Oh, good: someone asked about the Vibe!
What you see below is an official 2007 model with the 5-speed gearbox, purchased in late February of this year. The 2008 models were exactly the same, but we opted for a leftover new 2007 model because GMAC was offering zero percent financing with no money down on those. The 2009 version, which you can buy now, is considerably different (more like its Toyota Matrix twin). Frankly, I prefer the older version, which has slightly bigger windows and looks better besides. The worst thing about the 2009s, which I simply would not be able to abide, is that for no good reason the symmetry of the three round dashboard gauges is gone. The dashboard on our 2007 is reminiscent of a ’57 Chevy, and if the truth be known, the dash was a huge selling point for me. Not so on the 2009s! But I’m sure they’re good cars, too.
A perfectly delightful automobile
I put Mobil One in this baby pretty early on, before the 2,000 mile mark, causing my brother (among others) to worry that the rings might not have seated properly by that point. Well, all I can say is, it runs just fine. Still, this concern caused me to read everything I could find about that “issue” on the Internet, where I discovered that a great many Vibe and Matrix owners have done exactly the same thing and had no problems. For the record, right now we’re averaging 37-39 mpg in all kinds of driving.
If you read owner reviews online like I did before purchasing — over 300 of them on various websites, in fact — you’ll discover that the Vibe is supposedly underpowered. That’s why we got the 5-speed, to get the most out of the engine. From my observations, I’d say that 4th and 5th are rather tall (high ratio) gears with very little oomph, but downshifting into 3rd is fine for passing, even at highway speeds. Keeping the rpms up is crucial to getting anything done, but the Toyota Corolla engine loves to rev and makes this easy. All in all, the engine/transmission combination is very satisfying, and the car is fun to drive.
My early concern about the steering being twitchy has evaporated, probably due to the tires getting broken in. The vehicle now has about 11K miles on it and still feels tight. Neither of us has any complaints. On our last road trip to Iowa, cruising at 80+ mph was smooth and serene. Sure, another 50 horsepower would be wonderful, but so is 39 mpg, boy howdy, and I still love the way it looks.
(For comparison’s sake, the Chevy Cobalt I rented for my ill-fated trip to AZ in August was zippier but used more gas. Ergonomically, the Vibe beats the Cobalt into the ground, and our car has better seats, too.)
UPDATE: My sweetie filled up when she got back from Alamosa: 38 miles per gallon on that last tankful. I do appreciate this car!
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