GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Just wonder if having an AWD is a positive experience? Fuel economy. reliable. etc.? I considered one but was put off by the cost and it being a new model (when I bought in 2003). We are having a brutal winter for driving this year and AWD would be welcome I think though putting snows on all round helped enormously.

I've only had mine a month so far, but as opposed to my 1997 Jimmy, the gas mileage is awesome, about 28 in mixed driving with MY leadfoot. Only had one 'opportunity' to enjoy the AWD/ABS, and I admit I liked it a lot......BTW, I wouldn't have AWD without ABS!!

We had our first major snow storm last week and received 8-10 inches of the white stuff. I purposely went out at night to test out the AWD on my 2005 Vibe and it was awesome. I was in an empty parking lot and there were areas of 12" to 15" snow drifts where I would stop and get going again without getting stuck. I was pushing snow out of the way with my front end and I'm using the stock Conti's. Had to take it into a car wash after to get the snow and ice out of the wheels but it was a blast. It has worked very well for me so far. I want to get snow tires for next winter, though. Need more snow, its 42F and melting already. Also, I get between 25 and 34 MPG depending on how agressive I drive.

I've had mine since may '04 and Love IT!!the stock tires are bad, but the AWD is awesome..... MPG.... AWESOME, Ride smooth and very comfortable even on long trips...I couldnt find a cheaper AWD that got anywhere near the ecconomy of the vibe...two

Wow Cam! I haven't seen you in ... forever! Great to have another Ontarian back! So you are thinking of trading for an AWD?

i live up a steep hill...as in getting out of my house requires me to go down a slick hill, the the same for coming homewithout awd, there would have been multiple times that i would have been walking the hill

Thanks for your responses. Will more seriously consider an AWD the next time.

I definately feel the AWD was the right choice for a Vibe for myself. Cheap, fuel efficient, comfortable. Can't go wrong with it, unless of course you want to go fast. On the other hand, you can go faster in an AWD than a GT or Base in the snow!!!!!

I know very little about the AWD system on the Matrix/Vibe so I'm gonna throw a newbie q out there. How much do you have to slip the front wheels before the rear wheels engage? Is it a smooth engagement? How long does it stay in AWD before disengaging?Sorry for the simple question...I'm just used to the simple manual locking hub 4WD system.

Mase, you really don't feel the torque shifting between the front and rear, or at least I havn't yet. Normally it's an 80/20 system, and the center diff senses where the torque needs to go. I can say that I felt the front tires slips for an instant on some glare ice the other morning, but it was so quick that I just can't tell you what it felt like when the torque shifted to the rears.....

My 2005 AWD is ok in the snow on the road but DO NOT GET STUCK with it. My wife did a slip-n-slide off the edge of my driveway yesterday am, and landed againt my BRICK lamppost. OUCH! Besides the nasty denting on the drivers' side, I spent a half hour trying to get the car back up the 3 ft hill. ONLY ONE WHEEL WAS SPINNING!! Is this normal??? The front passenger wheel was spinning, smoking burning rubber and no other tire spun. If this would have been my 1992 blazer, it would have JUMPED out! On the highway so far in snowstorms it has been a pleasure, and on my 220 mile highway commute (driving way too fast) I average only 3 MPG less than my 1996 Civic! Anyone else had trouble getting stuck with their AWD like me? I even called Pontiac to find out if this was a bug or a feature. They couldn't tell me, said take it to the dealer.

there has to be something wrong! i dont know what, but definitely somethingi have accidently ended up in a snow field before and have never some close to getting stuck.

Were you possibly spinning the wheel in reverse? I heard there's no AWD in reverse. That's another reason why I prefer the old-school manual locking hub 4WD engagement.

Question to AWD owners:Do you feel you have enough power (passing, accelerating, etc) in the AWD, because everywhere I've read said the 123 HP is absolutely weak.That's my hesitation for getting a vibe AWD...

Short Answer; Yes, I don't feel that the car is underpowered to the point of danger.That said, i will be doing a few things to boast the HP until my extended warranty expires (2007) and if I still have the Vibe bug, i'll go Supercharger.....even though it's not recommended on the AWD...

Quote, originally posted by dartagnanpluck »ONLY ONE WHEEL WAS SPINNING!! Is this normal??? The front passenger wheel was spinning, smoking burning rubber and no other tire spun. That's not what I would expect out of the AWD, I'd think at least you'd get one front and onee rear wheel spinning. Any other AWD owners had this problem, stuck and have only one wheel spin, the others not moving at all?

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »That's not what I would expect out of the AWD, I'd think at least you'd get one front and onee rear wheel spinning. Any other AWD owners had this problem, stuck and have only one wheel spin, the others not moving at all?i did when i got stuck in the mud (deep ruts i couldnt see in a bar parking lot)

I only got my AWD in May and have 4,000 miles on it. I wanted good gas mileage and AWD and that's my reason for buying. As far as being underpowered, it all depends what you're used to. I never owned anything that was really that quick so it doesn't bother that much but I'm sure most people will tell you it could use a little more horsepower. But aside from that the mileage is great. My best so far is 33.6 on the highway with cruise at 74mph. All depends on how bad you want the AWD.