Wantagti said:
The only beef I have is it "cheapens" the current GTI's owners feel IMO. I mean, you have the GTI starting at $23000 and as high as $29k, then the Rabbit comes along starting at $14,995 and looks almost identical. I guess all manufacturers do it, usually in reverse, the cheap model first, then the souped up one follows.
"Looks" being the operative word there. We all know the truth and if other people don't know the difference between the Golf, er Rabbit, and GTI, they're obviously not auto enthusiasts so their opinion doesn't matter, anyway.
I think bringing out the GTI first generates a buzz around VW. There will be people who want a GTI and can't afford it, but hey, that Rabbit doesn't look too bad, either....
I'm probably in the minority, but I think changing the name back is justified for one reason: I had a mk3, and while it was slow, it was very reliable and a blast to drive. At that point, I knew I'd be buying VWs for years to come. Then the mk4 came out. It drove okay, but it felt so heavy and just plain soft. Reliability was dismal, yet the prices kept soaring. I wouldn't have bought a mk4. The Rabbit shows that VW is going back to its roots, which, in my opinion, is a very good thing after the previous generation.