2004 Pontiac Vibe Review
Fuel Economy
25 - 28 mpg
Summary
What Edmunds.com says
Here's one Pontiac that hits its mark. The Vibe blends performance, practicality and affordability into a tastefully styled, but still fun, sport wagon package.
Pros
Comfortable ride, unique features, roomy backseat, versatile cargo area, good gas mileage.
Cons
All-wheel-drive version is sluggish, Toyota's version is likely to have better resale value.
What's New for 2004
All-season tires are now included with the 17-inch aluminum wheels, and XM radio is now available as part of the "Moon and Tunes" package. A dealer-installed supercharger will be available for the base engine starting later in the model year.
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
like new at 103K miles, original brakes
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 9 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 9 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 9 | Exterior Design: | 9 | ||
Vehicle
2004 Pontiac Vibe Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Our 5 speed manual Vibe has been absolutely trouble free, looks and drives like new. At 103,000 miles it still has the original brakes! Only replaced tires and wiper blades. The oil level tops the dipstick between changes at 3-5K, never added any. The original Continental Contac tires wore evenly to the wear bars at 30K but replacements wear fine. We use the 110 volt dash outlet all the time on trips to charge cell phones. Gas mileage good for such utility. Great highway car. Can be hard to hold back to 70 mph, seems to want to go 75-80. A great only car: economical and versatile. We still get compliments on its styling. The ride is taut, can be harsh on rough roads unloaded.
Favorite Features
Practicality, economy, significant interior size for it fuel efficiency, 110 volt outlet on dash, fun to drive. The gray body cladding looks good and is protective. Safety. My brother and girlfriend were in a 60 mph collision in her 2008 Vibe and had no injuries. It was totaled. She got another.
Suggested Improvements
Seats need more lumbar support. Needs improved visibility when backing up by making rear side and hatch glass bigger like the Matrix twin. The 2009 redesign made rear visibility worse, but added traction contol, stability control and standard side airbags.
OK Car
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 5 | Fun-to-Drive: | 3 | Build Quality: | 7 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 7 | Reliability: | 5 |
| Fuel Economy: | 7 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2004 Pontiac Vibe Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Roomy for a smaller car. Has some nice amenities - lots of nice storage areas, regular electrical outlet, fold-flat front passenger seat. Has needed more repairs than I'd like. Has had on-going issues with the computer system and sensors going bad. Had to replace the wheel bearings early on. AC is now going bad. Transmission leaves much to be desired - does not perform well at highway speeds. This car works for 2 kids, but 3 car seats will not fit in the back.
Favorite Features
The utility of the hatchback plus fold-flat rear seats. Lots of little storage compartments. Regular 2-prong electrical outlet (saves on buying special car phone charger).
Suggested Improvements
Transmission. Red display on the clock/radio is unreadable in bright light. Driver side sun visor hits and moves the rear view mirror when you put it down.
I love/hate my car
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 6 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 1 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2004 Pontiac Vibe Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I love my vibe, love everything about it but recently my car was making noises and when I took it in for its regular maintenance I was informed that the whole motor needed to be replaced, I maintenance this car every 3 months. The valves, timing belt tensioner, and the rod and barrings all needed to be replaced (so the whole motor). Everyone wants $4500.00 up to $6000.00 to replace this Toyota motor. I am highly upset with Pontiac about my car. Because I love everything about my car and now I have these problems, the car has now 92k miles and I till owe $6k on the car. So I am out of a car and have to pay back $6k to the bank! I have 2 kids that I travel wi
Favorite Features
i love everything about my car except the motor problems.
Suggested Improvements
Make these cars more dependable. And make sure you tell people that the valves in the pontiacs are so post to be maintanced all the time!! no one ever told me till after all 4 need to be replaced @ $1200.00
Great value and safe at that
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 7 | Fun-to-Drive: | 8 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 8 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2004 Pontiac Vibe Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
My wife just totaled her Vibe after having for a few years. We owned from 20k to 82k miles. We had to change brakes and one set of tires...nothing else. Overall it had a nice sporty look and was comfortable to make long 1000 mile trips. I would highly recommend. Car was hit very hard in front and no scratches to driver. I wouldn't have thought of as safe as car as it is. Going out to buy another
Favorite Features
Lots of functional storage sporty looks comfortable drive
Suggested Improvements
a bit more road noise for my preference, but for level of car it was ok.
Versatile, reliable, affordable
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 10 |
| Comfort: | 10 | Interior Design: | 10 | Reliability: | 10 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 10 | ||
Vehicle
2004 Pontiac Vibe Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I bought mine in July 2006 and have had no problems so far (except for the front window bolt recall replacement which GM took care of). I drove from New York to California with this car. I absolutely love my Vibe.
Favorite Features
I love the versatility. I have helped a few friends move their furniture with this car and love how I can easily do IKEA runs. Hahaha. It's just the perfect size because I don't want something so big that is hard to park. Love the AC jack. For a 5 year old car, it's still cute. Meep Meep!
Suggested Improvements
I can't think of anything major. An auxiliary port for mp3 players would be nice. I replaced my factory stereo with one that hooked up to my ipod. Maybe more power so that i am not going so slow up hills but I don't need it.
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