Base FWD Vibe in hills of western PA?

[sarakay]

Hi, I am a potential Vibe owner. I live in the flatlands of NJ, but spend time in western PA (Pittsburgh area). Am wondering how the base Vibe will do in the hills as I have no opportunity to test its ability on inclines here.I love the utility of the Vibe/Matrix twinset and think both vehicles are cute. Am leaning toward the Vibe for its looks (I like the cladding) and because the local Toyota dealer tells me it is impossible to get side air bags on the Matrix, even though it is listed as an option.Thanks so much for this forum, a great place that answered a lot of my questions about the car. I spent a couple of hours here reading.And thanks in advance for any responses!Sara

[aggie_vibe]

My base with 5 speed was adequate in the New Mexico mountains (much higher) with about a 500 lb load. I could even accelerate up some passes provided I downshift to 3rd, but I wouldn't attempt to pass anyone uphill. The AWD should also be adequate as the automatic will downshift to 3rd or even 2nd, but don't expect to accelerate uphill with a load. If you are worried about the high revving noise, you may not like it.

[aggie_vibe]

oops

[joatmon]

It's hard to say for sure, because eveybody is different, so it's hard to know what would be acceptable to you. Probably not practical, but if you could find a way to take a test drive the next time you're in that area, you could see for yourself and then best judge if it is acceptable.What do you drive now, and how does it do in the hills?

[ragingfish]

Hey there fellow Jerseyan!You should be fine. I drove across PA a few times last summer, once to Indiana and back, then again to Ohio and back. I had NO problems with the hills on 76. If I occasionally seemed a little lagging, just disengage the O/D and you'll be fine. I'm about to do the drive across PA again, but this time to Michigan. I'm not worried.Not sure if you're looking at auto or manual, but there is a button on the left side of the automatic transmission called Overdrive. By pressing it, you disable overdrive, which essentially, downshifts one gear. This more often than not gives you ample power to pass, or climb hills, though I rarely find I even have to do that to get over them.If you ever wanna check out my Vibe, or take it for a test drive (moreso than most dealers would let you do with a lot car), I'd be glad to meet up with you in South Jersey somewhere, and answer all your questions. Toms River isn't far from me at all. We have a few other Jersey members on here who can help you out as well!

[DavidPIL]

Hi Guys...I assumed he meant the in town inclines as well. Ya know, I spent time in the Pittsburgh burbs near Steel Valley (Sandcastle area as well) and i'm just not sure my Vibe would do too well on the major inclines. We're talking extreme grade from a stop sign or light. Take a turn and all you see is the road inclining @ what seems to be nearly a 20 degree incline in front of you... It would be a test, that's for sure. Ok, it may not be a 20 degree incline but it sure is close...In any case, I think it's good advice to head out there and test-drive for sure...If it means that much to you.Dave

[joatmon]

Quote, originally posted by DavidPIL »I assumed he meant the in town inclines as well. I'd assume Sara was a "she". I mean, it's not like her name was Charlie! Good point, the hills on the interstate are pretty tame compared to what you can run into on the side roads.

[ragingfish]

True, and I did venture off the interstate looking for gas when I was out there. There were times when I found second, or even first, gear to be extremely helpful...If those hills are in the towns, then you can't go much faster than 25-35 anyway, in whcih case lower gears are more than adequate.

[DavidPIL]

Sorry about the "he" thing. I have been trying to type so fast I sometimes don't press hard enough. I fix misspelled words usually when I proof (sometimes) but it didn't catch my eye. Sorry Sara!

[sarakay]

Wow, what quick responses! Thanks!Should have mentioned, my current car is a 1987 Accord Lx-i that has 110 hp and has a curb weight of 2440. So it has 20 less hp, but if I read the specs right, is also 400 lbs lighter. It does OK in the hills, but not great. If it were a little younger I would keep it, so even though its performance is not that great, it's good enough for me. Most of the driving is done on 2-laners, not interstates.I should probably also mention that I am a baby boomer - hope I still allowed to drive a Vibe Just mentioning this so you will know I am a sedate driver and just interested in getting from point A to point B.Also, if I get a Vibe it would most likely be with an automatic transmission.Thanks!Sara

[ragingfish]

Yeah, the vibe may be heavier, but we also have more horses, and of course, VVT-i technology! that really gives this car a lot of pep.You likely will not be disappointed.

[csjrishere]

SarakayI live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and dont have any problems with the base Vibe auto. At times the gas mileage will suffer but its not really bad.

[PiperH]

Hey, I live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh too (Dormont). My Vibe is Fusion Orange (maybe you've seen me around - I'm hard to miss). I don't have much trouble with the hills, but I have noticed that the engine revs kind of loud. Going down the hills when the roads are icy is somewhat problematic. Really, I think my Vibe has pretty good pickup compared to my last two cars (Saturns).Piper

[Stang2Vibe]

LOL! Glad to see that there are a few members so close by to me! I'll have to keep a watch out for you guys (and gals). I'm currently living in the South Hills as well (Baldwin Township--just over the hill from Dormont). If you see a monotone Neptune GT with GrafxWerks badge overlays driving 40 MPH too fast, then it's probably me! Keep an eye out in our regional forum (Mid-Atlantic Regional Forum) in the spring/summer if you'd like to join up with a few other members here for meets in the Robinson area near the new mall, we'd LOVE to have a few more members attend and it's free!I have no problems with mine, but I am driving the GT. My best advice is to do like joatmon says and stop by a dealership the next time you're in town and test one for yourself. Bill Gray is located on West Liberty Ave., just a few minutes from downtown. They should probably take you on a test drive around the back streets of Dormont on the hills so you can see how the Vibe performs, most dealers in that area (and there are many of them) use the steep hills in the immediate area to demonstrate a car's performance. I don't know which area of town you visit so it's hard for me to make any accurate suggestions on where to go to try one out. I bought mine from #1 Cochran in Monroeville and they took me on a test drive on some windy steep hills on the roads behind the dealership. My salesman wanted me to feel the boost that lift gives the GT engine and was insisting that I keep accelerating through the higher RPM's and keep the pedal to the floor. When the car seemed to grab itself by the pants and shoot up the steep hill and around the bend, I knew I would like this car. I didn't drive a base model since it was below my horsepower cutoff limit when I was shopping for cars. (I drive a bit more entusiastically that do most baby boomers.) I see many baby boomer age people and older driving base Vibes and AWD Vibes around town frequently. My neighbors a few doors down have a white Matrix XR (same as base model Vibe) and they are completely happy with it from what they have told me. As long as you don't really load it down, I would think that a base Vibe would satisfy you around here. My mom is still considering an AWD Vibe and she travels all over the area on and off the highway for work. My best advice is to test drive one in the area. If there are no Pontiac dealers near where you stay when visiting here, you could always pretend to be interested in a base Matrix at a nearby Toyota dealer and test drive it instead, the performance, engine, and transmission are the same. Wherever you are staying around Pittsbugh, there is bound to be at least one Pontiac or Toyota dealer within a 15 minute drive. Good luck and let us know if there is anything else we can do to help!

[sarakay]

Hi, thanks to all of you for your responses.My local Toyota dealer rents Toyotas as well, so I am going to see if they have a Matrix I can rent for a day or two. Can't make it all the way to western PA right now, but I could take it into the Poconos for a little workout. BTW my western PA destination is near Kittanning.Stang2Vibe, has your mom taken the AWD version for a test drive yet? If so, how did she like it? I was considering AWD but thought maybe it would not be able to make it on the hills.Thanks again - Sara

[Stang2Vibe]

No, she hasn't. She liked the Buick Rendezvous but decided that it was too much money. She and my stepdad saw the Vibe at the dealer but were tired from car shopping and didn't check it out. Then I bought mine a while later and took them for a ride in it. They both like it and my mom became interested in an AWD Vibe. She said she'd definately look into it further, but right now my stepdad has been laid off for several months and my mom doesn't have guaranteed hours at work so they are putting off a new car purchase for now. Having both of their daily drivers paid off and not having a car payment right now is very comfortable for them. But if things pick up, she may trade in her Alero on an AWD Vibe. If it helps any, my sister has an '03 Corolla S that is a 5 speed manual. It has the same engine and probably transmission in it that the base 2WD Vibe manual has. She loves it and it has done well in the snow so far for her. I went with her to test drive them, and I drove an automatic Corolla with the same engine and, again I assume transmission, that the base automatic Vibe has. We were again taken on windy, steep, narrow 2 lane roads near the dealership. I punched it going uphill with the A/C on and the car downshifted immediately and accelerated as I should expect. Not a real problem on the hills at all. It's certainly no racecar, but it was a little better than what I expected. I wanted to drive it because I didn't want my sister buying an underpowered car that might pose a hazard for passing on a highway or accelerating onto the highway from the short and inadaquate onramps around here. After driving it, I was confident that she would not have much trouble and that the car could handle these manuvers. The Vibe is a little heavier, but the results should be similar. I still encourage you to try one for yourself because you will be the best judge of what meets your needs. Even though we here at GenVibe love our Vibes and frequently recommend them to our friends/family/acquaintances, I'm sure that none of us would want to push someone into buying one if it is not what they wanted or didn't suit their needs. We can all tell you about how great the Vibe is and how it can do this and that, but only you can determine what is right for you. It would be great if you could rent a base Matrix for a trip to the Poconos for a few days. That should give you a great idea for how the car rides, drives, and what it's performance capabilities are. Definately let us know how things turn out for you!