2010 Volkswagen Golf to Start at $17,490

Volkswagen is changing the name of its Rabbit to the name it uses around the world, the Golf. It will also get a price bump, up from $16,300 for the Rabbit to $17,490 for the Golf base model.

The base model comes with a 175-horsepower, 2.5-liter gas engine and two doors. An upgrade to four doors will cost you $19,190.

Big news for the new Golf is the inclusion of a turbo-diesel engine. The two-door TDI begins at $21,990, and the four-door TDI starts $22,590. This diesel engine is the same one powering the Jetta TDI.

Meanwhile, the Golf GTI will have an starting price tag of $23,290.

2010 Volkswagen Golf and GTI Video

Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder uses his time at the 2009 New York auto show to take a look at the 2010 Volkswagen Golf and GTI. Learn about all the styling changes to both the Golf and GTI, from its complex new headlights to its subtle interior styling cues. Also, learn the only three phrases Wiesenfelder knows in German.

2010 Volkswagen Golf at 2009 New York Auto Show

• Competes with: Mazda3 hatchback, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper
• Looks like: VW is obsessed with smooth styling
• Drivetrain: 170-hp, 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder or 140-hp, 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel with five-speed manual (gas), six-speed manual (diesel) or six-speed automatic (gas or diesel); front-wheel drive
• Hits dealerships: Fall 2009

Volkswagen has updated its compact hatchback for 2010, giving it smoother exterior styling, updates to the cabin and a newly available diesel engine. It also marks the return of the name “Golf,” which had been ditched for the past few years in favor of “Rabbit.”

Smooth exterior styling was already one of the defining elements of the outgoing Rabbit, but the new Golf looks even slicker. The most significant exterior change is to its face, which has new headlights that are much more integrated into the grille than before. The grille itself is wider, and the lower portion of the front bumper has been restyled. In back, new taillights closely resemble those from VW's Touareg SUV.

The Golf will be offered in 2.5 and TDI trim levels. The base 2.5 hatchback is powered by a 2.5-liter inline-five-cylinder engine that makes 170 hp. The optional diesel engine in the TDI makes less power —40 hp — but produces a boatload of torque (236 pounds-feet at 1,750 rpm). Fuel economy figures haven't been released, but the gas engine's should be similar to the Rabbit's — which got between 29 and 30 mpg on the highway, depending on the transmission — while the diesel engine will likely be somewhere around the Jetta TDI's estimates of 40-41 mpg on the highway, and maybe even higher.

The cabin has a lot of updated surfaces, including new door interiors, a new center control panel, a new steering wheel and new gauges, but somehow it still looks a lot like the Rabbit's; the changes are rather subtle. That's not as much of an issue as you might think, though, as the Rabbit had one of the nicer interiors in its class.

More photos below.

Volkswagen Drops Rabbit, Resurrects Golf

Volkswagen is, er, putting the Rabbit out to pasture. The company announced today that its entry-level hatchback will be called the Golf when the restyled 2010 model arrives. The storied Rabbit nameplate, resurrected amid cutesy TV ads for just three years, will go back to the history books when the Golf returns this fall. Though not completely redesigned, the Golf sports updated sheet metal and a new interior. Volkswagen will likely offer two- and four-door versions, with the U.S. model debuting April 8 at the New York auto show.

Spokesman Steve Keyes confirmed that drivetrain choices will include the Rabbit’s five-cylinder — a gutsy but relatively thirsty engine — as well as a more fuel-efficient diesel. If the Rabbit was any example, we’d expect the Golf to be a notch up in cabin quality and pricing compared to other entry-level hatchbacks. Stay tuned for more info, as well as our first impressions of the car, at next week’s auto show.