Some eye candy on top of that
Completing the Sport package are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Continental all-season tires. These ultra-stylish ClassiX wheels are a nice upgrade over the 15-inch steel or 16-inch alloy units of the two available models but their only benefit, as it seems, is some extra exclusiveness. Because when the time comes to replace all that rubber by winter tires, the additional inch or two will force you to spend more money.
The sixth and final component of the Sport package is a pair of fog lights. These projectors are now useless in Canada, however. It’s been this way since automatic daytime running lights have been made mandatory on all passenger and commercial vehicles. As a result, you can’t shut them off and only turn on the fog lights. After all, there’s a reason why they’re mounted that low on the bumper -- to avoid blinding the driver who has to drive in dense fog.
A fun-to-drive animal
I’ve just shown you how Volkswagen turns the regular Rabbit into a dynamic Rabbit Sport. Well, there’s much more than meets the eye. This hatchback proves versatile, comfortable and, more importantly, fun to drive.
While not visually spectacular, the interior boasts exemplary ergonomics. All the controls are within easy reach of the driver and the generously-bolstered bucket seats offer much-appreciated support during long trips. The driver’s perch is even height-adjustable.
The shifter of the manual transmission is exactly where you want it, although the long throws and clutch stroke do not contribute to smooth shifts. That’s a shame because the inline five-cylinder engine is quite responsive, sending a peak of 170 horsepower to the front wheels with liveliness and immediacy when you firmly depress the throttle.
Also, it produces plenty of low-end torque, making the Rabbit one of the rare compacts that remains pleasant to drive in dense traffic, even with a manual gearbox. Of course, you can opt for VW’s six-speed Tiptronic ($1,400), arguably one of the finest sequential-type automatic transmissions out there.
Meanwhile, the steering is precise and nicely assisted. As for the brakes, the four-wheel discs help deliver progressive stops.
Completing the Sport package are 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Continental all-season tires. These ultra-stylish ClassiX wheels are a nice upgrade over the 15-inch steel or 16-inch alloy units of the two available models but their only benefit, as it seems, is some extra exclusiveness. Because when the time comes to replace all that rubber by winter tires, the additional inch or two will force you to spend more money.
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| These 17-inch ClassiX alloy wheels are part of the Sport package. |
The sixth and final component of the Sport package is a pair of fog lights. These projectors are now useless in Canada, however. It’s been this way since automatic daytime running lights have been made mandatory on all passenger and commercial vehicles. As a result, you can’t shut them off and only turn on the fog lights. After all, there’s a reason why they’re mounted that low on the bumper -- to avoid blinding the driver who has to drive in dense fog.
A fun-to-drive animal
I’ve just shown you how Volkswagen turns the regular Rabbit into a dynamic Rabbit Sport. Well, there’s much more than meets the eye. This hatchback proves versatile, comfortable and, more importantly, fun to drive.
While not visually spectacular, the interior boasts exemplary ergonomics. All the controls are within easy reach of the driver and the generously-bolstered bucket seats offer much-appreciated support during long trips. The driver’s perch is even height-adjustable.
The shifter of the manual transmission is exactly where you want it, although the long throws and clutch stroke do not contribute to smooth shifts. That’s a shame because the inline five-cylinder engine is quite responsive, sending a peak of 170 horsepower to the front wheels with liveliness and immediacy when you firmly depress the throttle.
Also, it produces plenty of low-end torque, making the Rabbit one of the rare compacts that remains pleasant to drive in dense traffic, even with a manual gearbox. Of course, you can opt for VW’s six-speed Tiptronic ($1,400), arguably one of the finest sequential-type automatic transmissions out there.
Meanwhile, the steering is precise and nicely assisted. As for the brakes, the four-wheel discs help deliver progressive stops.
 |
| The inline 5-cylinder of the VW Rabbit produces 170 horsepower along with plenty of low-end torque. |