#Pontiac vibe awd drivers

It has some cosmetic issues, but its running strong and I got a great deal on it. That being said, I didn't bat an eye purchasing an '05 GT with 138K miles on it 6 months ago (over 150K now). They are generally very reliable with many getting well over 300K miles, but at 10+ years old, you never know what you're really going to get. For a week straight, I drove in some of the worst lake-effect snow I've ever seen in west Michigan.Īs the others have said, all Vibes are aging and previous maintenance is a concern. Honestly, I did great with relatively new all-season tires (Arizonan Silver Edition III) on the front of my GT when visiting my family for Christmas. Plenty of owners out there who do brilliantly with their FWD Vibes in the snow. My advice is to buy a FWD vibe and run quality snow tires on it.

#Pontiac vibe awd drivers

In my opinion, an AWD Vibe is unnecessary for 99% of drivers out there. Having owned both a first and second generation Vibe, I wouldn't consider buying a used first generation because they are all 10 years old or more and because the second generation is better is almost every category. Road salt, lack of regular maintenance and just plain water takes a toll on a car as time ticks by. When talking about Vibes, you have to consider that an aging vehicle will show its age one way or another. If you want a small(ish) car that has impecable reliability, get a used Honda Fit, CRV, or Toyota Highlander. It isn't the greatest car on the road as it suffered from Toyota hiring some inferior parts suppliers at NUMMI. of Michigan? Northern Maine? Do you really need AWD? In general, the Vibe has aged pretty well. Regarding AWD, the more parts you have on a car, the more parts that fail. Like the GT, it uses a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine.Second generation Vibes unreliable? Well, Consumer Reports has had that model as their poster child for the past couple of years as an example of the best used car to buy. With 158 horsepower on tap, my tester also fared quite well in the power department, as said competitors range from 143 to 172 horsepower. Like the GT, it uses a 2.4L 4-cylinder engine that proves much more capable than the 1.8L unit of the base model. The Vibe AWD is one of three models in the lineup. Interestingly, Dodge no longer offers the four-wheel drive Caliber R/T. Both the Vibe and Matrix carry a higher base MSRP than the Impreza (about $500) and Compass ($2,000). The Vibe AWD is pitted against the Subaru Impreza, Suzuki SX4, Jeep Compass and, of course, the Matrix AWD. That should make the Pontiac quite popular in areas hit by major snowfalls. My tester, however, clearly stood out thanks to a new all-wheel drive system. There's a minuscule glass section inside the C pillars and the rear window seems better integrated, giving the Matrix at least one more point on a scale of 100 compared to the Vibe! (That's a disputable argument, I know.)

In my eyes, the latter looks cleaner and better executed due to a more careful approach to design. Unlike, say, the Chevrolet Aveo5 and Suzuki Swift+, the Vibe and Matrix are styled differently. Of course, we're not talking about identical twins here.

So, for the most part, my comments about the Vibe also apply to the Matrix. Their driving dynamics are also pretty much the same, as are their prices when you compare similarly-equipped models. These two cars continue to share platforms and powertrains. The 'extreme' lines of this small wagon are indeed reminiscent of the cartoonish toy cars of our childhood.Įarly last year, compact hatchback buyers were treated to a completely redesigned Pontiac Vibe - not to mention its Japanese cousin, the Toyota Matrix. However, this design likely won't age very well due to its radical nature. As a result, Vibe sales jumped 32 percent in 2008. Such styling is clearly aimed at a specific group of drivers, namely the young and young-at-heart. The 'extreme' lines of this small wagon are indeed reminiscent of the cartoonish toy cars of our childhood. The second-generation Pontiac Vibe is a life-size Hot Wheels.