AWD vibe?

[sfvibe]

After trying my fwd Vibe, my coworker is thinking of getting the awd Vibe (snow & dirt roads). But the lowest price is about $21k, and at this price, I think he's really better off with a Subaru Impreza wagon/ Outback Sport, with the larger engine (2.5 l, 165hp) and all time 4 wheel drive. The awd Vibe seems like it'd be kinda clunky, with only 123 hp and close to 3000 lbs. Does anyone here own an awd Vibe? Do you find its highway merging/passing speed OK? How about its dirt & snow handling? My coworker intends to travel from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe area once a month or so, with 2 or 3 persons & skis, bikes... There're a lot of hills along the way, and you need to pass big trucks & slow cars every once in a while.

[neptunevibeawd]

I have an AWD vibe. The day i got it, we got a big snow storm so I go to drive it in the snow. MY comments are, the AWD system is smooth and effortless. Somewhere I saw an article that gave huge praise to the AWD system. The downside is that with the extra weight and less horsepower, when I try to pass someone on highway it is not as fast as I want. I will say that when I do pass I am usually doing 75 mph when I hit the gas. As to the other cars you talked about, the one HUGE advantage of the vibe is the interior room, none of the other cars offer the same amount of room, especially if there will be 3 or 4 people in the car. If you have any other questions let me know....

[sfvibe]

Thanks for you post. Just saw the Aug issue of Consumer Reports, with the following rankings, along with 0-60, 45-65, and quarter-mile times - all will automatic transmission (ones in parenthesis are from previous reports):1 VW Jetta Wagon GLS 1.8T.....8.5...5.5...16.82,3 (Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester)4 (Ford Focus Wagon SE)5 Toyota Matrix AWD.............12.0...7.5...18.86 Pontiac Vibe......................11.2...6.7...18.57 Ford Focus ZX5..................10.6...6.9...18.18 (Honda CRV)9 Mazda Protege5.................11.6...7.2...18.710 Subaru Impreza OS..........10.5...6.4...18.1 11 (Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited)You're right about the cargo space, the Impreza Wagon with seats up has only 20.5 cf space vs Vibe's 25. But the Matrix AWD has 28 cf of space - does the AWD drivetrain add some space but decrease fuel tank size (from 13.2 to 11.9 gal)?I'm surprised that the Matrix AWD is almost as quick as the Protege5! Not much zoom, zoom, zoom in the automatic Protege, even with a 2.0 l engine.Do you need to turn off overdrive when going up hills on the freeway? Sometimes my auto fwd vibe hunts too much and I just turn o/d off. This seems to delay upshifting in city traffic also, but maybe just my imagination, though.
[Modified by sfvibe, 7:37 PM 7/11/2002]

[Sub-Zero]

i've test driven the matrix 4wd, and it handles very well. it has an independent suspension while the fwd vibe/matrices are stuck with torsion beams only complaint was obviously lack of power, and toyota's admitting the AWD system isn't "robust" enough to handle a lot of power. it'd be cool if they had the drivetrain from the older celicas that were in the WRC...then you could mod it and mess with some WRXs :Dwhen you turn O/D off, 4th gear is disabled, so it won't shift to 4th.
[Modified by Sub-Zero, 2:38 PM 7/11/2002]

[admin]

I would second the comment about the lack of power. But at least you can say it has a really consistent torque curve. The handling is quite good too. If you want power, get the GT.

[Brator]

Can anyone comment on the difference in the suspension. How does the it feel going over bumps or hitting potholes in the AWD?

[neptunevibeawd]

The vibe AWD has the advantage over bumps or potholes, AWD has independent rear suspension. I drove a base vibe and my AWD vibe and I felt that the AWD vibe actually held to the road better.

[onthelam]

I agree with the better ride of the AWD Vibe. I haven't had a chance to try the AWD yet...waiting for snow! Yes it's underpowered somewhat but it still has some "guts"....and after filling up for the 4 time I got 34 mpg. I'm very happy with my AWD Vibe. A better picture of my Vibe http://www.genvibe.com/images/misc/onthelam.jpg
[Modified by onthelam, 8:19 PM 7/16/2002]

[sfvibe]

Thanks for the responses. My coworker just drive in with a used 2001 Forester S Premium he got for $20000. He said there's actually more backseat space in the Vibe, but on his test drive, he brought along 2 other friends, and along with the dealer, there must've been > 800 lbs of passengers, and he just didn't feel the car had enough power. He had to really press on the gas getting on the freeway or passing, and during that type of revving, the engine was a lot louder than the Forester during similar situations. It's a real shame Toyota/Pontiac didn't put in a stronger engine for the AWD version - it'd really win over potential small SUV buyers, but then it might eat into Toyota's RAV4 sales...

[Turkster]

The AWD Vibe will get 10 mpg. better then the forester tho!