AWD or FWD ??

2002 · Post by **2002** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:57 am

Good day to all!We are Canuck newbies to the site and are really needing some help with our upcoming Vibe purchase. I know this has probably been talked about many times over and over , but we are having a tough time deciding on purchasing a FWD or AWD (2006). We have found two brand new 2006 FWD & AWD models, both being loaded with options at a blow out price.2006 FWD @ $22,700 CDN (Includes all taxes)2006 AWD @ $23,100 CDN (Includes all taxes)Our issue after surfing this site is that we really would like the AWD for winter driving and all around control, but have heard that they struggle with bigtime power and mileage issues and we certainly do not want a slouch for a car. Both models are priced well below dealer cost but are struggling with what model to purchase (AWD or FWD), in fact we can most likely purchase the AWD at the same price as the FWD if it really comes down to dealing.Any opinions and or feedback would be greatly appreciated!

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:01 am

get AWD if you can the Vibe is not a performance car so you shouldn't worry about that aspect of it. It's got enough pep to get you were you need to go

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:01 am

well, if you want peace of mind with AWD, then go for that. those are great prices! if you don't need the peace of mind for AWD, then go FWD. if you are looking at both AT tranny in either car, then just go with the AWD. If you are going 5MT FWD then well.... you gotta decide if you want to deal with the spinning tires in winter or prefer peace of mind with much slower speeds in summer.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:05 am

AWD is fast enough and gets decent mileage (around 30mpg hwy)they are excellent in the snow.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:11 am

Welcome to GenVibe! If you get the FWD you would want to get another set of steelies and have snows on them for winter. If you get the AWD you can just use a good set of all-season tires year round. As far as power goes, my AWD does just fine. There are some small cheaper modifications you can do to get a little more torque out of it if you feel you need it. The gas mileage on the awd will be a couple mpg lower than the fwd. I have had as high as 38mpg hwy on a long trip. Your mpg is all in how you drive.Good Luck and let us know what you get!

2002 · Post by **2002** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:20 am

Thanks to all for the quick responses to our questions. My wife absolutley has to have a A/T, as she is sick and tired of driving a S/T after twelve years.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:31 am

then go AWD, hands down!I have AWD and will never go back to anything else for a daily driver.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:09 am

I'd say AWD FTW

keithvibe · Post by **keithvibe** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 6:15 am

AWD FTW(for the win)... My average for stop and go traphic where I live is about 25-27mpg and I don't go easy on the peddle either... Like everyone else has said.. it has enough pep to get where you want to go.. and as far as snow goes.. I drove it around in 5inches of snow with just the standard all seasons that came with it and never had a problem

zionzr2 · Post by **zionzr2** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:07 am

+1 more for the AWD!!!Loving mine! does great in the the snow!! Gets great mileage!!! (BETTER THAN ANY AWD currently on the road in the USA or CAN.)

Viberrrr · Post by **Viberrrr** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:00 am

I live in the snow belt and have always had AWD for the snow, but we bought our 03 Vibe with FWD and this last winter put on steelies and Blizzacks. I did not miss the AWD at all and I truly love getting 34 mph.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:07 am

Quote, originally posted by Viberrrr Â»I live in the snow belt and have always had AWD for the snow, but we bought our 03 Vibe with FWD and this last winter put on steelies and Blizzacks. I did not miss the AWD at all and I truly love getting 34 mph. Sorry, Viberrrr, but I have to do this.Get the AWD and you will be able to get more than 34 mph that Viberrrr's FWD gets. The AWD can go up to 115 mph. FWD's are so slow!! Hahahaha...

Viberrrr · Post by **Viberrrr** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:11 am

Yup your right. Me bad, it should read mpg not mph. Good catch.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:12 am

we live in the snowbelt too. and Mav is very very happy to be upgrading to AWD for this next winter. depending on how much snow you actually get you may or may not need AWD, but i prefer AWD.

Whelan · Post by **Whelan** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 3:12 pm

I've had my 05 Trix AWD since August and love it. MPG is less than my Civic Coupe but I still pull similar to BlueCrush, hit 36mpg on a long trip. I average between 20-26 normally depending on how I drive though.AWD is the way to go given where you live and what its to be used for. Good luck and enjoy! Either way your picking a great ride!

MRCN RCE · Post by **MRCN RCE** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 5:19 pm

Quote, originally posted by 2002 Â»Our issue after surfing this site is that we really would like the AWD for winter driving and all around control, but have heard that they struggle with bigtime power and mileage issues and we certainly do not want a slouch for a car.then get the AWD and go for forced induction!!! (supercharger or turbo) the GM S/C won't void your warranty if you have the dealer install it seriously though, it all comes down to the way you wanna drive it in the warm months, and how much snow you'll be driving in throughout the winter. i've never driven an AWD vehicle, only RWD n FWD, but i've never had a problem w/ em in the winter, and i lived in south bend, indiana where we got a LOT of lake effect snow. both versions of the vibe will treat you exceptionally well, and i'm sure you'll be happy with either purchase. i'm not sure how canadian $$ converts to american $$, but i'm sure you're gettin a good deal. i got a great deal on my new 05 GT cuz i bought it in february of 06.btw, welcome to the GV family . how did you find us??

bull77 · Post by **bull77** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 9:20 pm

If I had the choice when I purchased my 06 Vibe - I probably would have went AWD. Having said that, driving 2 Ottawa winters with winter tires and FWD hasn't been an issue. I'm actually very pleased with how well the car performs in the snow. I'm not sure about the AWD mileage, but I usally get around 480km per tank with my FWD

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:38 pm

Quote, originally posted by MRCN RCE Â»then get the AWD and go for forced induction!!! (supercharger or turbo) the GM S/C won't void your warranty if you have the dealer install it Uh, yeah, it will void the warranty for the AWD, because it is not made for it. Besides, I doubt he would want to deal with trying to find one anyways since they are in such short supply now. You can pretty much only get them used. I doesn't sound like that is the way they would want to go anyway.

2002 · Post by **2002** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 10:52 pm

Thanks again for all the great comments...we are going to test drive the AWD tomorrow afternoon. We came across this site by key word searching "Vibe forums". We had a good idea that there was something out there that had to do with Vibes.

AWD or FWD ??

AWD or FWD ??

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (2002)

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (2002)

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (2002)

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (BlueCrush)

Re: (AKLGT)

Re: (Mavrik)

Re: (zionzr2)

Re: (Viberrrr)

Re: (BlueCrush)

Re: (AKLGT)

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (2002)

Re: AWD or FWD ?? (MRCN RCE)

Re: (bull77)