First road trip

[jimincalif]

Observations from my first Vibe road trip - Orange County to Scottsdale AZ and back, 850 miles round trip.Mileage, in CA averaged 70-80 mph, got 32 mpg. In AZ with higher posted speed limits (75), mileage was just a tad over 30 with cruise control set on 84 mph most of the way. (I've been told that anything less than 10 mph over the limit in AZ is technically an "energy wasting" citation, not a points ticket, so not often stopped for it.)Ran it up to 105 mph on I-10 between Quartzite and Tonapah, car was very stable, no muss, no fuss. Speedometer appears to be pretty accurate, as verified with a handheld GPS. with CC set at 70, GPS showed consistently 69.2 - 69.6 mph. Only one hill on I-10 in AZ where I found it appropriate to downshift to 5th, otherwise no trouble holding speed in 6th on most grades.High seat was very comfortable for this sort of driving, I've done this trip numerous times in other cars with lower seats that get old after a few hours.I had occasion to use the horn when someone started to weave into my lane - it's pretty pathetic, especially at highway speeds. I've had the car 7 months and don't think I'd ever used it before. Might have to upgrade that!Finally, it was very dry in Arizona and sliding out of the car gave me a serious static charge. I went to buy gas and as I inserted the credit card my finger touched the pump with a big static shock - blew the pump computer, it started beeping, then came up "out of service." Might have something to do with the seat fabric as I've never noticed this in other cars.2003 Salsa GT

[DavidPIL]

Hi Jim...Glad you enjoyed your trip. Fairly nice gas mileage for going a bit faster than where most cars are tested. As long as I stayed at a steady speed, I would get near 32 mpg with the AC on so that made me happy. A bit lower with AC off and windows down slightly. Can't quite figure that one out.One suggestion about getting shocked, especially at a gas station... Ground yourself to the vehicle before getting close to the pump. Usually just touching something metal near the door will do it. For me, dark soles (neoprene, I believe it is) cause the biggest shocks. Regular tennis shoes aren't so bad... But anyway, ground yourself to something to prevent a spark near the pump, if you happen to be pumping and sit back in your car. I think you can touch the metal with a key (as long as you're touching the metal part of the key in some way) and not feel the spark. (Thanks Mythbusters!)Just a suggestionDave

[SARGE]

My Vibes first road trip was from Macon Georgia to Anchorage Alaska. The Vibe ran great, the only problem was the broken window in Canada. It seems some one in Canada decided they needed my radar detector more than I did. Had they asked me for it, I would have kindly given it to them, instead they took out my pasenger window with a rock. That was a year ago, and there were no dealers in Canada with a replacement window in stock. I managed to get the new one about 2000 miles, 3 weeks, and $550 later. All for a $150 radar detector. Aauugghhh....sorry about the rant!

[NSimkins]

Quote, originally posted by jimincalif »I went to buy gas and as I inserted the credit card my finger touched the pump with a big static shock - blew the pump computer, it started beeping, then came up "out of service."LOL - I'm hoping one day I don't render myself mentally "out of service" from the repetitive static discharges. Overall, sounds like you had a very nice trip with the Vibe! I'll agree that it's a great vehicle to travel with - very comfortable.