2010 Volkswagen Rabbit Buying Advice

We know VW wants to deliver more car for the money, but the trick is to take cost out in ways that buyers won't notice. Assuming VW manages that--and the equally difficult tasks of improving reliability and customer satisfaction--the redesigned Rabbit should be a more compelling compact car choice. But competitors will be busy too, and some of them have better brand reputations to boot, so VW must climb several big hills to reach its ambitious new sales goals. In the meantime, smart shoppers will want to consider all the class contenders, not just "default" choices like the Toyota Corolla and Consumer Guide Best Buy Honda Civic, though they're certainly tough to beat for value and overall appeal.

2010 Volkswagen Rabbit Release Date: A Euro-market debut is reportedly slated for October of 2008. For various reasons, U.S. sales would likely be delayed to fall 2009 at the earliest.

2010 Volkswagen Rabbit First Test Drive: If the above timing proves out, U.S. media previews would likely be staged in the second or third quarter of 2009.

2010 Volkswagen Rabbit Prices: We know VW wants to hold the line as much as possible, so we'd expect modest hikes on the order of $800-$1200. That suggests new-Rabbit base prices could range from around $16,500 to just over $20,000. The 2010 Volkswagen GTI would likely move up into the high $20,000s.