[Seax440Dodge]

(Well... since I hit a deer w/ the LHS.. I have a rental car... and I'm going to mock up a review for it... I should have it up by tonight)

[Miller]

pay the extra 9$ for insurance then beat the shit outta it

[Seax440Dodge]

(I know I can't spell worth a shit)

I'm reaming the shit out of it, even took it to Test & Tune night at the drag strip last night

that said...
====
The Basics:

Vehicle Evaluated: 2005 Pontiac Vibe
Trim Level: Base
Arrival Date: 03.05.06
Engine: 1.8L dohc I4 (VVT-i, 130 hp, 120 ft lbs of torque)
Bodystyle: 4-door wagon
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
4WD/AWD: No
Curb Weight 2701
Stock Tires P205/55R16
Brakes Front/Rear disc/drum
Fuel Capacity 13.2
Base Price: $16,915
====
Initial thoughts:

Rental Car Guy (RCG): What were you driving before?

Me: Chrysler LHS

RCG: What is that? Car? SUV?

Me: Car, full size sedan, leather seats, power everything, decent size v6, typical old people retirement

RCG: Ever drive a Vibe?

Me: *fuck* Well.... looks like I'm about to



=======


Interior (4 out of 5 Stars):
I was pleasantly suprised with the interior of the vibe. twin high back buckets in the front, bench in the back. All seats fold down for some very impressive cargo capacity. Lil fucker's roomy for sure. Front seats are very supportive, and are comfortable to drive in for long periods of time. The steering wheel has grips, and likewise, feels good. Shifter is mounted as an extension of the dash rather than down on the floor, it seems kinda wierd, but it works really well.

Gauges are all classic looking round style, with chrome trim rings. I find it a little odd that right smack in the middle there is an outside thermometer + odeometer/tripodometer. No compass, no digital fuel mileage, but a damn thermometer. *Shrug* whatever floats your boat.


Performance (or rather.. the lack of...... I give it a -5 out of 5 stars):

130 horsepower. My LHS has 240. 1/2 the power, with the aerodynamics of a vending machine. With the pedal floored, 0-60 times were right at about 12~13 seconds. Certainly nothing to write home to momma about. The engine tends to be a little noisy, almost sounding (dare I say)... ricer-esque at around 5k rpm. It does like to rev though. Red line is at 7k rpm.


Well, as I mentioned, just for shits and giggles, I loaded my Charger on a trailer and had my brother take it to the local 1/4 mi track (it was test and tune night... $5 and you can make as many passes that you want). Ambient air temp was at around 55 degrees, traction was good. We decieded to "run" them, me running my charger, and my brother running the 'vibe.

I thought it was interesting:

Charger's first run after a few months sitting in the garage: 10.13 @ 130 mph (loosing nearly 3 tenths from it's previous best time).

Pontiac Vibe's first run fresh off of the highway: 18.6 @ 82 mph.

Yes, that's right.... nearly a 20 SECOND quarter mile time.

Neadless to say... I was most displeased.

So I swapped with my brother, and we went again:

Charger second pass: 11.54 @ 113 (he lifted)

Vibe second pass: 18.2 @ 84 mph

I was shocked.... this thing really is a turd mangler.

Well.... I guess it just wasn't meant to race. "Oh what a feeling" my ass.


Handling:
Again, I was pleased with this cars grip and feel. Steering seems very precise and responsive. It "feels" sporty... it just won't GO. This thing needs either some serious forced induction, or a completely different engine. This thing would be really fun to drive if it actually was capable of spinning tires on wet pavement.

Pros:
Roomy, comfortable interior. Would be a good car for the wifey or gf or something. Good gas mileage, 30+ MPG.

Cons:
NO POWER! SLOW AS SHIT!

Pet Peeves:
Belt line is rather high, makes it very awkward to go to ATM machines.

[Dustin]

There's superchargers and stuff for those things from TRD, but they're such fat pigs that it's slow no matter what, especially with the gutless 4 bangers in them. Takes a bit of torque to move 3000lbs

[nidex]

Hahaha, nice.

[Jishory]

Originally Posted by Dustin

There's superchargers and stuff for those things from TRD, but they're such fat pigs that it's slow no matter what, especially with the gutless 4 bangers in them. Takes a bit of torque to move 3000lbs

why does toyota make superchargers for pontiacs?

[Seax440Dodge]

the Vibe is a direct clone of the Toyota Matrix, including the exact same engine

[integra00]

i have these at work ... in the last snow storm the 360's were abundant

[Jackalope]

why didnt you slap a dry kit onto it? i mean shit, its got insurance/ as couple of buddies of mine did that to a corolla, slapped a 75 shot onto it and took it to the track. it actually held, suprisingly enough.

[nidex]

Originally Posted by Jishory

why does toyota make superchargers for pontiacs?

Open the hood on a Vibe, Corolla, or Matrix. Same motor.