GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi, I am a new member just bought a 2003 base vibe with 5 speed black on black. Picked up car on Friday the 26th so I haven't even Had it a week yet.I have a couple of questions alreay. I seem to be getting only 28-29 mpg. That doesn't seem very good. Most of the driving was on the highway. Also I have driven a stick shift vehicles my whole life and this one seems harder to shift. Any one else notice that? I did a lot of research on these vehicles and I am happy with it. Glad to meet every one! Theodo155

Welcome! How many miles does your Vibe have? If it has quite a few then I'd do some routine maintenance stuff like air filter, plugs and such and see if that helps your mileage. We love pics here so post 'em if you got 'em

My mileage has not been too good lately either - I think it may in part be due to Winter.

My gas mileage usually takes a fairly heavy dip in the winter. In the summer I am around 30 mpg with a 60/40 split with Highway vs. city driving. In the winter I am usually at 25 mpg. It will probably get better as the temperature rises. And I do have a cold air intake not the stock air system.Good luck and happy motoring.

Welcome to the family!My gas mileage always suffers in the winter time so keep that in mind too.

welcome to the boardi aree with ANO depending on how many miles are on ur vibe it could just be standard decrease from use. as the others stated since it is winter for the most part that will cause a decrease too. how hard are you on the gas during acceleration, the more time you spend with the rpm's over 3K the worse your milage will be. also what speed are you normaly at when u drive on the highway, 75 mph is about 3K rpms, also how much do u pass people being on and off the gas will also cause a decrease.

welcome!! Enjoy your stay. don't let the modding bug bit ya too hard

welcome aboard!

Welcome to GenVibe! Quote, originally posted by theodo155 »Picked up car on Friday the 26th so I haven't even Had it a week yet.You must be in some sort of time warp. Friday the 26th isn't for another week. lol.

Welcome Theo; you'll love this forum with its friendly and helpful members. I think the others are correct about doing a thorough maintenance schedule, including checking the tire pressure. Probably the winter conditions also have an affect. If it has over 50k miles you might think about a professional cleaning for the fuel-injectors too.I've only had my 04 Base, automatic for just under three weeks, but am averaging 30 MPG with 65% city driving with careful attention to RPMs and conservative driving habits, and no AC use. And, of course being in Florida it is generally warm and relatively flat terrain. I'd say my driving conditions are much more favorable than yours.You may have to get used to the shifting points, do the maintenance, and wait for better weather to max your MPGs. Good luck and enjoy your Vibe.

welcome i wish i got 28 mpg in the winter! LOL. i'm lucky to get 16 mpg!

welcome to the fam theodo. if you're like me, you'll get addicted to the site pretty soonp.s. i grew up in south bend

Welcome!!!! mine is a few months old with 6,200 miles. I WAS putting the cheapest 92 octane I could find and recently noticed a BIG drop in gas mileage. I asked Kari and a coworker (who has a Corolla...he says his is the same engine we have) and they both said to change the brand of gas. I noticed a difference. It's worth a try!

Hey Hawaii: at 6,200 it's barely broken in yet, so mileage should improve. If you're in Hawaii, I think the 92 octane could be hurting you. Unless you have a GT, you should be using 87 or 89 to get the best performance.

Mileage seems about right based upon our experience with a 2004 auto tranny Vibe with 30K miles on it. Right now we get in the low to mid 20's with studded snow tires and the cold weather in Maine. This is commuting mileage, not highway. The remote starter probably doesn't help either. The vibe is the wife's wheels. I get 36 mpg with my 05 Corolla with the same engine, with 5 speed tranny and even with studded snows. I think the poor mileage with the Vibe is due to the extra weight, wider tires, and higher profile (not as aerodynamic. versus the Corolla. In my opinio the Corolla gives a better ride and handles better than the Vibe as well. We do like the Vibe, but for economy and performance the Corolla is hard to beat.

don't forget winter additives people...it's widely known they hurt fuel economy numbers!

Hi, and welcome!I know just what you are talking about!I have been away from manual transmissions for a while but, even so, the shift on my 2007 Vibe base seems more than just the "stiffness" to be expected of a new car!I was expecting something really smooth and synchronized from the Toyota mechanicals, but I find that I either have to really work to get it into gear (A very noticeable push is needed to get it into the next gear!) or else I have to let the thing "linger" in neutral as I advance into the next gear.Either way, it is not like my other manual cars, or even a couple of small pickups, where gear changes were made smoothly and effortlessly "on-the-fly". I am not used to consciously "thinking" about changing each gear, as I do with the Vibe. I used to just handle the stick like a "reflex action".I would be interested to know if others have found this to be the case.DAP

"Higher profile" than Corolla? I here this claim all the time, yet when sitting next to one in traffic or passing, I'm always looking up at the Corolla. My seat is set to the highest setting, and I cannot see into the passenger compartment of the Corolla. My Vibe is not "lowered" and has OEM 16" alloys. So what gives?

welcome to the forums

"I was expecting something really smooth and synchronized from the Toyota mechanicals, but I find that I either have to really work to get it into gear (A very noticeable push is needed to get it into the next gear!) or else I have to let the thing "linger" in neutral as I advance into the next gear."Have you had a chance to test drive another stick-shift vibe? The above doesn't describe my experience with our '06 Vibe.I haven't noticed any reluctance to shifting into gear on our MT5 Vibe, but it does seem more prone to stalling than most other stick-shifts that I've driven. I think this is partly a result of limited low-end torque and partly a slight lag in the engine response when stepping on the gas pedal. It hasn't been too hard to get used to, but both I and my daughter had a few more stalls initially in this car than in previous ones.

My Vibe (2007, automatic) is 2 months old and I have a little more than 1000 mi on it. Driving from home to Brooklyn, New York (where I work) I have about 24-25 mpg. Most of the way I am in traffic, sometimes heavy, so I guess it's not so bad.