GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Have any of you Vibe owners driven/owned/compared your cars against the VW Golfs? Yeah I know the bottom line is I need to test drive them both, possibly mutliple times, but I'm curious about your opinions. How does it compare in comfort, fit, feel, and function? If I were to buy a golf I would most likely get the TDI due to it's insane gas mileage and the fact that the HP can be upped easily w/a chip.Anyhow, please post your comments!-Brian

I test drove a Golf and a Jetta before I bought my Vibe. I must say, they're very nice cars. Fit and finish wise, they're what I woud consider average. Nothing stellar, but certainly not cheap. Performance again was average. I myself drove the TDI. It has plenty of power to get it moving, but it was by no means inspiring. It was just sort of there. Comfort was my major concern. Both the Jetta and the Golf (don't even get me started on the Beetle) didn't allow me the room to one, fit myself in without smacking my knees on the steering wheel even at full tilt, and I found it uncomfortable to let the clutch out since I drive with my knees slightly bent, I kept hitting my left leg on the door. Of course, once you do fit a taller person in the driver's seat of a Golf, forget the back seat. It's useless. A car seat for a child, maybe. My other main concern was the cargo capacity of the Golf. Obviously the Jetta being a sedan was not sufficient. I needed a hatchback to haul supplies from the home improvement stores since I was fixing up my house. The Golf and GTI, while better were still just not quite enough. I kind of stumbled across the Vibe when I was looking and decided to give a GT a try. Needless to say, I haven't looked back. It had everthing, I can fit myself comfortably in the front, my friends/family in the rear, and I haven't yet purchased anything that could not fit in the back of the Vibe. I hope this might provide some insight for you. All in all, I'd say they're a wonderful car, it just wasn't right for my situation.

quote:I bet you liked the blue lighted interior though. Yes, that I liked. Very much. The red on the Vibe isn't bad though. At least it's not green.

I owned a 2002 GTI and loved it. The only reason I sold it was because it was a 5-speed and I injured my knee ( no more clutch for me). I'm average height so I fit easy enough and found it to be comfy. The bottom line is the Vibe is more comfortable and has more room if that is most important to you. I would rate quality/ reliability pretty equal. They are both excellent choices in my opinion.

A friend of mine ownes a Golf GTI. It is sweet to drive, sharp, well made interior, however, it was my vibe we used to transport an office desk and chair from her workplace to her home...enough said.

I had an '86 Golf. Thank God I bought the 6 yr unlimited mile warranty as I sure had to use it. The '03 Golf seems pretty much the same except the sheet metal is better looking, I hear the mechanical quality is greatly improved. However, I didn't even look at a Golf when deciding to buy my VIBE - perhaps my ancient memories were not ancient enough. Plus I am sure the Vibe resale will be better. I was at the Columbus auto show today, and saw a Jetta Station wagon that might have been an option, but I am sure it is longer, gets less mpg, and I think VW's have only a 24mo/2yr warranty. I also liked the new Hyndai hatchback. (I like the short length of the Vibe and my PT because I can have a lot of stuff in the back of my garage and still get the cars in with plenty of room to walk behind them.

Never relay driven the VWs much.... Several friends have them and as one owner has laready mentioned they have had a number of mechanicle and repair problems....... I think for the money they want they should be much more reliable. Only had the Vibe a month but have not seen too many posts here about any major problems and very little dificulty with repairs........ Remember the drive train on the Vibe is Toyota...... should last for a long time..... at least my experience with them.

My last car was a Golf - almost got another one, but figured the Vibe was better deal. My Golf was great, I was one of the lucky ones - VW tends to have many little problems and in my opinion are over priced. People seems way to loyal to VW, and I was not going to stick with them until the fixed some problems. My next car just may be a Passat wagon though.

Thanks for all the replies! I just want a TDI Vibe. Eh, I can dream anyhow. The Pasat W8 is pretty sweet, but the price tag is something to be feared.

My last choice was between a Jetta and the Vibe. I felt very cramped in the VW's, nice cars but not enough car there for my money. My buddies are Gold maniacs and did their best to ring me on board but the Vibe just felt maor airy, fun to drive, much more practical and should prove to be mechanically superior as my buddies know the VW mechanics well...

quote:I bet you liked the blue lighted interior though. The Jetta Wagon was the runner-up car that I was considering before I picked my Vibe. I liked that blue VW instrument lighting sooo much better than red (which my salesman pointed out was sort of a Pontiac thing). Red translates to mean caution, danger, stop. (Influenced by my work in helicopter cockpits.)So the red instruments for me were one thing that took some getting used to. And that flakey sensor doesn't make this any easier.Oh well, every lovable car has to have at least one idiosyncrasy.

old post, but thot i'd bring it back to life again. i test drove my buddy's new golf gti last night. we decided to trade cars and see how each did.must say i liked the blue lights. very cool. i also liked the turbo kicking in at about 2K rpms. smooth quiet ride. still, my vibe has more power and is a real kick in the pants to drive. when we got back from our little drives, he told me that it had much more power than his, he shoulda considered it over his golf. but he also only likes 2 doors and didn't want the only 4 door option.

While I agree two door cars look better, the practicality of 4 doors brings me back to reality.I've always hated getting out of my car to let someone in or out, and not to mention on windy days, it's easier to keep hold of an opening door. There was one time when I drove my two door Dodge Shadow ES, after I parked it in a parking lot, I just opened the door and a big gust of wind grabbed my door and slammed into a brand new van next to me. Left a big gouge/dent/pant mark on the van.

quote:You got in right away and parked somewhere else right? My Mustang was exactly the same way. Actually I took off to a different Home Depot location altogether!

quote: Actually I took off to a different Home Depot location altogether!good call

quote:While I agree two door cars look better, the practicality of 4 doors brings me back to reality.yep, i required a 4 door this time! big doors were just too much of a prob. i like the look, but not the functionality as i get with my 4 door. besides, 4 door sports sedans are in!