Bonneville vs. Vibe

Terran · Post by **Terran** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 6:33 am

Just curious what you guys think would have more 'pull.' And by pull, I mean when stepping on the gas from a stop (or cruising down the road), which one would throw me back into my seat the most.A Bonneville (~205HP) or a Supercharged Base Vibe (~170HP)?I was thinking that the 'refined' ride and gearing of the Bonneville (plus the extra weight) would make it at least FEEL slower than the assumedly peppy-geared Vibe. ...but I could be wrong. Just wondering....Advise away!

camthecanuck · Post by **camthecanuck** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 6:48 am

My money would be on the Vibe.. A big weight differential and probably standard versus automatic? You should be able to find 1/4 mile and 0 - 60 m.p.h. figures somewhere.

NovaResource · Post by **NovaResource** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:36 am

No question, the S/C base Vibe and the GT Vibe would feel stronger. My father has Grand Prix GT and while I know it's quicker than my base Vibe it doesn't "feel" as quick. When the base Vibe hit the cam advance it just pulls hard. The GP/GT get out of the hole quicker because it has more torque which is why it would bet my base Vibe but I'll bet in a 10-mph rolling start the base Vibe would stay with it or beat it.

mu_ohio · Post by **mu_ohio** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 10:11 am

From my personal experience, the base Bonneville wouldn't do much, but the SC version would probably feel close. I know our '02 Aurora v8 has a lot of punch when you hit the gas. It has a different type of engine, but the cars are almost identical mechanically wise.

Terran · Post by **Terran** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 10:27 am

Great. Thanks for the replies, guys!

QUIKAG · Post by **QUIKAG** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 11:29 am

I would say the 200hp 3800 Series II V6 in the Bonneville will have more lunge off the line due to the torque, so initially I would think the Bonneville would feel faster, but against a manual tranmission Vibe, it should be a good race. The supercharged V6 in the Bonneville SSE and SSEi, Grand Prix GTP, and the Regal GS would stop a decent hole in our Vibe butts be it a base Vibe or Vibe GT. Something about 240hp and 280tq will do that sort of thing.

Stang2Vibe · Post by **Stang2Vibe** » Tue Jan 21, 2003 1:10 pm

I agree about the SC 3.8L. On a trip to Chicago last winter, my family rented a base Bonneville (an '01 I think). It felt no quicker than the 2000 Taurus SES I had to rent when my Mustang was getting fixed. Neither was very peppy at all. My stepdad was very disappointed with the Bonneville, he was considering buying one until we rented that one. Just a ho-hum car for such a high price.

d_m_kolb · Post by **d_m_kolb** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:30 am

This depends I think. When you floor you vehicle and pushed into the back of your seat is torque. You don't feel HP. HP keeps you at a constant speed without slowing down. When you accelerate again and feel the force pushing you in the seat it's torque. A 3.8 makes more torque the a SC 1.8 liter engine. Weight and gear also come into play but I would say the 3.8 is going to feel faster even if this isn't the case. Now in a race weight is going to be the major factor and I think the Vibe would blow it's doors off.

QUIKAG · Post by **QUIKAG** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:43 am

I don't like most American family sedans, so I'm not plugging the Bonneville, but it's likely you guys might have gotten the 3.4L base motor in that rental. The 3800 at least has decent sized balls. It's an old-school, bulletproof, reliable motor that makes good low-end torque.

Shadow Realm · Post by **Shadow Realm** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 12:49 am

THe suspension on the Bonneville is very cushiony compared to the Vibe. Like everyone has said before, it is also heavier. I think that the Vibe with a SC will feel faster because of the torqueHP to weight ratio will be greater and the suspension is much stiffer too giving it the feeling of more acceleration. That's my opinion!In a flat out race even though the Bonneville has more HP/torque on paper. I think that the Vibe will have more in the aspect to the weight ratio. 185HP/175Torque@2800LBS vs. 200HP/240Torque@3600LBS

QUIKAG · Post by **QUIKAG** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 3:36 am

I'm enjoying this thread, but it does kind of beg the question, "Who cares?" We're comparing a freaking Bonneville to a Vibe. Neither car is exactly a sports machine by any stretch.

Terran · Post by **Terran** » Wed Jan 22, 2003 6:30 am

Wow, this is a lot more response than I had hoped. Thank you all!Anyway, I care! I currently drive a Bonneville and it's a great sleeper of a car. With a few mods, it'll start to really scream.However, I was curious about this because I may be up for a new car here shortly.I want more contiguous cargo room in my next vehicle (Vibe), but I really enjoy the ride and handling of the Bonneville. Whether I stay with my Bonneville for awhile yet or move on to a Vibe depends a lot on the feel in acceleration. Speed is my thing. So I just wanted to know which would be a better feel (being thrown back) for me to help me decide.'nuff said?

QUIKAG · Post by **QUIKAG** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 8:09 am

You'll have to drive both to decide, but the V6 in the Bonneville is going to give you more low-end thrust, but especially in the Vibe GT, you need wind it up to 6000rpm and you'll get some good thrust from there to redline at 8200rpm.

MadBill · Post by **MadBill** » Sun Jan 26, 2003 8:52 am

Ahem!Our current family fleet contains one 3800 SC Park Avenue Ultra, and one 5 speed base Vibe. The Buick might be a little heavier than the Bonneville, but the undersize blower pulley I slipped past She Who Must Be Obeyed should compensate. I love my Vibe, but the Buick can suck the headlights out of it, any time, any speed! Obviously it would be a bunch closer with the GT, but I think the Big Buford (and by analysis, the Bonneville) would still have the edge:lb/ HP: Buick 3,900/270 (3,800/240 for the stock Bonneville) = 14.4 (15.8) Vibe GT: 2,800/185 = 15.1 lb/lb-ft: 3900/310 (3800/285) & 2800/175=12.6 (13.3) & 16.0 for the GT.As Quickag said however, it is kinda irrelevent, as they're such different vehicles...