New 2009 Vibe First Impressions

[MountainMax]

Hey guys, as stated in my earlier post, I picked up my new 09 Vibe last night (traded in an 03 AWD). Previous to that I never driven the new 09's. I must say I love it, Way more power then my old one, i could go up almost any hill at lower speeds in 5'th gear. It is a quieter engine compartment too. I even tested out the stabilitrack, and it works (got loose on dirt road and she straightened right up). The new stereo is good, but to tell you the truth, it's not much better base wise then my old moon and toon system, and that never had a sub. XM radio channels are ok but signal sux here in Northern Canada, Sirius is so much stronger. I averaged 29 MPG on my first tank of gas, all on dirt road highway averaging 100km/h so im impressed with that, it's way better then my AWD done (low 20's). The sunroof fits very nice and is hard to even see it from the outside, nice fit and finish. I also like how the rocker panel covers are like carbon fiber textured material which is great for me as we have all dirt roads up here (except for the 12km of pavement all together around town) I have many mods planned and will keep you guys updated with pics, Here is one for now, will post more when she's cleaned up.

[lowincash]

glad you like yours...and speaking of sunroof...i love how the new vibe's sunroof has that rubber thing on the side to cover up the rails and other stuffs...a very nice touch

[bertherr]

I just rented an '09 Vibe for a week while away for work. I own a '05 AWD Vibe. The first thing I noticed was that the steering felt a little lighter at low speeds in the '09. The ride & handling felt pretty much the same. Other impressions:Pluses:- The '09 had the 2.4l engine. Much more power & not as buzzy as the 1.8l.- Clever dividers under the floor of the cargo area.Minuses:- Interior fit and finish. There was a mismatched seam in the dash above the gauges. The materials just looked cheaper.- With the increased power came lower fuel mileage.Undecided:- They rotated the power lock rocker switch 90 degrees.- New stereo & HVAC controls.- New configurable center cup holder & center console.- The looks.Bert