I popped the hood, crawled underneath, checked fit/finish and build quality, everything seemed pretty descent for what it cost so I jumped in, started the engine, rowwed the slushbox into drive and rolled slowly out to the main road.

First I noticed the body roll / sloppy handling, even before I got up to speed, it didn't seem any more compliant than the old one, but either you need to run those 18" tires with far more than factory recommended pressures, or the car is simply much more sloppy than her old decaying base car on 16" hankooks.

Not letting that discourage me (too much), I entered the freeway with the "GO" pedal to the floor, quicker than her 130hp base it's to replace? maybe a touch, lowend torque increases noticable? not really, certainly not enough to justify the upgrade cost.

Basically, I ripped the car to shreds verbally, gf was very upset with me and crying because I was "ruining" her excitement in getting a new car, but I continued to say if you're going to spend ~20k$ on a car, it better be better than the one it's replacing, I told her to spend some time with it herself comparing it to her old one and it's up to her to make the final call, but I think it's a bucket of f*@^.

So, she drives it to work the following morning (50 miles) and I encouraged her to drive it as she would her 03, she calls me at about 9:15 AM and says it handles poorly, she felt "unsafe" taking the normal highway interchanges at the speeds she would her base, it seemed to consume more fuel (not broken in yet) and overall she agreed with me that it was a pos and not in any way an upgrade besides some leather inserts and GT badges.

So, back on the search I went for a cheap & reliable "sporty" fuel efficient hatchback that has an OK stereo, every corner pointed back to a mazda3, went to the local dealer and drove a S-touring mazda3 hatchback myself... I had previously driven a Mazdaspeed3 in the spring and had decided that was one of my favorite cars of 08' and if you were on a budget that was the car to get, but I really didn't expect much from it's cheaper more sensible brother, the normal sport hatch.

Boy was I wrong, I loved every second of the drive, sure it's only got 160hp and it's not going to win any stop light contests, but it's a blast in the corners just like the mazdaspeed3 was.

So I found a used 07 w/ 2k miles on it in ohio and we went and grabbed it over last weekend, she's extremely happy with it and won't step foot in the vibe again... and even I find myself wanting to take the 3 out for a spin leaving my 450hp vette garaged!

Garbage?? Come on, you may not like the 2009, but I have 11,000 km on mine and really like it, think it's an excellent car so far and a very pleasant ride every time I drive it.

i disagree, it's very noticeable, but then again, when you're use to a $60,000 car, i guess a little pee on like the vibe is nothing more then a pos. and shame on all the owners who bought them and like them, we must have been stupid to buy such a sloppy car and actually like it. i'm sure if you moded your vette and got a 30 hp and 37 lb feet of torque, you'd notice it.
2009-158 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque 3160 lbs
2003-130 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque 2650 lbs
Mazda3- 151 hp and 150 lb-ft of torque 2930 lbs

Quote, originally posted by BoostFrenzy »

Basically, I ripped the car to shreds verbally, gf was very upset with me and crying because I was "ruining" her excitement in getting a new car

can't say i'd brag about making my gf cry.

Quote, originally posted by BoostFrenzy »

glad i'm not getting flamed here lol, the new ones are really garbage

just because you've run in to members who who like their old vibes doesn't mean you can continue to trash the new vibe. i think your review of it was very wrong and biased.

Quote, originally posted by kevera »

But the new Matrix drove much better though,but I really like the mazda3.So I may get one also.

funny, seeing as how they are the same car saying that one would drive better then the other, i think is all mental.

but anyways the mazda3 is a great choice too. very very fun to drive. this was my first choice and i test drove one last year and was set on getting it. only turn off was the amount of road/wind noise that car had and the crappy a/c. i test drove it on a mid 80's day and had a/c on almost full blast...after driving around for 1/2 hour w/ the sales guy the a/c barely got cold. very disappointing i test drove the 07 model but i think the previous models' a/c was even worst.

-- 2009 Vibe GT in Jet Black

LOL well, the new one's much heavier and provides the same power/weight as the old one when curb weight's considered, thats why I didn't feel any gain in acceleration. Still doesn't make sense why the 03 with a live axle in the back felt more planted in corners, that itself is a mystery.

how am i biased? i like the 03 just fine, it's been a great car and does everything a commuter should, but that doesn't mean i shouldn't EXPECT the new one to be considerably better in all ways, to me i'd rather be in the 03

Quote, originally posted by DarkVibe »

funny, seeing as how they are the same car saying that one would drive better then the other, i think is all mental.

I have a whole lot of problems too long too list,but that's another story.
In all seriousness,the trix was surprisingly quieter than the vibe.
I was the 1st around here to drive the 09 vibe,the AWD I had in the contest,I liked that one.But that's not the one I was going to buy.

Has nothing to do with bias or "expectations" because I own a Corvette, part of being a car enthusiast is picking cars in EACH SEGMENT at EACH PRICE POINT to declare a winner, no brand loyalty, no unrealistic expectations... every segment has a winner with a blend of reliability/performance/asthetics/practicality (if applicable)/fuel economy... the 09 vibe is simply a huge letdown and the GMS+500$ rebate proves my point, the damn thing just came out!

My wife was not set on the new Vibes but she saw a GT the other day and told me she liked it.

Funny story though, last week I met with a GM customer of mine. She showed up in a new Vibe, non-GT and I said we have an 03 how do you like the new Vibe's?

First words out of her mouth were it is noisy, and then it does not get all my radio stations...

I told my wife not what I expected to hear from a GM person driving a new re-designed GM car.

Quote, originally posted by ToolGuy »

We love our 03 all except for the drivers window falling into the door over the weekend. That is another story though. My wife was not set on the new Vibes but she saw a GT the other day and told me she liked it. Funny story though, last week I met with a GM customer of mine. She showed up in a new Vibe, non-GT and I said we have an 03 how do you like the new Vibe's? First words out of her mouth were it is noisy, and then it does not get all my radio stations... I told my wife not what I expected to hear from a GM person driving a new re-designed GM car.

Nice C5!

It's just a miss for GM on this one, that 03 was a HUGE surprise to me (she purchased it before I met her), the thing's been rock solid and while it isn't TRYING to be awesome like the 09s are, it's more humble and respectable... least if it's going to be a boring drive might as well enjoy 33-34mpg

Thanks! I just picked up a set of 2003 highly polished rims for it.

And likewise nice C6.

My disappointment in the 09 Vibe is all the standard things or the majority of them on the older Vibes like my 03 are now options on the 09 Vibes.

I like the look of the 4 door 3s. If and when I need to replace my Vibe it would probably be with that.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I couldn't disagree more. I find my 09 GT to be a huge upgrade from the old model, which was a bit of a "road toaster". From both a styling standpoint, as well as the extra pep, I am quite happy with mine so far.

I might have to flame you for this.

i've ALWAYS been a fan of light & nimble well sorted tight suspension compacts, problem is they're never packed with any power to go along with it (when i say power, to my butt-dyno a 350whp evo/sti is slow)

hopefully the C7 fits this mold as these huge V8's aren't going to be commonplace anymore, the vette will have to get smaller & lighter with a smaller powerplant (but hopefully still 400+whp)

kinda off topic but just curious...what mpg does your corvette get?

-- 2009 Vibe GT in Jet Black

Now I've driven and enjoyed the style and handling of the mazda speed 3. I haven't driven a mazda 3 though but I doubt it would be as fun (no turbo) haha.

The Subaru first off was waaaay overpriced for what it was, and it really looked more like a wagon than a hatch. The Mazda 3 was nice, a little lacking in the space department, and the biggest flaw. No AWD was offered.

The Matrix, good looks, solid ride, the AWD has IRS thus much better handling. The AWD factor was key, it also got the best mileage or the others. (Mazda was out at this point due to no AWD). I sacrificed not having the manual transmission even though I want one so bad, it was not available, but to me AWD was more important than shifting gears. This was gonna be a daily drive in traffic anyways.

The cargo room is incredible, the functionality of the space is awesome, I can plug anything into my car via the two-prong outlet without having to buy car adapters. I upgraded the lighting to HIDs and yellow fog lamps (sorta Lexus like). The car fit the bill.

I average 28-30+ mpg, and two years later have 78,000 miles on it with oil changes, tires, brakes. Before this winter I will be flushing the tranny and coolant and getting the rear drums replaced. Other than that it has needed a serpentine belt which I already replaced myself with a Goodyear Gatorback. So it has been a very very inexpensive car to maintain. Oh, cabin and airbox filters as well.

Could I have gone faster and more sporty, yes. But at 27 I'm not a boy racer and going fast is not on the agenda at this point. But the car will do 80 no problem and pass just fine on the highway. And for a hatch, it is a very very manueverable car compared with my 02 Civic EX, this car outhandles it and that was a 2 door coupe 5spd.

I get 18-21 in town depending on my right foot to and from work (8 miles each way with several stops), I can make it 21-22mpg shifting out of 1st @ 2k and going into 4th then 6th by 35mph, but that's simply no fun!

At 70mph I get 29-31mpg with the stock tires (285/35/19) and stock 3.42 rear, I may upgrade to a 4.10 rear and 305/30/19s which would cost me ~1-2mpg on the freeway all said and done.

However though it's interesting you bring this up because the SOLE REASON I went with a new corvette was the fuel economy, granted my 2008 with the larger "430hp" 6.2 litre engine gets -1mpg vs. a previous 400hp LS2, but the LS3 I have is so much more engine than the LS2 ever was.

Honestly, I just got sick of building small displacement high strung turbo motors, that even stock got pretty "terrible" MPG due to the low compression pistons utilized for boost, some day in the future when direct injection is FULLY mature we should see better-than-my-corvette fuel economy with equal to or MORE power, but we're not quite there yet.

For instance, with a stock STI you're lucky to get 15city/24highway and much less driving spirited... we're getting to the point where the high strung turbo motors are the gas guzzlers! Before anyone flames that statement, YES I UNDERSTAND an EVO/STI is about as aerodynamic as a fridge and the AWD drag helps kill MPG as well, but I simply wasn't going to put the gas in it for a measly 400 at the crank (my 04 ran mid 12s @ 108mph, pump gas, stock turbo & injectors) which equates to around 300 at the wheels once the drivetrain loss is spoken for, compared to my stock vette which routinely puts down 390-400 at the tire with only "430hp" at the crank (many feel it's underrated) and considerably better fuel economy, lighter weight and AS CHEAP as a brand new EVO/STI, it was the choice for me!

Looks are subjective as I said, but in my opinion our loaded 2WD AUTO 03 base is MUCH more car than the 09 for OUR intended purpose, which has been 30-40k highway miles per year, carting my *** to all these nearby states to pick up cars, hauling engines/transmissions/wheels/tires/plasma tv's and doing it with 32-33mpg freeway and 185k on the clock and no part failures, 16" tires are cheap too, just seemed like the 09 GT was going to have a higher maintanance cost, tire cost, FUEL cost and the larger engine wasn't noticably better than the little 1ZZ we got in the 03... we could have considered a loaded up 09 1.8 auto model, but then we'd still be looking at a GT pricetag... but if we're considering looks, will someone please tell GM chrome wheels are out of style? I just turned 28 and polished/chrome rims RUIN a car in my opinion.

I drove a mazdaspeed3 earlier this year and I was BLOWN AWAY, for ANY vehicle enthusiast that wants a quick fun to drive car and has <25k$ to spend, THAT'S the car, i'm a LONG TIME subaru enthusiast, but subaru has lost the edge.... I drove a 2008 WRX and 2008 WRX STI leaving disappointed and well aware the era and legacy of that car is gone, now replaced with a mainstream MORE EXPENSIVE lackluster version.

The standard mazda3 sport hatchback on the other hand, no it doesnt' have WRX/Mazdaspeed3/STI horsepower, but for our commuting purposes and fuel economy the power defeceit is early discarded, but the handling and fun factor is still there.