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Vibe/ Matrix v. PT Cruiser v. ZX5 v. Protege5 v. Elantra GT v. Aerio SX
I like the new Vibe. Justtest drove it. And saw the Matrix at the dealership. Are there any new sport wagons that are butter? Let me know. I'm buying oe by summer and I want one tha women find sexy and I'll find fun!
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The Vibe is a very nice take on a modified sport-ute, with typical Pontiac agressiveness. I would avoid the base model with the gray-colored cladding, though -- it ruins the looks of the car and demonstrates that Pontiac still hasn't fully learned its lessons from the Aztek.
The Matrix was designed for the SoCal street scene, and considering the car's high profile is very successful in that regard. Large numbers of people between the two coasts may prefer the more conventional look of the Vibe, however.
The PT Cruiser has been a runaway success for the last couple of years, and I still like the looks of it; but here in LA, it is considered an old fogey's car. Midwesterners may feel quite different about it. Quality, ride and handling are not up to Vibe/Matrix standards.
The Focus is a great driver's car, and I love the styling, but reliability has been poor. Damn shame -- the Focus keeps walking off with all the marbles in the fun-to-drive category.
The Protege5 looks great, handles beautifully and manages to look sharp without being too radical. Mazda has a checkered history when it comes to reliability, however.
All of these are great cars in their own way. I'd consider the financial consequences of the quality and reliability issues, then make your decision based on which one you find yourself dreaming about.
The PT Cruiser is the best looking of the lot. But it can't top my Focus in the Corners.
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
new optional Interior Versatility Package (IVP) includes a fold-forward front passenger seat that can be used as a working surface or rucksack holder, a 40/20/40 rear seat back, a smart package tray in the boot, additional stowage nets, kangaroo pockets and hooks and a reversible load carpet that lets you carry messy loads safely.
So if you don't own the picture, or have permission to use it here, please just provide us with a link/url to the picture location instead of posting it directly into the message. Thanks. ;-)
Revka
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Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Focus ZX5
Pontiac Vibe
Mazda Protegé5
Suzuki Aerio SX
Toyota Matrix XRS
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/comparisontests/2002/june/200206_comparo_boxes.xml?
Very interesting....
-Larry
I love the tick tock turn signal. WHen I first drove I thought it was so cute, sounds like no other car.
-SHOV6
Personally the P5 was the right combination. Man that thing handles great!
This in addition to eight, count 'em, eight recalls for problems ranging from failing seat latches and windshield wipers to throttle sticking open!
Yeah, Ford has sure made great strides in quality. I'm sure glad I bought a Matrix.
Also, for more focused discussion on the PT Turbo, come join us in our new 2003 PT Cruiser Turbo discussion on the Wagons Board. See ya there! ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
Btw, our main PT Cruiser discussion is linked to both the Hatchbacks and Wagons board. I could also link the PT Turbo discussion to Hatchbacks if people would like that. I thought I'd wait to see if the discussion drew much traffic. Okay? ;-)
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Wagons Boards
If it's any help, the State of Maryland classes the PT Cruiser as a 4 door sedan.
kirstie_h
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Actually, the cars listed in the topic are all good cars in there own ways. Right now this is a hotly contested section. Not like the midsize sedan line where you'll have a lot of dead wood. (Malibu, 626, Sable, etc...)
There seems to be a resurgence of the hatchback market. When the old-style Escort hatchback went the way of the Dodo, the rest of the market seemed near extinction as well. I'd love to see sales trends over the past 5 years, inclusive of 2002, for hatchbacks.
kirstie_h
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Problem with some here is that they think everyone else has the same exact needs in a car and prefers the exact same things. While the PT cruiser's not for me, it is still a very competent offering.
By the way, if, and when, do you think Honda will bring over the 5-door civic? Or do you think that they'll only hurt CRV sales by doing that?
I'm really not knowledgeable about the 5-door Civic, kev. It'd be great to see, since it would expand Civic's market to include young families with children who prefer NOT to have kids climbing over seats to get into the back. The CR-V is a totally different vehicle. I like to think of it as the urban SUV - An SUV, yes, but small enough to park in high-density street parking areas.
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http://www.honda.co.uk/new_cars/images/big_cars/Family_10400_5_front.jpg
But I think they should still offer it here. Of course, I wish they'd sell the Jazz here too. Bet they could sell more of them than the Toyota Echo does.
http://www.honda.co.uk/new_cars/images/big_cars/Compact_10409_5_front.jpg
kirstie_h
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The only downside I can see is it is much harder to cool when its really hot. the interior because it is much bigger. I wouldn't trade the space for anything. I hope this bodystyle finally makes inroads in the country, be it a PT, Pro5, Focus, Elantra, or Civic, send em our way.
My quote:
"By the way, if you don't like the styling of the Si, you're not going to like this:"
ie if you don't like the styling of a 2-door version of a car, you're not going to like the styling of the same 4-door version.
figure it out would ya. If you don't like the 3-door Focus, ya ain't gonna like the 5-door. Got it?
By the way, if I'm pleading for Honda to sell the 5-door Civic hatch here, what do you think? Jeez, and yet I got called the troll by you.
kirstie_h
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Wasn't it the Citroen 2CV famous for being able to drive across a field and not brake any eggs?
(baby carriage) on the back seat. Also, the 2CV was unbelievable noisy - but it was a real fun car, especially in urban conditions, where you could park it anywhere simply by picking it up and putting it down wherever you wanted it (well, that's what people used to say).
You note that some owners of the ZX5 don't like their seats and "get aftermarket immediately." Do you know what seats they get?
You ever have a ride in a Citroen DS or CX? There was a car with a great ride. The DS had an extrmely confortable driving position too. Something about French design, too bad the cars roll like a whaling vessel at the first sign of a curve...
Drove a PT Cruiser last week. Base model with five speed. Tremendously versitile package but AC wasn't quite up to fast cooling such a big space (odd for American car), soft springing-- but not as sophisticated feeling as my Elantra GLS, nice seats-- but again-- not up to the Elantra. All in all, I'm still very happy with what I bought 11.5 months and 22K miles ago. Putting extra miles on car because it is so pleasant. Drove the 97 Cavalier today....OOOOWWWW!!!
with the elantra seats I actually bought a floor model Gt to take advantage of the softer seat... people had sat in it already.. Sat in a Focus Se rental a few weeks ago... holy lack of seat adjustments.. and the i was never able to find a comfortable seating position nor was I able to warm to the interior design