2009 vibe visibility

[lowincash]

yesterday i test drove the 09 vibe gt for about half hour or so. the guy let me drive it home and show my parents the car since they didn't come with me to the dealer. well anyways, i love the seating position. it feels high but still handles well and not much body roll. almost felt like i was in an suv lol i noticed that you can't see the hood of the car. feels kind of weird, but maybe i'm just used to seeing my hood when i'm driving so i know it's there lol has anyone had trouble guessing where their front bumper is? like when parallel parking and stuff. or maybe you'll get use to it after a while?

[vhoward1122]

You will get used to it.

[rdnzl]

You also have a pretty sizable blind spot on the rear corners.

[goochsmooch]

Yeah, huge blind spots on the rear corners. The three-point check for lane changing is a must in this car. I learned that quickly when I nearly side-swiped a lady on my first day out. I didn't see her until the last second. I also found that the rear window gives little visability. I took out the rear headrests to give a little more vision (don't worry, no one rides in the back!)

[lowincash]

rear blind spots are ok...not as bad as i thought. on my test drive i had the mirrors set angling pretty outward and rear visibility was fine. i always turn my head when changing lanes so i'm use to that. just gotta get use to not seeing the hood when driving lol

[shemp]

The rear blind spots are pretty bad. Not sure why the C-pillar is so thick.... styling I guess. The rear window is really tiny too.

[lowincash]

i got my vibe gt today and yah after driving it longer i gotta be really careful when backing up or changing lanes lol...i just aim my side mirrors all the way outwards so i can barely see the back of the car and it helped a lot. i'm just more nervous about parallel parking than anything else. i think i will get those parking sensors installed cuz after i tint the car it'll be even harder to see lol

[ou.grizzly]

Congratulations on the new ride, the 2nd Generation with that 2.4 litre engine really makes the difference. As for ride height, I guess the 2nd Generation Vibe actually sits 1 inch or 2.54 cm lower than the 1st Generation Vibe. There is a bit of a blind spot, but if one uses their rear view mirrors, side mirrors, looks over their shoulder to look to the side/back window all should be safe. On a side note, it does look like the new Vibe/Matrix have the same doors and or door lines. Those door side moldings may be a good addition; they are available through Toyota, but I am not sure if the color would be an exact match or not; of course there are also the aftermarket ones available via ebay for the Vibe.Toyota does also offer a anti-sway bar and a remote start that which is interesting. Nice little add-ones for sure!

[GenuineVibe]

I rear blind spots are only a concern when reverseing... when driving the mirrors are good enough that i have never lost a car in my blind spot.. when they disappear from my mirror they are easily seen in my side window. As far as the hood goes, you get used to it, and infact if you sit forward you will be able to see the hood (if need be), which says alot compared to the honda civic i had where there was no possible position in the car that you could lean that you could see past the wipers. You get used to it though.

[lowincash]

i'm getting use to it now...good thing there's daytime running lights which i can at least see the reflection in front of me to see how far i'm from it lol

[zionzr2]

One trick I learned to know where the front of your vehicle is when you cant see it is:Pull your vehicle up to a line (as those at a stoplight or parking lot) so that the front bumper is right behind it. (Use a friend to help lock this position in)Then While sitting behind the wheel look out the side mirror and refrence where the line is to the bottom straing edge of your side mirror.For me the line will appear to just about touch the bottom of my mirror and then I know that my bumper is right at that line.

[kostby]

Congrats on the new ride!I was used to driving a larger sedan with a trunk, much like your Maxipad. The first week or so after I got my Gen I Vibe, I just folded down the rear seats (when I was driving alone) so I could better judge where the rear end of the car was from inside. It also helps to park in a striped parking lot spot, and then get out and walk around the car and see where the lines are, versus where the parking space boundries are.