2006 Volkswagen Rabbit Reviews from North America

Very little has gone wrong, as should be expected for a new car!

A few electrical gremlins that the dealer has not been super responsive about fixing, but nothing truly annoying.

I have piled up the miles on this car in two years, and have largely thought that I got the best value for a new car that I could have gotten...

It is definitely very quick in a straight line, and using the sport mode on the auto transmission gives it a whole different character; in normal drive mode, the engine can feel a bit tractor like as it lugs along in high gear... get the revs up in sport mode, however, and it feels taut and powerful.

Handling is good if you don't push it too hard; it is, after all, NOT a GTI. I did discover, however, that by pushing the button that disables the automatic stability control, the car gets way less loose and squishy feeling... turning off the stability control and using the sport mode on the transmission is a must for mountainous twisty roads.

The car is gorgeous inside for an economy car. The seats are firm, the controls no nonsense and beautiful, and all have a quality feeling. These cars were made in Wolfsburg Germany, and they ooze quality. The seats are not cushy by any means, but they leave my back feeling great for short trips or long.

Gas mileage is so so for a small car. 29 on long trips, but only 20 or so around town.

Overall I do love my Rabbit. I do miss my 1990 Saab 900 Turbo, however, which despite having 130,000 miles when I bought it, still handled ever-so-much-more sportily than this car. But the SAAB was a performance car; I think of my Rabbit as a VERY well appointed and thought out, stylish and reliable car for every person, which is what it is.

Nothing yet.

I know it's early, since I've only owned the car for 3 months and there are only 10,000+ miles, but some might find this helpful:

I test drove the Mazda 3 and 6, the Honda Civic and Accord, as well as the Nissan Altima. I fell in love with this from the moment I sat in it.

It is so plush for what is essentially an economy car. It has, by far, the sharpest interior of any car in its class or (I dare say) any class of car for that matter. In my opinion, the 4-door is nicer looking than the 2-door.

It is surprisingly quiet, but for this minor baby squeak that comes and goes from somewhere in my dash. I'll figure it out sooner or later.

It has lovely pickup from a stop, with 150 horses. At higher gears/speeds, it's not quite as peppy, but is fine nonetheless.

Handling is brilliant, better than the vaunted Mazda 3 believe it or not.

The only occasion I have had to use that overrated and largely useless auto-stick feature is when I'm in city traffic and want to take it easy on the transmission.

It's also surprisingly roomy. 4 adults sit without a hint of constraint. The hatch, with the fold down front seat, is so big that I actually was able to move my entire household (with the exception of my bed and couch) in merely 4 or 5 trips!

In summary, I love this thing and I hope that my VW quality fears aren't realized.

Had no problems whatsoever with this car, on a daily drive of around 50 - 75 miles.

At first oil change the dealer cracked the filter housing and had to wait 4 days for a replacement.

I did the next oil changes myself and everything is OK.

Great commuter car with lots of torque and excellent maneuverability.

MPG is about 25MPG mixed driving.

The car handles very good in snow and difficult (slippery) conditions.

Occasional rattles from the dashboard if the road is rough.

I installed a K&N air filter and noticed better response.

All in all this car will not disappoint, solidly built and lots of trunk space (hatchback).

I have not had the car long enough for anything bad to happen so far.

Great value for standard features and performance. Quick, handles great.