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Toyota Matrix vs. Pontiac Vibe - Compare Notes
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Comments
With respect to the accessory outlet it is in the centre armrest at the front. Personally I think they should have put the second outlet in the hatch. So far I am pretty please with the car. Great gas mileage reasonable pick-up tremendous versatility. I am big fan of hatch backs
Sorry for the late reply.
This doesn't look too hot, but it works and is relatively cheap:
http://www.msu.edu/~steine13/car.jpg
It's a 17'9" Sawyer Cruiser on a Yakima Railrider (or whatever) rack. Notice cleverly positioned electrical tape to keep the paint from rubbing off. You're better off with a two-tone Vibe.
I've bought and used Q towers for the front, which makes the whole rig a little more balanced, but the load limit remains at a paltry 75 lbs... barely enough for rack+canoe. A Focus wagon has a limit of 220 lbs and sturdy rails the length of the car. It's a Euro design; they take their racks seriously as they don't have pickup trucks...
Good luck,
-Mathias
Thanks, nsb
Matrix: Toronto Canada area.
Maybe I'll make a separate page and send it to Yakima for comment, but I'll start here.
At first blush, this looks good and held up well in 40mph (!) side winds today... it was the nastiest bit of driving I've done since an ice storm in '01...
So it's a lot of boat for a little car. So what?
So this:
and this:
The wind load slid the windward Q tower 1/4" along the bar, which loosened the rack on the lee side of the car... you can see how the black "clip" in pic 3 isn't gripping any more. The whole shebang slid an inch or so backwards, taking the paint down to the metal.
Yes it was over the load limit for the Vibe (75 lbs), but not for the Matrix (125 lbs) and it wasn't the weight that did it, it was the force of the wind.
These Yakima Q towers are junk, they don't bite the cross bars hard enough. I'm glad I made it home OK.
Comments anyone? Is Thule any better?
-Mathias
We have since changed the design of the q-towers. Drop us a line with your address and phone number. I will get some new towers out to you.
Other then tightening the tower more it sounds like you have done everything correct in fitting the rack.
I'm impressed.
Seems to be a stand-up company after all.
I'll let y'all know how the new ones work out.
-Mathias
Thanks
By the way , I park my Vibe in the company lot. I try to park next to another employees Matrix. Side by side the Vibe is much nicer looking.
Anyhow, to answer your question - from all the reading I have done in several Forums, it is my understanding that the Vibe is entirely a Toyota mechanically. That means, the engine, the suspension, the controls, and all the other parts you mentioned. GM's role was limited to the styling of the vehicle. In other words, it was "engineered" by GM but built with all Toyota parts.
I did hear a rumor that I was never able to corroborate that perhaps the Engine Control system (i.e. "computer") was GM's as well. However, I don't think that would make sense, since it would be controlling a Toyota engine.
The Vibe has rated "better than average" for all of its production years thus far with Consumer Reports. I believe that puts it at the top of the pack as far as "GM" models go.
Mine has been trouble-free, except for a periodic "weird" starting problem. Sometimes it doesn't like to fire up right away on a warm re-start. If you read through the maintainence and repair forums, you'll see others have had the same issue. However, it's never left me stranded, and does always start up eventually.
For the deal coming your way, I would take it in a heartbeat. The Vibe is an excellent product. I haven't heard or read anything about early failure on any of it's parts or components.
I'm not sure about the rest but i think at least suspension & tires are made in U.S. Too much uneven wear on rear tires too soon. I would have bought a Matrix rather than my 04 Vibe, but I didn't want to be bottoming out with the low rider rockerpanels.
roy15
Pont. Vibe standard model with 16in steel wheels. question is can I swap wheeles between the two? :confuse:
It would be the same thing as putting aftermarket wheels on either car.
The top of the Vibe hatch is shaped a bit differently than the Matrix hatch to allow for the hatch opening without interference from the roof rack.
I checked into this with our 2003 Matrix because I wanted a roof rack but agreed with my wife that the Matrix was the better choice for us than the Vibe. Check the design for your model year Matrix, but I suspect the situation is the same as for the 2003s.
No.
The Tundra is built in Indiana and soon to be Texas. I'm sure you meant the Tacoma, right?
I am down to the wire on these two cars and was slightly surprised to see the crash test ratings are different. Does anyone know why? Per Edmunds, the passenger safety on the VIBE is Good VS. Excellent on the Matrix. Does this mean GM did something cheaper with the body?
I have heard about GM being cheap with the paint. Not a safety item, but you probably will want to check to see if the Vibe paint issues have been resolved.
I'm researching possibilites of a class action on the uneven tire wear issue on the Matrix. We bought an '06 and notice the wear at 200 mi. I can't believe there isn't any recall information - our service center mechanic out here said this is normal for this car - what did you do about your tire wear?
-Marty
I'm guessing this is not a joke...
Uneven tire wear comes from worn suspension parts or poor alignment. Cars are often not well aligned when they roll off the assembly line.
You need a mechanic, not a lawyer.
FWIW, my '04 Vibe ran its lousy OEM tires down in 27k miles. And it did so very evenly.
It had a couple other niggling things wrong with it that the dealer fixed. Life with cars is like that.
A law suit over tire wear....??? Nuts.
-Mathias
Back to the issue - the "professional" mechanics at the dealership have had this car in their shop 6 times; each time they were asked to address the tire wear, each time they stated there is nothing wrong.
You be the judge - the inner most tread band of all the tires is 1/4 lower and feathered with the rear tires wearing worse than the front. To boot - the tire noise while driving is so loud you can't hear the engine.
Call the tire manufactures or read a newspaper ad - the tires are made to run a lot longer than 15 to 20K. We have met several people at gas pumps who have tried all brands of tires - no improvement to wear on their vehicles.
Lastly you should know - aggressive tire wear increases suspension system wear and heat stress on the tire - just like low tire pressure - increasing the probability of other less common tire failure. Forget about the reduced life of the suspension system - you can just buy extra warranty and tires - that's what you expected when you bought the car right? It must take less gas to wear out tires prematurely anyway - correct?
I just don't find it acceptable for dealership mechanics and customer service people to look me square in the eye and say abnormal tire wear is acceptable for 'this' car.
-M
sounds normal from alot of cornering (city driving?) - rotate your tires every oil change or every other oil change.
Thanks for weighing in.
-M
After three accidents, none of which were my fault and all paid for by insurance and repaired at the Pontiac dealer the car was looking a bit worn and making some noises that I did not like. So I decided to get another - Matrix or Vibe. I tried a used car dealer but the trade value for my 2003 Matrix XR was set at $9000. (Black book value is about $15000)
The Pontiac dealer offered only $8000 in trade for a 2006 Vibe, with a $1000 off the price of the Vibe, so effectively they were giving me $9000 on the trade.
Toyota offered $11000 on trade if I got a 2007 model.
I really like the car so decided to get the new 2007 Matrix.
I was pleased to see that the instrumentation has been improved and that the center console on the Matrix has not been cheapened as it has on the Vibe - what else has Pontiac cheapened?
But I was disappointed that Matrix has not fixed the Map light switch on the mirror thing. These map light switches are push button type and are easily turned on when adjusting the mirror, and during the day one does not notice that the light is on so it stays on. Eventually the light burned out because it had been left on so often.
I would also like to see the odometer and temperature displays made a bit larger as I need to put on reading glasses to see these - not always what one wants to do when driving!
While at the Toyota dealer they offered me Diamondkote electronic rust proofing at $700. This involves the installation of a galvanic rustproofing box powered by the car battery. I was surprised that the guarantee of 10 years was the same as getting rustproofing applied to the car as a coating.
I happened to be in Canadian Tire and saw that they were selling electronic rustproofing gadgets for $200 so I bought one and installed it even though I am highly suspicious of the efficacy of these devices.
I decided to do a little experiment to see if they make a difference. I will keep this posted on a blog: http://automobile-rustproofing-black-box.blogspot.com/
I would be interested if anyone else has any experience with these devices.
I noticed two items that I want back from my 2003:
1 The glove box lid on the 2007 falls open whereas the 2003 had a little aircylinder to lower it gently.
2 the standard radio on the 2003 is better than the 2007.
Back in 1997 my VW golf had an input port for the radio so that one could play other sources through the radio. This is an optional extra in the Toyota. Ability to play MP3 music on a car radio should NOT be an extra...
Gripes: The map light switches on the Matrix. What a dumb place to put them! Easy to turn on accidentally when adjusting the mirror and unnoticeable in daylight so they stay on.
The brake warning light is the same colour as all the other little lights and easily missed. Driving with the parking brake slightly on is NOT good.
Wiper blade attachment point needs to be improved for Canadian ice storm driving. If you start frozen wipers you will strip the teeth on the cog where the blades attach to the car. An expensive and potentially dangerous - when you cannot use the wipers in freezing rain - design for wiper blades. (This is not a Toyota problem but applies to most cars I believe.)
Rocky