Vibe vs. Ford Focus Wagon Comparison

[sylvainber]

Not that i need to sell anyone here on the Vibe... but it's still interesting to keep and eye peeled on what else is out there I took a test drive in a colleague's brand new 2003 Focus Wagon (SE) today and of course, my eyes were looking all over for comparisons with my now 3 months old 2004 Base Vibe . I was considering a Focus wagon as an alternative early in my new car research.. .but the Matrix.. then the Vibe won me over (irrerversibly i might add).here's the cliff's notes on my experience (and i'm harking back to my first test drive o of the vibe)Focus Wagon is/has:------------------------------------------------------------------------* lower profile - i missed the height* noisier interior - general plastic feel -- Ride is much quieter all around in the vibe (low/hi speed; rough smooth road)* slighly longer interior - back cargo area is deeper (but not as tall)* spare donut cover is masonite - hello 50's... rattles/resonates on regular pavement, even with the standard carpeting on top (my vibe is quieter even without the cargo mat i put on)* roof rack is longer but weak/cheap: rack frame is plastic, only one thumb screw fastener at each end of cross bars (Vibe has 2); roof rack bends by simply grabbing with one hand and twisting at the wrist... (i tried that on my vibe and was able to rock the car sideways with one hand on the roof bars... the rack never twisted in any direction -> will hold luggage much better that way)* Focus lacks storage compartments in the back (that stuff gets in the way if you can't tuck it away)* cheaper all around feel: the engine is noisy at all rpms, the controls are all plastic* Vibe doors close with less noise and better seal* Vibe has tighter handling (wider track)* I did like the lighter interior (alas not available from local dealers when i bought my car). it made the car feel more spaciousI drove a ford escort wagon for several yrs (both a '94 and '95 models) and loved those cars. The Focus definitely has airs of cheapness about it, even compared to the escort (although the specs are very good on paper...)as an aside... my friend had to replace a 2000 focus (which had the usual litany of recalls...) because her son had a Verdict: am i glad i got the Vibe

[ragingfish]

No surprises here.And people wonder why Ford is quickly losing market share.A big chunk of the future of that company is resting on the new F-150...and I read somewhere the sales are falling far short of their hopes...

[AKLGT]

how can you even really compare????

[sylvainber]

actually, the sticker price for the focus wagon is higher than for the Vibe by about 600$... that one surprised methe focus DOES have more cargo room (it's cavernous for a 4 banger). But it doensn't have the 8' cargo capability of the Vibe.i left out a few details... (not to beat a dead horse on the 'cheap' feel). When i leaned on the rear bumper (like i might do when loading boxes), the bumber yielded to my weight and the whole car wiggled. Interestingly, even on the 2004 they don't list the manual tranny nor the sunfoof as options. Different target segment i suppose

[lumpcus]

I have a few freinds with foci, one is the admin for focus connection. They are fast with the right mods but still it's a focus. He had his turboed blew his motor in 1 summer.

[Kissfan79]

I traded an '00 Focus ZX-3 in for my Vibe GT. The Vibe is a much nicer car. The exception might be an SVT focus. I have never driven one, but they look sweet.Jim

[jake75]

My dear departed Uncle told me that you always get a Falcon when you buy a Ford. I don't know what he meant.

[Triton]

A friend of mine has an SVT Focus and it is alright. The exhaust sounds really good for stock and it already sits pretty low. Also, the 17" wheels that come on it look really nice. It also has a pretty cool seat design and it comes with the steel door sills and aluminum pedals. But even he said that the front end on his is boring comapred to mine. I do like that the SVT Focus has the option for HID headlights, which his has. I still think that the Vibe is an overall better car. The SVT Focus is not going to be made anymore after this year.

[goodvibe]

If you don't like the look of the 2005 Vibe, just check out the next Focus. It was offensive when I saw it at the Chicago auto show. I'm not positive but don't the Focus rear seat bottoms fold forward against the front seat backs to limit flat load length which ends up similar to the Vibe. We can even move our seats up to make it longer. Load carrying was a real issue for me and the Vibe has tremendous useable space. Very tardis like. (Dr Who reference)

[Mavrik]

Ford is depending big time on their vans and trucks to hold themselves in the market...Only thing I like about the Focus is those headlights you can get... of only my Vibe had that option... Other then that... While all the ford drivers are found on rpad dead, I'll be zipping on by in my awsome Vibe.

[Fialchar]

Some car magazine did a comparison between the Focus ZX3 and the Vibe GT, needless to say, the Vibe GT won overall (And the only one I actually remember, it also won in the 1/4 mile)

[RaveVibe]

When choosing my new vehicle it came down between a Vibe GT and a SVT Focus, the dealer was going to sell them both to me for the exact same price. I instantly fell in love with the vibe's styling, so when I went to drive the SVT my initial impressions were already tainted. However I had no problem realizing the power difference immediately. It was amazing to feel such a major contrast with only a few horses in difference.

[AKLGT]

welcome, ravevibe! what year vgt did you end up with? there are quite a bit of difference b/w the 03-06 models in power range as well as exterior styling. the VGT is by far a superior choice, not only because it is Toyota made product for the reliability but also because... well, it just looks better! lol

[northvibe]

I love the focus, i drove one before the vibe. The newer the focus the better, the first couple years they were brand new and not the greatest...if ford only brought over the UK focus's!!! god their being stupid. anywho, the vibe was cheaper and better mileage so I went the vibe and love it. the focus steering and suspension felt better than the vibes... i do not regret my decision though

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »welcome, ravevibe! what year vgt did you end up with? there are quite a bit of difference b/w the 03-06 models in power range as well as exterior styling. the VGT is by far a superior choice, not only because it is Toyota made product for the reliability but also because... well, it just looks better! lolThere's no difference in power between different Vibe GT years.I looked at the focus when i got my Vibe, and it didn't stack up at all to the Vibe in terms of safety.

[AKLGT]

um yes there is. 03 VGT = 180 hp04 VGT = 173 hp (they added a smog pump)05 VGT = 170 hp (they added something else)06 VGT = 164 hp (again, tweaked it so they could get better fuel economy)there are plenty of threads supporting this information. Being that i did own a 2003 VGT I followed it's progression pretty closely.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »um yes there is. 03 VGT = 180 hp04 VGT = 173 hp (they added a smog pump)05 VGT = 170 hp (they added something else)06 VGT = 164 hp (again, tweaked it so they could get better fuel economy)there are plenty of threads supporting this information. Being that i did own a 2003 VGT I followed it's progression pretty closely. Actually there are plenty of threads noting that nothing in the power changed, it's just evolving measurement standards. If you were to dyno all years using the same standards, you'd get the same results. The "they added emissions stuff" was someone's guess to explain the disparity, and has become something of a Vibe/Matrix urban legend.Note this quote from the following site:"While the high-performance XRS model has drawn some attention with its high-revving 164-horsepower engine, we preferred the 126-horsepower models for their more relaxed, more pleasant demeanor. Most popular is the mid-grade Matrix XR. (Note that horsepower numbers are lower for 2006 models due to a change in how power is calculated. Performance of the engines remains unchanged from 2005 models.)"http://autos.timesunion.com/re...hcp=1This issue was kind of beat to death on here, and I don't recall any credible information about anything other than the calculation methods changing.

[kostby]

Welcome to the Encyclopedia of Vibe, RaveVibe!The SVT Foci all were rated at 170 hp, if I recall, but they had a bit more low-end torque. I looked at them too before considering a Vibe or a VibeGT, but there weren't any used ones in my price range.

[AKLGT]

Quote, originally posted by GMJAP »Actually there are plenty of threads noting that nothing in the power changed, it's just evolving measurement standards. If you were to dyno all years using the same standards, you'd get the same results. The "they added emissions stuff" was someone's guess to explain the disparity, and has become something of a Vibe/Matrix urban legend.Note this quote from the following site:"While the high-performance XRS model has drawn some attention with its high-revving 164-horsepower engine, we preferred the 126-horsepower models for their more relaxed, more pleasant demeanor. Most popular is the mid-grade Matrix XR. (Note that horsepower numbers are lower for 2006 models due to a change in how power is calculated. Performance of the engines remains unchanged from 2005 models.)"http://autos.timesunion.com/re...hcp=1This issue was kind of beat to death on here, and I don't recall any credible information about anything other than the calculation methods changing.interesting, i guess they changed the calculation methods every year then... i'm not gonna argue with you as i can probably bet you know much more technical things than i, however, i've test driven the newer models and they suck compared to my 03 gt. but that's my (removed) dyno speaking, no specs or published articles to back it up (pun intended).

[Katscan]

I remeber when I had my Ford Escort ZX2. A few things annoyed me about it to no end.....and it seemed to be a trend in that series of car.The ZX2 idled very hard...especially if you had an automatic. If you sat at a stop with the car still in gear....yea it shook....a lot like a piston was missfiring.When I turned on the AC...I could feel the car suddenly loose a lot of power you could actually feel the car struggle to keep the RPMs up.....yea and the car shook a bit as well.I was soo glad I traded it in for a Vibe.....love my Vibe!

[RaveVibe]

I have the 03 GT model thankfully, I have read/researched and found a few statements explaining that in succession the generations loose a little h/p.

[RaveVibe]

By the way I did not mean for that to be a hijack i was trying to reply to trdvibe's post on up the thread, sorry Im new.