted to “Choose a mate” for your Rabbit. Upon doing so, you’re treated to a groovy little video of your Rabbit zooming along and dancing with it’s mate on their way to the parking garage, where they…um…ahem…let’s just say that you’re shown your new family tree upon completion of the video, complete with little baby Rabbits!

You can even breed your Rabbit with a real one…verrrryyy interesting. But if you think about it, this puts a whole new spin on communicating the sex appeal of a car. Very clever.

All in all, I have to say I’m very impressed with the Rabbit and it’s ad campaign. Being a Golf driver, I’m very happy to see it’s successor have so much character and snazz. Given the somewhat luke-warm reception the Jetta seems to have received and the popularity of the GTI, we could see the U.S. market tipping a bit toward the hatchback crowd. That’s right – hatches for everyone!!!

VW currently offers the DSG on the Jetta with a 2.0l turbo, the Jetta GLI and TDI models, GTI and the New Beetle TDI. The DSG transmission functions like two automatics mated together. One clutch works the odd gears, the other even. The smooth transition between gears is accomplished by keeping one clutch open at all times, ready to receive the next shift. The increase in fuel economy is because of the speed of the gear shift and no torque converter to lose power to, like in automatics.

Volkswagen will be building the DSG’s in house at its factory in Kassel, Germany, which begs the question: will VW transmission quality go up? Some might say it can only go up from here. ;) Early in this transition, it will cost Volkswagen about the same amount to build the DSG’s as it would to purchase automatics, but they hope to cut that cost throughout the transition.