Letters.

The Rabbit's return

I'm amazed Volkswagen is bringing back the Rabbit name (News, April 24). I owned a 1975 Rabbit and loved it. By 1984 VW had Americanized it-such as softer suspension and cheaper interior materials-so much that there was no European character left. Buyers never came back. VW should return to the reason Americans bought VWs in the first place. Bring the Polo to North America (name it Rabbit, if needed). Look at what Toyota, Nissan and Honda are doing with their Yaris, Versa and Fit. VW should be educating buyers about its TDI technology, so that memories of the Oldsmobile diesels of the 1970s can be buried.

Larry Sayers, via e-mail

Civic and VW choice

Honda's excellent reputation for reliability is one more reason to choose the Civic Si over the Volkswagen GTI ("Pocket Rocket Referendum,'' May 1). Lately European cars seem to be plagued by electrical gremlins as well as nagging squeaks and rattles. I'd hate to think of life with the GTI after a few thousand miles of hard use.

Nick Smyrniotopoulos, New York

Great article covering the GTI vs. Civic Si, but you missed a piece of reality. The 0-to-60-mph statistic is nice, but don't forget us real-world people where 40 to 60 mph and 60 to 80 mph mean something. It's important for those of us in northern New England pulling out to pass "people from away'' to get first tracks at the ski slopes or catch the ferry to Nova Scotia. And while we're catching "air time'' on springtime frost heaves, the GTI is the choice with quicker drag strip times.