Comparison thread: 09 vibe vs. 09 matrix(pics)

[safooma]

My mother-in-law purchased an 09 matrix s soon after my wife and I purchased our 09 vibe. She initially attempted to purchase a vibe, but they the pontiac dealer would have had to order it with the options she wanted. Knowing that the vibe and the matrix were essentially the same car, she went to the toyota dealer and picked up the matrix.Well the mother-in-law left the matrix with us while she is visiting relatives on the east coast for two months, giving me a unique opportunity to compare the cars side by side.Granted, there are some equipment differences between the two cars, but it was fun nonetheless. Our vibe is a silver 1.8 base 5 spd. The Matrix has the 2.4, auto and is awd.Interior:Virtually the same with two notable exceptions--The matrix feels smaller inside and there is less headroom in the matrix. The headroom issue can be attributed to the presence of the moonroof in the matrix that is not present in the vibe. However, the smallness cannot be so easily explained---and everyone that sat in both cars commented on this.Exterior:The Matrix has body skirts and the rear and hatch are a little different than the vibe. The placement of the third window is also different--on the vibe they are behind the back doors and on the matrix they are part of the rear hatch. The tail lights are also different. The Matrix has the more traditional red and orange whereas the vibe has clear ones.Driving/handling/economy:The Matrix feels like it handles a bit better and has a bit more zip. I was surprised to see that the gearing on the matrix was a bit higher than the vibe. On the freeway the vibe turns about 3000 rpm at 70mph and the matrix turned about 2700 doing the same speed. Gas milage was quite a bit better with the vibe though--31mpg with the vibe vs 24 with the matrix. Note that both cars were driven on the same commute for a week each when making these calculations.On to the pics!Interior of the matrix:Side by side:

[kevera]

Pics don't work man.

[safooma]

well crap...working for me....wtfEdit: Added the straight links, so you can just click on them if the hot linking does not work correctly.Weird.

[northvibe]

interesting comparison! The matrix though has the bigger engine and different suspension, hence the pep and handling differences. And yes the vibe would get better mileage as it doesnt have the AWD "drag" and resistance. It was very funny to hear about the small feeling...that is odd! Ive only sat in a matrix once.... but that was a 2004...

[safooma]

got it. finally.

[Caretaker]

Works for me. I like the cat the best. Seriously, Toyota goofed again. The Matrix went from looking like a woman's shoe to looking like a giant bug. Without the third window, the car looks significantly smaller than the Vibe. The front also looks awful. Cat, er, ah, the Vibe wins again!!

[Vibe2009]

Base vibe has beam rear suspension where as the high end matrix has independent rear suspension....Vibe GT has it too... kind of wish I didn't cheap out on my vibe~ hey, at least the beam suspension is known to be very reliable~@!

[northvibe]

the looks of both have grown on me, i still think the 03-04 is the most aggressive best looking year. But i agree...as odd as it is, the lack of that 3rd window on the yota makes it look shorter :/ At any rate either one makes a fantastic daily driver....now if they only had SC's out for them

[file014]

I definitely like the exterior of the vibe better. Especially the back end and tail lights. My vibe looks exactly like that one, cept I got 15% tint as of 2 days ago.Why toyota keeps putting those stupid bike reflectors on the back of every car, Ill never know.

[ou.grizzly]

I am wondering if the 2009 Trix mirrors will fit the previous Vibes....Heated and fold function... MMMMM

[kevera]

I must see something most of you don't.Because the Vibe looks a lot less sporty than the Matrix.The 3rd window is useless on the new Vibe.The back window just looks so bloody small.The GT looks better than the base though.If I was force by gunpoint I'd take a GT.But the matrix gets my vote overall.

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by kevera »I must see something most of you don't.Because the Vibe looks a lot less sporty than the Matrix.The 3rd window is useless on the new Vibe.The back window just looks so bloody small.The GT looks better than the base though.If I was force by gunpoint I'd take a GT.But the matrix gets my vote overall. Reminds me of an old joke - after extensive skill based testing the guy hires the secretary applicant with the biggest . . . . After all of these comparisons I buy the one based on the best $$$ deal.

[keithvibe]

I like the front end of the vibe and the back end of the matrix... if they combined the two... i would buy one again