2006 Volkswagen Rabbit Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Lance B. on March 23, 2022

I recently bought this car last year around march and I am the 3rd owner. It's been a great Car. I have the 08 with the upgraded 17" rims. Coming from a MK4 Jetta this vehicle was a big upgrade in terms of speed. As a comment read before..it does feel like a race car sometimes. If you're looking for something a bit more peppy but don't want a GTI this is what you want to purchase. By no means this is a Honda Civic..you'll be paying a little more for gas and parts can sometimes be pricy. Comfort is okay? I drove this vehicle from NY all the way down to Georgia..with 2 other people in the car. Hatch space is not ideal for long road trips and passenger wise? Unless you can handle being in a smaller car for more than 5hours I don't suggest buying this. and they're becoming rare..this is a Golf Model that you don't see too often. Buy one before its too late!

Bryon on March 27, 2018

i was the 3rd owner of this car, what i thought i bought was a mistake was actually a jewel of a car. I bought a 2006 rabbit 2.5 at 219,xxx miles (which i didnt know). took care of it for 3-4 years and its still running strong now at 250,xxx miles. This car feels like a race car at times but also a fun car to drive as well. of the problems i ran into, is a bad sensor. not alot to complain about there.

Shokoralhamdulilah on November 4, 2017

The best car very nice very comfort lovely good looking beautyfull awsomome perfect look like beautyful

L985XXX on March 27, 2012

I bought my 2006 Rabbit used in late 2010 with 24k miles on it. I put about 18k on it so far and there hasn't been one problem so far; I also have access to all of its service records from when it was bought brand new and they also show absolutely no issues. The four door model comes with all power options, a six disc in-dash cd player and heated front seats, which is nice for just being its standard equipment. The fuel economy seems to always hover between 24-27mpg, which is okay for a 5 cylinder, but I feel that with a manual transmission those figures could be higher. The 150hp 2.5L engines have good torque and with the revised indepenent rear suspenion for the new Jettas, Rabbits and GTIs (the previous generations were torsion-bar style suspensions), the handling improved greatly from the factory. To sum it up, I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a reliable, fun daily driver with more bang for the buck than a Honda Civic.

Daily Commuter Enthusiast on January 16, 2012

A little known secret is the excellence in the VW Rabbit. This car is amazingly reliable, economical, good on moderate to short trips (DC to NY), easy to park, great on gas and economical regarding car insurance. I would highly recommend this type of vehicle as the daily driver and commuter.

VW Fan on November 19, 2010

The VW Rabbits are some of the more reliable VWs in the last few years. I got this one from a grad student, for $6800-trade in price at the dealer-, with only 51,000+miles on it. A steal. Newest and nicest car I've ever owned. I've always liked VWs too. It's manual and gets about 27-30 mpg. Certainly has some torque, too, so you can move if need be. I originally was looking at a Honda Fit but, they were a little out of my price range. The Rabbit is much more comfortable too and, I think, it looks cooler! I hope to have this car for a looooong time. I wouldn't change a thing about it.

Great handling car, very safe to drive. I love it on November 17, 2008

Great little mid-size hatchback car. Drives great--great pickup. Handles/hugs to road fantastic, hugs every corner with control. A big big plus!!! I love the interior design. Roomy. Easy for packing and or bringing along outdoor gear (skis, boogie board, camping gear...). I love it,,,,,,, Reliability gets a great rating!!!!!!

VW gal on September 6, 2007

I just moved from NYC to NJ so I had no need for a car until now. I went car shopping looking for a moderately priced compact sedan ... I was thinking I'd come home with a used Jetta or Civic. I test drove both cars and decided I liked the VWs far more than the Hondas. The Jetta handled so much better, was far more comfortable, and felt so much safer than the Hondas. At the last dealership of the day on my car shopping spree, they offered to let me test drive a new 07 Rabbit, which I honestly wasn't thrilled about because A. I didnt want a new car (the depreciation) and B. I wasn't in love with the idea of a hatchback. But boy was I pleasantly surprised! Driving was so much fun, and the car had a safe sturdy feel, quick acceleration, and was very comfortable. The dash is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use and reach, and knowing I was literally surrounded by 6 airbags was a comforting feeling. My 6'3" father came along for the test drive and fit comfortably. If he can fit, most anyone can! Moreover, I'm somewhat of an environmental enthusiast and while this car isn't the most fuel efficient, it meets the EPA's highest standards. I am proud to say I purchased the Rabbit that very same day. VW was offering super low APRs for financing new cars, which sweetened the deal. I got my Rabbit with an auto trans (tiptronic is a great addition!), so it cost $16,500, but with only a 5% APR, and a 5yr/60K mile warranty. When you consider the car I almost purchased instead -- an '03 Jetta for $13,500 with 8% APR and no warranty -- well, what an amazing deal I got on the 07 Rabbit! An '03 Civic DX I looked at earlier in the day was $14,995... as much as a brand new standard Rabbit ... and the Civic had roll down windows and push locks and 40K miles! Seriously, you cannot beat the value of this great little car. The hatchback has also grown on me immensely, as I've had to move out of the city and help move my little brother into college using the car. It also served me well on a camping trip to the Adirondacks -- so fun on those winding mountain roads, and it could hold all of our gear when the back seats were down. Not only is the hatch practical, I find it sporty and fun looking!! (Apparently so does Volvo and other makes bc they're making Rabbit look-alike hatches for '08!)

German car fan on November 17, 2006

I love German cars. I have owned Benzes since the time that I bought a 1967 250SE. I was not a big fan of VW, however, until we went shopping for a car for one of my daughters. She is a very frugal, environmentally-aware young person. So we set out to find a car that was not just safe, reliable and well-built but also environmentally friendly and not overly expensive to buy and own. All Benzes run on premium gas, so our daugher nixed the idea of driving a Benz. We then turned to VW. The Rabbit had just come out and my wife and I took one out for a test drive and WOW, we were really impressed! Just for comparison we also drove a Bug and, as other reviewers have stated, the Rabbit drives so much better than the Bug. The Rabbit feels heavier and more solidly built--and yet the Rabbit is faster than the Bug and corners better. We decided to buy the Rabbit right there and then and so we bought the only Rabbit they had in the dealer: a black, four-door one. It came equipped with everything, except XM radio. We got it for well under sticker price. Our daughter was out of town on a trip and when we picked her up at the airport, her new Rabbit was waiting for her!. It was love at first sight. I think the Rabbit is a great car for college kids and for young couples setting out to buy their first new car. Buy German and you won't go wrong. A few years ago I sold one of my Benzes. It had 350,000 miles on the odometer. I still see it around town, the new owners just love it and hope to keep driving it for many more years. Try doing that with a tin-can Japanese import! I think that this Rabbit will last just as long as any of our Benzes.

Mark on August 24, 2006

My wife and I bought a Rabbit in August 2006 after comparing it to the Jetta and New Beetle. The difference was night and day (although the Jetta was a little out of our price range). Particularly when we road-tested the Rabbit back to back against the Beetle, we found the handling, acceleration, turning, and braking to be superior in the Rabbit. As we live in the big city, noise dampening, turning radius, and parallel parking ease were important -- the Rabbit handles all of these expertly. Even after almost a month's worth of driving, the feeling you get just looking at it, realizing it's in the compact car class, and then getting in is pretty amazing. It feels like a full-size sedan on the inside, with comforts in that class to boot like heated seats, a fully adjustable steering wheel, a great 10-speaker sound system (optional), and quality interior styling and touches. Backseat passengers are especially pampered -- something you just don't find elsewhere in this class. I'm 5'11'' and rode in the back when we were showing our friends the car and wasn't cramped a bit. This is just a great value for the money. The only downside may be average fuel economy for its class, especially compared to the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. But when you consider all the standard amenities and real German engineering (the Rabbit is made in Wolfsburg), you might be OK with run of the mill MPG. If you're looking to buy a car in this class, you owe it to yourself to at least test drive the Rabbit.