Detroit News Reviews the 2007 VW Rabbit

They love the 2007 rabbit!

But after spending a week in the German-built Rabbit, we're convinced that all the whimsical stuff surrounding the renamed Golf is just a smokescreen. Because the little Rabbit is one substantial and serious small car that easily keeps pace with, and in some instances even outguns, such high-profile Detroit competitors as the Dodge Caliber and Ford Focus.

That came as a bit of a surprise to us, considering the car has been on sale for three years in Europe, where it still carries the Golf name. Amazingly, the Rabbit, which went on sale here in late June, seems fresh and appealing in the U.S., even against such formidable competitors as the recently redesigned Honda Civic.

We have to confess that we are former Rabbit owners -- and that the purchase of a bare-bones 1979 model was one of the low points of our marriage. That's because one of us traded in a beloved VW Beetle for the Rabbit.
When we go small, the Rabbit is bound to be at the top of our shopping list. We won't even mind if they stick a rabbit's foot on the key chain, either.