heartfire9 wrote:I noticed that many folks seem to think that the Pontiac Vibe and the Toyota Matrix are basically the same car. I drove a matrix company car for about a year and I can tell you the Matrix does NOT drive like a Vibe. The Vibe version of this car must have something different in the suspension. The Vibe has a solid feeling on the road, the Matrix in comparison feels like a tin can with wheels. I don't know what the reason is. I am just saying. When I got to get back into my Vibe at the end of the day, it was much more of a pleasure to drive.
Anyone know what the difference is in these 2 vehicles? Just curious.
Yes, its called a KIA Soul. They sell like crazy here. The streets are full of them, the dealer lots are full of large gas hogs like the Sorento which get 24 mpg on a good day. I stopped at a dealer the other day. He said they got in a truck load of them and they were gone in a couple of days. Only ones on the lot were two year old used ones, and they wanted $18,000-$19,000 for them.star_deceiver wrote:Does nobody want a non-sedan sub $20000 vehicle down there???Venza and RVR are in a completly different price segment.
Hamster cars..... LOL! And 20 years ago, back in the day when my Mustang was in it's prime, I called all 4 cyl cars, hamster powered cars, as I blew past them.CharlesinGA wrote:[Yes, its called a KIA Soul. They sell like crazy here. The streets are full of them, the dealer lots are full of large gas hogs like the Sorento which get 24 mpg on a good day. I stopped at a dealer the other day. He said they got in a truck load of them and they were gone in a couple of days. Only ones on the lot were two year old used ones, and they wanted $18,000-$19,000 for them.
Charles
cythraul wrote:The Matrix lives on still another year.
Who'll get one?
According to the following, indeed.. in Cambridge:tpollauf wrote:That is encouraging news. I'm assuming they are made in Canada?
I always felt like I was driving a Toyota, not a GM.tpollauf wrote:As long as they are still in production it sort of makes us Vibe owners feel secure ('09-'10 years anyways) from a parts perspective anyways. Also that only half of our car is totally gone. The other half will obviously still live on in the form of the Matrix
Good to hear!cythraul wrote:The Matrix lives on still another year.
http://www.auto123.com/en/news/toyota-m ... tid=146474" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
It definitely makes me feel more secure, although I still worry about the availability of exterior parts down the road a few years ...tpollauf wrote:That is encouraging news. As long as they are still in production it sort of makes us Vibe owners feel secure ('09-'10 years anyways) from a parts perspective anyways.
Same here.cythraul wrote:I always felt like I was driving a Toyota, not a GM.
I saw a few photos and it looks the same. As for a "quieter and less harsh ride" that I doubt. From what I can read, they did nothing to it beside adding Bluetooth(tm), a USB port and six speakers on the base model. It's the bare minimum but maybe it will help sales. Bluetooh and USB are gadgets but a very convenient ones. In fact the first thing I did when I got my Vibe was to rip out the OEM receiver for a cheap JVC with a USB port.ParknVibe wrote:If Toyota can redesign the Matrix to look better then the 2009-2010 Vibe.... then they will have a winner. Of course they must make it quieter and have a less harsh ride as well.
Toyota made the 2009 Matrix look worst then the 2008 Matrix (on the outside) ...Same with all of their later models from 2009 and on.
I used to have a '93 Corolla wagon, I still kick myself for not taking a week off and letting a good mechanic repair everything that needed doing on the car, I wanted so badly to fix it but never did, it sat in my driveway for several years before I conceded that it would be better off to scrap it. That car was the most practical, most reliable car I have ever had. If Toyota or Honda ever start making a true wagon of the Corolla/Accord/Camry families, available in North America I would buy in a heartbeat. I know a few years ago that you could get a new Accord wagon in Europe, but not here. There was even an absolutely amazing Honda commercial that was kind of like a game of Mouse Trap but using parts from the car interacting to cause a completed vehicle to roll down a ramp, the model was a wagon. The video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyN9y0BEMqc I highly recommend it. Apparently it took many tries by the company that made the commercial to make it happen all in a single pass so that the video could be continuous with no splicing.BillCrittenden wrote:It might be marketing, too, the Corolla is one of the most popular cars in the world but how many people even know what a Matrix is? If they just made a Corolla wagon like they used to, sales would probably double, easy.
In the US Acura sells the Euro Accord Wagon, it's called the Acura TSX Sport Wagon. Unfortunately, Acura doesn't sell it in Canada.BillCrittenden wrote:If Toyota or Honda ever start making a true wagon of the Corolla/Accord/Camry families, available in North America I would buy in a heartbeat. I know a few years ago that you could get a new Accord wagon in Europe, but not here.
I said in a past post (herein), that if Toyota can make the Matrix look better then the 2009-2010 Vibe, they will have a winner.micbarric wrote:WardsAuto, Oct. 3, 2012: Toyota Pulls Plug on Matrix for U.S.
"Toyota confirms its Matrix compact hatchback has been sent out to pasture in the U.S. The model, which debuted in ’03 as the Corolla Matrix, saw declining sales in recent years and is ended with the ’13 model year, Toyota U.S. spokeswoman Toni Honsowetz tells WardsAuto."
They're not trying at all... The sheeple give them a free pass at leaving a design out to rot for years with minimal (if any) improvements. It's a Toyota Corolla after all! Your new 2013 Corolla is the same one you could buy in 2009, except for a new grille, tail lights, and a touch screen radio that's so poorly integrated into the dash fascia that it looks aftermarket. If a domestic automaker put that little effort into "keeping the product fresh," they'd be hung out to dry by the automotive rags.KITT222 wrote: (I'm hard on the Corolla because Toyota isn't trying hard enough. Honestly, tell me why I would take a Corolla over a new Focus, Dart, or Cruze?)
toyota doesnt try any moreColonelPanic wrote:They're not trying at all... The sheeple give them a free pass at leaving a design out to rot for years with minimal (if any) improvements. It's a Toyota Corolla after all! Your new 2013 Corolla is the same one you could buy in 2009, except for a new grille, tail lights, and a touch screen radio that's so poorly integrated into the dash fascia that it looks aftermarket. If a domestic automaker put that little effort into "keeping the product fresh," they'd be hung out to dry by the automotive rags.KITT222 wrote: (I'm hard on the Corolla because Toyota isn't trying hard enough. Honestly, tell me why I would take a Corolla over a new Focus, Dart, or Cruze?)
The only thing appealing about the Corolla is that they are (or, likely were) the automotive equivalent of a cockroach after nuclear holocaust. Can survive anything! I do appreciate that with the Vibe I have to maintain, fantastic car that I never really have to do anything to. But I'm not so convinced the current Corolla is anywhere near as reliable as one from 10 years ago and they may be coasting on a prior reputation. Seems fairly obvious here among 2003-2008 and 2009-2010 Vibes. I have little faith in the next generation, though it is good that they are keeping a hatchback in the mix.
I would much rather take a Dart than a Corolla, reliability be darned... Chrysler will have a hatchback '100' variant next year too.
Trax is ugly IMO. The Buick one, too. I'd rather have the Orlando, or a variant (redesigned headlamps would make it look great - not like something from the mid-2000's). More likely the Cruze wagon or hatch. After seeing some options at last year's (2012) auto show, I'm disappointed in the lack of any good hatchback choices. Hyundai killed the only decent one, the Elantra Touring. But if there were one car I'd take as a second place to the Vibe, it would be the Ford Focus. It wasn't at the auto show, but I saw one at the MN state fair, and was very impressed by it as a real, good hatchback. I'd take a Focus ST in a heartbeat. Sonic is a decent contender too, just not my size.star_deceiver wrote:I'd suggest taking a Trax for a spin once they come out... or the overpriced Buick version for you guys/gals below the 49th!
I don't know were you live but if it's located where corrosion is a problem, don't.zurge936 wrote:With no Vibe, and potentially no Matrix, my future car purchase may require me to look at the Mazda3. The newly redesigned, not yet released, Mazda3 looks like it is going to be a good looking car.