MJX has a few well-reviewed 1:14 rally cars. They've got a restomod truck (inspired by Ken Block's Hoonitruck), a Lancia Delta Integrale inspired car, a licensed Citroen C3, and most recently a licensed Volkswagen Polo 2015-inspired car.

These cars are all essentially identical. They've got the same chassis and power systems (minor updates incl. with the Volkswagen but overall same performance), and the only real differences between the 4 small rally cars under the polycarbonate shell are the shapes of the bumpers and the rear diffuser.

However, in 2025 MJX significantly broadened their rally car range by introducing the Citroen and Volkswagen cars in two new scales: 1:10 and 1:7.

I just received my 1:10 Volkswagen rally and... hoo boy, they've introduced a lot of innovations.

First let's get pricing out of the way: I ordered the car from AliExpress, and it was fulfillment from a US fulfillment center for $206 for the no-battery package. Final cost after taxes & such was about $227. I received it 6 days after ordering.

Of course, it has what you expect in a scaled-up MJX: a great preinstalled light system, plush suspension with beefy metal CVDs on each corner.

But there are so many refinements. The ESC is rated for 3S/80A, has an XT60 connector, and it's now officially branded with MJX's in-house brand, "Angry Snail". The 3652 motor and ESC are sensored, using a barrel plug similar to the Hobbywing style.

And yes, the power is silky smooth. I noticed it immediately at low speeds.

The radio looks to be pretty generic, now branded MJX with the model "T3D" that uses 4AA instead of 2. I'm not noticing the throttle lag that MJXes are famous for, but that could also be because I adjust the trim on my throttles to start on a hair trigger. Standard MJX gyro is included to make holding a line easier.

The chassis is an aluminum plate, now embossed with the actual name of the company, Guangdong Meijiaxin.

The car uses a clipless design that hooks into the front shock tower and fastens with magnets and a single body post and pin in the back. As you can see in the pictures, the body post sticks out of the diffuser, toward the ground. This... seems... extremely prone to problems, but I've run the car over asphalt and gravel now with no apparent damage. I guess we'll see. The RTR package includes parts for body post conversion, as well as extra rod ends and extra shock springs.

Lights are powered through a pin connector that automatically engages and disengages when the body is attached and removed. No hanging wires.

And performance is fantastic. I'm no road-car expert, but I felt like the Volkswagen rally found a good middle ground between my Vendetta (launches like an arrow off a bow, steers like a brick), and the 1:14 rally cars (twitchy, easy to slide out, easy to roll). By comparison to the smaller cars, the Volkswagen cuts some tight turns without sliding quite as severely, but it will never catch a dedicated drag racer.

Notably missing in this design is any kind of slipper clutch or center diff. The spur-directly-on-center-driveshaft design really worked well in the 1:14 scale, but I guess we'll have to see if the 1:10 scale will be as durable. The car isn't really designed for big air or hard landings, so maybe a center diff would be overkill.