June 2008
Grand openings
Small hatchbacks combine economy and versatility
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The car is the successor to the Golf, and Volkswagen has resurrected the American name used for the first-generation hatchback in the 1970s.
With agile handling and a versatile, well-finished interior, the Rabbit feels solid and is a pleasant car to drive. It is also competitively priced and well equipped. Power has increased by 20 horsepower since our last test of its sibling, the Jetta sedan, in February 2006.
Hatchbacks, once a popular body style, nearly disappeared from the American automotive landscape a number of years back. Some of the first hatchbacks sold here in the 1970s and 1980s were spartan, mostly two-door economy models that looked and felt cheap. And thanks to relatively inexpensive gas after shortages in the 1970s, Americans shifted to SUVs, further softening demand for the hatchback's practical body style.
But Europeans, accustomed to high fuel prices, have long appreciated the fuel economy, practicality, and versatility of the design. The U.S. is only just catching up, and the body style is now in a revival here.
Thanks to folding rear seatbacks and large tailgate openings, hatchbacks can be used like miniature SUVs. In that respect they're more sensible than similar-sized sedans because they're able to gobble up larger packages that wouldn't fit in a sedan's trunk or backseat. And window-shade-like covers conceal the contents in the back, keeping luggage and packages from prying eyes.
With four doors, usable backseats, and decent equipment levels, the cars in this small hatchbacks group do double duty as people haulers. Adding to their appeal, today's small hatchbacks are much more refined and more pleasant cars to live with than their forebears, yet they have lost none of their practicality. Interior quality is often on par with larger, more expensive models, yet they remain compact, which makes them easy to drive and park.
Like the Rabbit's similarity to the Jetta sedan, small hatchbacks are usually based on small sedan designs, and most are priced around $20,000. As gas prices continue to soar, small hatchbacks make sense for anyone used to the utility of an SUV but ready for a more affordable and efficient alternative.
For this test we also purchased a Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, Saturn Astra (a rebadged Opel from GM's European subsidiary), and Toyota Matrix (all available to subscribers), all new vehicles for 2008. We also tested the Mini Cooper Clubman (available to subscribers), a stretched version of the Mini Cooper with delivery-van-style rear doors. We also added a smaller, less expensive alternative, the Scion xD (available to subscribers), which replaced the xA for 2008.
Prices ranged from $16,620 for the xD to $24,700 for the Clubman.
Of the vehicles in this report, only the Rabbit and Outback Sport are recommended. We have no reliability data yet for the Toyota, Saturn, Mini, and Scion because they are new or redesigned models for 2008. To see more details of our tests, check out our road test videos of all models in this report.
Other models worth consideration include the sporty Mazda3, the boxy Scion xB, the Nissan Versa, and the Honda Fit. A redesigned Honda Fit is due in showrooms this fall.
The fuel-sipping Toyota Prius Touring version is another excellent choice, although it is considerably more expensive than the other vehicles in this group, except the Mini Cooper Clubman.
