Anyone see acceleration comparisons between base Vibe and GT ?

[adogonakat]

I've been researching the Vibe alot lately and think its a wonderful car. I'm debating now between a base vibe with a 5 speed or a GT. A Car & Driver article showed a 1 second difference in the 0 - 60 times between a base Vibe and a Matrix XRS, so I assume the Vibe GT will be close. Has anyone seen a road test with each model like from Road & Track that shows their respective acceleration curves? The GT sounds like a lot of fun, but I'm not sure the low end performance will be enough difference to opt for it instead of the base Vibe. Thanks for any information,Dan

[old man winter]

I test drove a base with auto, awd with auto, then the gt with 6 speed. I was not happy with any of the auto tranny models. I believe you will have more fun when you are in control of the power curv and ratio. When I drove the gt for the first time I had not done much research on the vvtl-i so I did not know what to expect. I was with my wife at the time and she drove it first (it was to be here car at the time). Then it was my turn, I just started around town and headed to the highway. It felt better than the auto models, but I was thinking to myself "what the hell does the gt stand for. Than when I was on the highway I came up behind a truck and went from 5th to 3rd and punched it.........hello ...............sold. Life begins after 6000. I still have a bruse on my right shoulder from hearther's reaction that day.

[d_m_kolb]

I have driven the auto Vibe and loved it. My wife needs a auto so that's what we looked at. We both really liked the way it felt and the way it shifted. It's go nice low end torque even with the auto.I have driven the 5 speed Vibe and the 6 speed Vibe GT. The GT really doesn't have the torque down low like the 1ZZ-FE has. The base Vibe has alot more real world driving power since the torque is much better down low than the 2ZZ-GE. Of course the 2ZZ-GE is great for top end power but most people don't drive in this range.If your going to race your Vibe and drive hard alot I'd go with a GT if not go with a base Vibe. Plus gas mileage will be better and it would be a better choice to turbo or super charger since the compression ratio is lower.

[Frosty]

See the bottom of the page of http://www.matrixvibe.net/specs.shtml for a ranking of various Vibe/Matrix variants. Update: Just remembered that we collected all the articles we could find on the Vibe/Matrix at http://www.matrixvibe.net/articles.shtml Also this one doesn't seem to be on the list http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/roadt ... cc_matrix/ Hope this helps.
[Modified by Frosty, 3:42 PM 8/13/2002]

[adogonakat]

Thanks for the input, especially the link to Sport Compact Car, but I still would like to see more detail comparing the base 5 speed to the GT 6 speed on a curve from 0 to 100mph. After reading the article at Sport Compact Car, it seems the GT really needs its gearing redone for it to be a solid all-around performer. Reminds me of the early 70's Porsche 911s (T, E and S). The S made something like 190 Hp from its 2.4 liter engine, but power was only available so high up in the RPM range that it was no fun at all in town. Has anyone seen more details of the base Vibe with a 5 speed showing its acceleration capabilities? Practically every article I've read so far talks about the GT.Thanks again,Dan