http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=39013As I mentioned in that thread, it's likely not a coincidence. Jeff Strausser who helped bring the Vibe from concept to market, moved from Pontiac to Cadillac around 2005.Link to more details on GM Techlink --> http://www.sandyblogs.com/tech....html note the 'Thanks to Jeff Strausser' at the bottom...
My 2003 Vibe Base Auto 2-tone Salsa "SalsaWagon" was built in May 2002. I acquired it in Feb 2004/Traded it in on a 2016 Honda HR-V in Feb 2018.
-1 Bloated and ugly!!! Not to mention overpriced....I havn't seen a Caddy I've liked since the 60's! The Eldorado convertible!!! Everything since has either been bloated or a chevy in drag.... rant over!
I like it better than the previous generation - wonder if it owes more to the last Vue?Before I chose an SRX, I'd go for the new Caddy wagon. Lower, sleeker and I'd guess quicker.
1997 Civic EX sedan w/auto trans2001 Accord EX sedan w/5-spd manual2009 Vibe 2.4L w/5-spd manual, sunroof, monsoon, GT spoiler, Magnaflow muffler and rolled SS tip, lowered on H-Tech springs, window tint, debadged (save the red arrow!).
I wouldn't kick it out of my driveway. It would look better with my dogs' nose marks all over the back window.
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
Maybe GM could revive the Vibe as a Cadillac SRX Jr.
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
"Don't look to the government to solve your problems, the government is the problem." Ronald Reagan"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Ben Franklin.
Quote, originally posted by jake75 »Maybe GM could revive the Vibe as a Cadillac SRX Jr.I am guessing that it would take too much $ to make the Vibe meet the NVH standards to be a Cadillac!
No, you could not make a Vibe a Caddy, unless you double the weight and cut the mpgs by half. Only trans is a slush box. They could build a better, more efficient Caddy version of the Vibe, but they won't. Nice design... but for $34,000 plus... I pass. SRX vs Vibe specs follow on down...Caddy 2010 SRX specsPowertrain Details Engine V6, 3.0 Liter Horsepower 265 @ 6950 RPM Torque 223 @ 5100 RPM Gas Mileage 18 mpg City / 25 mpg Hwy (downhill w/tail wind!!!!!!!!)Bore x Stroke x Compression Ratio - Fuel Type Gas Fuel Induction - Valve Train Dual Overhead Cam Total Number Valves - Transmission Automatic, 6-Spd w/Overdrive & TAPshift Drivetrain 2WD Transfer Case - Dimensions & Capacity Details Fuel Capacity 21.0 Wheel Base 110.5 inches Overall Length 190.3 inches Width 75.2 inches Height 65.7 inches Curb Weight 4204 lbs. (heavy, heavy, baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Tires / Wheel Size P235/65HR18 Rear Tires / Wheel Size - Turning Radius - Standard Axle Ratio - Maximum Ground Clearance - Maximum GVWR - Maximum Towing - Payload Base Capacity - Head Room: Front 39.7 inches Head Room: Rear 38.4 inches Leg Room: Front 41.2 inches Leg Room: Rear 36.3 inches Shoulder Room: Front 58.3 inches Shoulder Room: Rear 56.3 inches EPA Passenger - EPA Trunk or Cargo 61.1 cu.ft. Vibe (2008) specs...Exterior Length: 171.9 in. Width: 69.9 in. Height: 62.2 in. Wheel Base: 102.4 in. Ground Clearance: 5.9 in. Curb Weight: 2700 lbs. (not bad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)Interior Front Head Room: 40.6 in. Front Hip Room: 51.7 in. Front Shoulder Room: 53.2 in. Rear Head Room: 39.8 in. Rear Shoulder Room: 52.6 in. Rear Hip Room: 47.8 in. Front Leg Room: 41.8 in. Rear Leg Room: 36.3 in. Luggage Capacity: 19.3 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 54 cu. ft. (Pretty good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Maximum Seating: 5 Performance Data Base Number of Cylinders: 4 Base Engine Size: 1.8 liters Base Engine Type: Inline 4 Horsepower: 126 hp Max Horsepower: 6000 rpm Torque: 122 ft-lbs. Max Torque: 4200 rpm Maximum Towing Capacity: 1500 lbs. Drive Type: FWD Turning Circle: 36.7 ft. Sorry they didn't include mpgs so here's mine so far- 36-40 mpg real world mileage.
'08 Manual, Sun&Sound, 17" Borbet Type CA wheels, 215/50 Summer Tires... 16" OE steel, 215/55 Snow Tires
It is nearly 20 inches longer and 5 inches wider. Holds more cargo, provides more shoulder room. Has 140 more horsepower. And contains sound deadening material!
Quote, originally posted by michaelgt »It is nearly 20 inches longer and 5 inches wider. Holds more cargo, provides more shoulder room. Has 140 more horsepower. And contains sound deadening material!A whole 7 cubic feet more cargo space in the SRX compared to the Vibe! And then it perpetually sucks gas at double the rate of a Vibe as long as you drive it... so it 'burns' through your money at that extra 140 horses worth faster. But it will do it soooooo quietly! And that starts right after you plunk down over $34,000 dollars for all this quiet. If you want to quiet a Vibe down a bit, try to find a quiet tire. Once again, the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum made a big difference cutting down road noise when I replaced my RS-As. There are other tires out there that do a great job of roling quietly. My son installed a set of Yokahama S-Drives. He said they are very quiet and made a big improvement reducing interior noise, never mind upping the handling of the car a notch or two. If you have a high mileage Vibe, installing a new set of motor mounts and good bushings, including the shifter bushings, could go a good way toward isolating road noise and vibration. The rest is making sure that the window seals are clean... and same thing for the door seals and the bodywork where they meet, including the hatch area. If these surfaces get really dirty, the rubber gasket won't seal properly and will allow extra noise to get inro the cabin. When you start to think your Vibe is just way too noisy... go out and find someone that will let you drive a late '90s SC, SL or SW Saturn for a few miles and you may never think that your Vibe is even close to being noisy, again, ever.If that fails, go get some front row tickets for a Manowar concert. The drive home in your Vibe after the concert will seem very quiet, even with an old, baddly cupped set of high performance 235/35 18 tires. As a matter of fact, you might notice that your whole world has gone nearly silent. Go see them a couple of times, and you might be able to make that condition permanent! Even those old Saturns will become super silent all of a sudden.
'08 Manual, Sun&Sound, 17" Borbet Type CA wheels, 215/50 Summer Tires... 16" OE steel, 215/55 Snow Tires
Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »I like I have to agree! I've been a fan of the SRX myself, and definitely like the re-design over the previous version. If I was able to, I would probably get one myself! Either that or a CTS-V (I wish)!
Quote, originally posted by vibolista »A whole 7 cubic feet more cargo space in the SRX compared to the Vibe! And then it perpetually sucks gas at double the rate of a Vibe as long as you drive it... so it 'burns' through your money at that extra 140 horses worth faster. But it will do it soooooo quietly! And that starts right after you plunk down over $34,000 dollars for all this quiet. If you want to quiet a Vibe down a bit, try to find a quiet tire. Once again, the Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum made a big difference cutting down road noise when I replaced my RS-As. There are other tires out there that do a great job of roling quietly. My son installed a set of Yokahama S-Drives. He said they are very quiet and made a big improvement reducing interior noise, never mind upping the handling of the car a notch or two. If you have a high mileage Vibe, installing a new set of motor mounts and good bushings, including the shifter bushings, could go a good way toward isolating road noise and vibration. The rest is making sure that the window seals are clean... and same thing for the door seals and the bodywork where they meet, including the hatch area. If these surfaces get really dirty, the rubber gasket won't seal properly and will allow extra noise to get inro the cabin. When you start to think your Vibe is just way too noisy... go out and find someone that will let you drive a late '90s SC, SL or SW Saturn for a few miles and you may never think that your Vibe is even close to being noisy, again, ever.If that fails, go get some front row tickets for a Manowar concert. The drive home in your Vibe after the concert will seem very quiet, even with an old, baddly cupped set of high performance 235/35 18 tires. As a matter of fact, you might notice that your whole world has gone nearly silent. Go see them a couple of times, and you might be able to make that condition permanent! Even those old Saturns will become super silent all of a sudden. So the EPA rating of a Vibe is 36 city/50 Highway. That is what my math identifies when you say "sucks gas at double the rate". As for tires and your other items, they help but will never make the Vibe a quiet vehicle. Have you driven the new SRX? I have. The SRX is targeted to individuals who are willing to pay more for a quieter, more technological advanced vehicle.
The SRX might get an average of 20-23 mpg in real world, day to day driving. I'm getting 36 to 40... so yes, it's pretty darned close to double. Caddy has been producing some extremely sophisticated cars in the last few years, but they are all still way to heavy and slightly too large. A car that has the aural dynamics approximating my living just doesn't do much for me. I've driven several 'high end' vehicles lately, (not the SRX yet) including a new Lexus LS... and I'm sorry to report that none of them stirred anything that would make me say... 'I want one!' I'll get all the super quiet comfort I will ever want when I die. Some cars just offer too much isolation. I still like feedback. To get feedback from the car, it has to be tied together fairly tightly, and that's going to produce some noise. You guys are right! Anyone that spends over 34,000 dollars on a wagon probably does want a lot of technology to help them think they are getting something for their hefty investment. Wow! A hefty 4200 pound load of technology to lug around everywhere you go. I'm sure its chuck full of those must have high-tech features, like motorized folding seat backs, and hatches, as an example. And it probably also includes lots of buttons and lights on the dash and console, a flat screen or two... plus, don't forget, that entire 7 extra cubic feet of quiet space. The targeted group you talk about, usually has more money than common sense, but they have always been great for the economy! Don't get me wrong, here, I think the SRX looks great. And I'm sure it's quiet as a tomb, too. But at any price point, a wagon that is that inefficient (18 city/25 highway), is a deal breaker for me. Gas prices are going up again... so I'll take my (supposedly) extremely noisy, 'low tech', but still quite efficient '08 Vibe any day. I really like this little car... does it show?
'08 Manual, Sun&Sound, 17" Borbet Type CA wheels, 215/50 Summer Tires... 16" OE steel, 215/55 Snow Tires
Agreed. I like stiff suspension much better. Sure it's got some ponies, but good luck using them anywhere but on straight roads with the Cadillac suspension.
03 GT, Abyss with tupperwareTo Do List: (will take a long time)Front/Rear swaybarsStrut tower barTint windowsReplace rear bumper cover (previous owner rear-ended)Replace upper front bumper cover (cracked)Replace VVTL-i engine cover (previous owner was Hercules)
Quote, originally posted by vibolista »The SRX might get an average of 20-23 mpg in real world, day to day driving. I'm getting 36 to 40... so yes, it's pretty darned close to double. ...I like to keep my math accurate. You are quoting that your vehicle exceeds the EPA Hwy rating by more than 10%, and you want to discount the EPA ratings of the SRX. I feel that is flawed comparisons. I am not bashing the Vibe, I had one for more than 150k miles. I do not disagree that you can be getting over EPA mileage ratings. I currently (for last 5 months) drive a 09 Buick Lucerne with the 3.9 V6. The EPA highway rating is 26 mpg. My weekly commute average (500 miles) returns a 26.5 - 28.5mpg. It is what my commute is that provides this. As a comparison, when I had my Vibe, I would get 29-31mpg.
Quote, originally posted by michaelgt »I like to keep my math accurate. You are quoting that your vehicle exceeds the EPA Hwy rating by more than 10%, and you want to discount the EPA ratings of the SRX. I feel that is flawed comparisons. I am not bashing the Vibe, I had one for more than 150k miles. I do not disagree that you can be getting over EPA mileage ratings. I currently (for last 5 months) drive a 09 Buick Lucerne with the 3.9 V6. The EPA highway rating is 26 mpg. My weekly commute average (500 miles) returns a 26.5 - 28.5mpg. It is what my commute is that provides this. As a comparison, when I had my Vibe, I would get 29-31mpg. My brother has a Toyota Avalon XLS and he gets mpg close to what I get with my Vibe. Makes no sense. But of course that Avalon cost a little north of $30,000 and I'd guess it is more to insure. [I am paying $859 a year for an '07 T&C and my '09 Vibe - with $500 ded coll, highest liability and un/underinsured motorists coverage.]
2009 Vibe 1.8L Carbon Gray AT Power Pkg 1/12/092003 Vibe 1.8L Neptune AT Mono Power Pkg 1/27/03 [sold 2/2/09]2007 T&C SWB 7/31/07 "Broke people stay broke by living like they're rich. Rich people stay rich by living like they're broke."
Physics make my math more plausible. The '10 SRX weighs 4200 pounds in base form, it comes with a 3.0L V6, mated only to an automatic transmission and is a tall 'Cross Over' wagon that sports a tall and rather chunky nose. If you can achieve those EPA guess 18/25 numbers with this wagon- er- Cross Over, more power to you.It's not hard to beat EPA guesses with Vibe's tiny 1.8L, a manual transmission and a reasonable driving style. The Buick Lacrosse is a car with fairly good Cd numbers and probably punches and quiet hole through the air. Tall and squarish wagons- 'Cross Overs' present a lot more frontal area to the wind. More drag, more weight, bigger engine, automatic trans... more fuel thirsty!!! Not only that, the price of SRX admission is around $34,000 in base form to around $51,000 fully equipped. Pass. I still really like my fuel efficient Vibe. Just filled our work van's fuel tank with about 24 gallons of regular gasoline this evening... and it cost $68.84... that's only 3 gallons more than it would take to fill the SRX. My vibe only takes 10.5 to 11 gallons to fill from near empty. Hey, nearly half the gas! Is the 3.9L V6 a direct ascendant to the venerable and frugal 3.8L V6 that was mated to so many GM products in the past? You're getting excellent mileage with your Buick.
'08 Manual, Sun&Sound, 17" Borbet Type CA wheels, 215/50 Summer Tires... 16" OE steel, 215/55 Snow Tires