ProductWiki

2007 Volkswagen Rabbit

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:18:25 -0400

Beetle to Rabbit to Beetle to Rabbit. After more than 20 years Volkwagen is bringing back the Rabbit for the North American market to take a piece of the expanding minicar market. VW is bringing back the name more than anything, as the Rabbit has been available all this time, except it was known as the Golf. In other parts of the world the name Rabbit has never been used, and the Golf brand will continue outside of North America. The Rabbit is built on the 5th generation Golf design, and while it contains many similarities to the 2006 Golf, there are many differences and improvements as well. The launch of the Rabbit is heavily marketed to combat the already strong competition in the form of the Honda Fit and Civic, and the Nissan Versa and Sentra.

German engineered from the inside and out the Rabbit is powered by a 2.5 liter inline 5-cylinder engine that produces 150HP at 5000RPM. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard with an optional 6-speed automatic being available. Fuel efficiency doesn't compare well against the leaders in the minicar class, however at 22/30MPG for city and highway driving respectively, the Rabbit still fits.

At 94.2 cubic feet of space, the Rabbit's interior comes close to matching the interior space offered by the mid-sized VW Passat. Being a hatchback rear storage space comes above the Jetta sedan with 15.1 cubic feet available. The 4-door Rabbit also allows the front passenger seat to be folded flat to accommodate longer objects such as ladders or skis, alongside a pass through space in the rear seats.

Standard safety features include dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, 4-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock, brake assist, and daytime running lights. Other standard features VW has included are air conditionning, CD/radio speaker system with auxiliary input, and an outside-temperature indicator.

Difference in trims

2-door ($14,990)

4-door ($17,110) : features a few upgrades including heated front seats, an 8-way adjustable driver's seat (as opposed to 6-way), and an in-dash 6-disc CD changer.

An extra note, the first 4000 Rabbits released in the US will be badged as 2006 models and are identical to the 2007 version except for the lack of the auxiliary input on the stereo system, and no optional tire pressure monitoring system.

Safety ratings

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ratings (IIHS)
Front crash test - Good
Side impact test - Good

National Highway Safety Traffic Association (NHTSA)
Front crash driver's side - 4 stars
Front crash passenger's side - 4 stars
Side crash front seat - 5 stars
Side crash rear seat - 5 stars

2007 Toyota Yaris

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 12:58:35 -0400

Built around the core concept of "pride of ownership" the Yaris is Toyota's 2007 entry into the competitive minicar market, which includes the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa. Toyota's previous offering for this level, the Toyota Echo, received lukewarm response by critics and in the marketplace. There are two different models of the Yaris, a 3-door liftback and a 4-door sedan, a 5-door hatchback is also available in Canada. Leveraging Toyota's massive resources the Sedan and Hatchback versions of the car were created by two entirely different teams, so while the specifics of the cars remain similar or even identical, the feel is quite distinct.

A 1.5 liter 4-cylinder engine powers the wheels achieving 106HP at 6000RPM. There are two transmission options: 5-speed manual, and 4-speed automatic. This engine is one of the most fuel efficient in the class with the Yaris achieving 34/40 MPG for city and highway driving respectively.

Despite the Yaris' small exterior, Toyota has designed the interior to accommodate full sized adults and their belongings relatively comfortably. Passenger storage rests at 84.6 for the liftback and slightly larger for the sedan. Storage space is 12.8, and 12.9 cubic feet for the liftback and sedan respectively. With the optional packages, the rear seats become flatly foldable 60/40 split which increases storage capacity to 25.7 and 13.5 cubic feet respectively.

Standard features include a four speaker radio/CD stereo system, front airbags, air conditioning, and tilt steering. ABS brakes, and side torso and side curtain air bags are all optional. The sedan includes a few more features standard over the hatchback including 6-way adjustable driver's seats, and child protector rear door locks. The S Sedan model is simply the normal Sedan with some optional features already included, such as a rear spoiler and 15 inch wheels instead of 14 inch.

Safety

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ratings (IIHS)
Front crash test - Good
Side impact test (with optional airbags) - Good
Side impact test (no optional airbags) - Poor

National Highway Safety Traffic Association (NHTSA)
Front crash driver's side - 4 stars
Front crash passenger's side - 4 stars
Side crash front seat - 3 stars
Side crash rear seat - 3 stars

2007 Nissan Versa

Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:35:16 -0400

Unlike Nissan's competition in the minicar market the Versa started life as a luxury subcompact car in other parts of the world. When the minicar market started to boom in North America Nissan already had the Versa (known as the Tiida in other markets) and brought the 2007 version over. Despite the economy nature of the minicar market Nissan opted to retain the luxury roots when they brought the Versa over.

The Versa comes in four configurations, a hatchback and sedan version, and then the lower end 1.8S model, and higher end 1.8SL for both styles. There is no difference between the hatchback and sedan including the price, the only difference is the amount of interior room that is available. On that note, the interior space of the Versa is the most out of all the minicars on the market, as the Versa has the same amount of interior room as a mid-size car, even though Nissan markets it as a minicar. Leg room is the area where the Versa comes top in class, as there is 38 inches of rear leg room which is the most in the class, and even compares to many SUVs, in fact the Armada is the only car in Nissan's entire lineup that has more rear legroom.

Storage capacity on the hatchback is 17.8 cubic feet with the seats up, which is less than the Honda Fit and 50 cubic feat with the seats folded, which is more than the Fit.

The engine is 1.8L DOHC, with 4 cylinders producing 122HP at 5200RPM. 6 speed manual transmission is standard for both the S, and SL models. A 4 speed automatic transmission is available for the 1.8S, with the higher end 1.8SL automatic receiving the new Continuously Variable Transmission system (CVT) system. CVT works by using a system of levers and pulleys that eliminate the need for distinct gears, and instead the gear ratio is in constant change to reflect the optimum power output that is necessary for the particular driving scenario. CVT systems are available on other cars, and they have the added benefit of substantially increasing fuel efficiency while taking a hit on performance compared to the more traditional transmission systems.

Features wise the Versa comes standard with air conditioning; CD stereo system with four speakers; front, side and curtain airbags; high quality soft plastic interior lining; rear defroster system; and a tire pressure monitoring system.

Upgrades from the 1.8S to 1.8SL model

automatic transmission moves from traditional 4-speed to CVT
included security system
stereo upgrade to six speaker system with mp3 input jack
cruise control
and other optional packages that are only available on the 1.8SL model

Safety

2007 Honda Fit

Tue, 18 Jul 2006 22:14:08 -0400

What happens when Honda's baby, the Civic, grows up? The void gets replaced by a totally new model. The Fit is Honda's answer to the surge in the minicar category with the Toyota Yaris and Nissan's Versa. In creating the Fit Honda preempted the concerns about small cars and offers a host of standard safety features including side front airbags, side curtain airbags, and an anti-lock braking system.

The other major concern is with space, and in this field Honda came up with two innovative solutions. Placing the fuel tank which usually lies underneath the rear seats, and placed them in the middle of the car is one design change Honda made to increase interior room. What Honda calls their Magic Seat system, which allows the rear and front seats to be rearranged in 5 different ways, transforms the Fit's interior to accommodate a variety of storage needs.

The North American models come with a standard 5 speed transmission available in both automatic and manual options. European and Japanese models have the new continuous variable automatic transmission system. The Fit is powered by a 1.5L engine that achieves 109HP at 5800 RPM. While performance isn't the Fit's strong point, fuel efficiency is near top of the class achieving a Low Emission Vehicle rating.

Honda is targeting the Fit towards student first-time car buyers and has geared a few of the features for that market. A 160 watt 4 speaker system is included standard. A sport version of the Fit is also available with mainly cosmetic changes.

Differences with the Honda Fit Sport Trim

wheels upgraded from 14" covered to 15" full allow.
addition of fog lights, underbody kit and roofline spoiler.
stereo upgraded to 200-watt 6 speaker system with MP3/WMA input and playback.
addition of a security system with remote entry.

And finally the automatic version of the Sport trim comes with paddle shifters on the steering wheel allowing you to drive in both manual and automatic modes.

Safety

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ratings (IIHS)
Front crash test - Good
Side impact test - Good

National Highway Safety Traffic Association (NHTSA)
Front crash driver's side - 5 stars
Front crash passenger's side - 5 stars
Side crash front seat - 5 stars
Side crash rear seat - 3 stars