I LOVE my Rabbit. I got this car as an early graduation present in high school. It's now a little over 6 years old and I've had no major problems with it. It's compact but doesn't feel tiny when inside. We can fit 5 college-aged adults easily.

The engine in the 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit is responsive and powerful for its size. Gearing of the five-speed manual and the electronic throttle's aggressive programming help the Rabbit jump off the line like a scared, well, rabbit, and the 150-horsepower 2.5-liter inline five-cylinder engine delivers 170 pound-feet of torque. Yet, the Rabbit's fuel economy—often what counts for small-car buyers—is near the back of the pack, with automatic cars rated at 20 mpg city, 29 highway and the manual gearbox adding just 1 mpg. Unlike so many budget-minded cars using numbing electric power-assisted steering, the Rabbit's steering is actually communicative and downright lively. The ride from the 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit is taut, but never jarring. The front struts and independent rear suspension absorb big bumps with nary a crash or bang. Steering feels precise with a good on-center feel. Inside, the Rabbit's front seats give great support. The driver's seat helps you get comfortable with plenty of adjustability, but the controls are in three different locations: fore/aft at the right-front corner of the seat, a lever on the left side that raises and lowers the bottom cushion, and a big knob to change the backrest angle at the left rear of the seat. The quality of the materials is high. The view out is good, but the base of the windshield is rather high, a result of European pedestrian collision standards. The Rabbit four-door has achieved four-star ratings for frontal impact and five-star ratings for side impact from the federal government, but it's a Top Safety Pick from the IIHS, with all "good" scores.

F ever there was an odd pairing of automotive ideals, it was the compact and fuel-efficient Volkswagen Rabbit, mated with the versatility of the do-almost-anything pickup truck. Originally conceived by Volkswagen Germany in the late 1970s as part of a design exercise that included both pickup and station wagon variants, the Type 1 Rabbit-based pickup was an instant hit with Volkswagen of America. Production began at Volkswagen’s Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, factory in 1979, and the VW pickup was launched to U.S. Consumers as a 1980 model.