Used 2010 Pontiac Vibe Consumer Reviews
Great Value & Utility
My Vibe is a former rental car that I bought with 30K miles on the odometer. I've put 110K more miles on it, with replacement struts and a new battery the only non-routine maintenance in seven years of ownership. The Vibe is very reliable, gets good fuel economy (31 MPG highway with the 1.8L engine), and handles like a compact but has the passenger/cargo space of a station wagon. I have found two issues with it--the flip side of the 1.8L engine's fuel economy is that it has sluggish acceleration. There's also a common problem with the radio volume knob breaking...which I fixed by sawing it off and slipping a new one on. That said, I love this car. It has a combination of versatility, value, reliability, and handling that's hard to beat. I'm planning to drive it until it breaks--which could take a while.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Great, Fun Car!
I bought my 2010 Vibe in 2011 and have been driving it now for a little over a year and I love it! I'm surprised as to how much get up it has- zippy is a good word. I love everything about it. I can fit my three large dogs in the back, and the seats are high so they don't like to jump over. There is leg room in the back to actually fit people in. More room then our RAV 4 by far! I get around 25mpg city and 30 hwy. The only thing I don't like is the blind spots. The car has limited visibility and that is the only problem I've had. I also love the plastic in the "trunk" easy to vacuum up dirt/dog hair. I can lay the seats down throw my bike and dogs in too. LOVE IT!
Noisy, Poor outward visibility
I have driven this car only for two weeks and my first impression was how small this car is and fits so much inside. It took me a while until I got used to windows and mirrors, its hard to see everything from these little windows so I was always worried about the blind spots. Also the way the hood was designed there is no way that you can see the end of the car or at least if you are close to hit something. The way the car handles is really good, it lacks power but what can you expect from a 1.8 liter engine. The main issue that I had with this car was the road noise, its so weird that you can never get comfortable when you drive on a highway from the noise level.
RECALL, but wait!
purchased with the help of GM points and cash for clunkers program. So, what's a good GM vehicle? Ouch, me too. Guess what, the Toyota built (80%) with a pontiac skin, is GM's best car! Check out the rating guides,it's Gm's best period! Ok, looked at it, and wow! Sporty look, interior room is suv like. I'm serious. AWD,great for wisconsin's winters. It's funny, I've read other reviews and zippy was mentioned often. My wife and I nicknamed the car "zippy" when describing the ride and feeling we get when driving. But, now we have a re-call on this vehicle! 100% fact. My service man has said we will recieve a re-call letter from Pontiac. We are @ the bottom of the food chain. Minor I hope!
Great car
Bought the last new Vibe GT in the northeast. Traveled almost 200 miles. Worth every mile. Great acceleration with the manual trans. Comfortable seats. Roomy enough to store all my junk and then some. Better looking than the Toyota Matrix. Even my 9 year old son likes the looks of this car. I stole this car for $15k after all the discounts. Finally I have a car that I enjoy driving.
Great Purchase
This is actually the 1.8 L auto which is not listed as an option on Edmunds. This is a great under the radar car. It is compact enough to get good gas mileage and fit in small spaces but still feels spacious inside, with a lot of possible cargo room. I like the exterior styling better than the matrix (it's twin) or the fit. No problems so far!
Glad I bought it
Really like the car. Rides nice, handles better than expected. Got 35.5 MPG on 600 mile trip. Have 11000 miles on it and no complaints. Used Clunker money, GM rebate and GM card rebate. Paid 9900.00 for a new car. Thought that only happened to other people.. Plus GM 5 year/100,000 mile power train protection.
Reliable car
We have put on 80,000 km with no issues to report. We like the gas mileage and cargo space. Very good on ice and gravel. Noisier and less room than our sequoia, but a lot more practical for 2 or 3 people.
Great Value
With carpools days now behind me, I was looking to replace my minivan with something that still offered significant cargo space but got better MPG than the non-hybrid SUVs on the market. Chose the 1.8L Vibe and am very happy with it's versatility, handling and economy. At age 52, I got my first speeding ticket while "grooving" to the XM radio tunes when driving it on it's first turnpike ride. I like to think of this ticket as a testament to my enjoyment of the smoothness of the ride and audio system on my new vehicle. With it's excellent safety features, reliable Toyota engine, MPG and interior space, I think the Vibe is an exceptional value.
Excellent, fun car so far
Bought a '10 Vibe as part of CARS program -- it was very hard to find one in stock, they sold like hotcakes. We wanted a base Vibe, stripped down without add-on features (not even a/c), but couldn't find one. We wound up with a 1.8L and manual transmission, but with a/c. But that's OK. It's a very good car -- we really enjoy it! Our only complaints are the pretty tepid highway acceleration (which can be scary when merging onto highway in front of trucks), and the bizarre location of roof antenna, noted in many other reviews, which makes it hard to do much with roof rack.
Phenomenal Vibe
Best car I have owned, peppy, handles well, no maintenance issues with over 116,000 miles on it. Have done routine maintenance. It is my car for hiking, gardening, and work projects; thus it is a bit beat up on the inside but that is my fault.
Good Soild Car
I drove a '10 Vibe, 1.8L, automatic transmission rental for a week, and put 1100 miles on it, almost all highway miles. My wife and I both own '09 Honda Fits (me-Sport, her-Base). Compared with the Fit, the Vibe has a smoother, softer ride, and the powertrain is also very smooth. It shifts very smoothly and the engine has decent enough power considering it's only a 1.8L. Even downshifting to 3rd gear at 70 MPH climbing hills, the engine doesn't sound like it's going to rev itself to death. Overall, a very competent car. But, compared with the Fit, pretty boring, not at all "sporty". Also, the windows are small, and the high door sills make you feel like you're sitting down in a hole.
Last of the breed
We purchased the 1.8L with optional Auto tranny. We went with the Vibe over a Scion XD for many reasons. Better looks, better interior, way more comfortable, seats go up/down, tilt/telescope wheel, more room, larger cargo area, similar mpg, still a Toyota basically so equally reliable, and the GM warranty beats the Toyota/Scion one. 1.8L Auto has plenty of juice for us, we're not aggressive drivers but it has get up and go when needed. We like the tight suspension and steering which takes bumps surprisingly well. Not many 1.8L's left around, lots of 2.4L's and AWD's though. We Didn't want to trade mpg for the extra power.
Deception
Purchased to replace an old Audi Quattro, it is the worse car I ever drive and a huge disappointment: uncomfortable with those checky shock and hard seats, bad gas mileage (around 21-22), boring to drive and unefficient AWD. It is the first time I was stock on my driveway and this unsecured feeling on wet/snow roads. We though that was because on the tires, But tire Plus told us it has the best tires for the car.
Only OK so far
I've had this now less than a week. Purchased with a clunker trade in and GM card points. Never would have picked a GM car otherwise. I'm taking a lot of abuse at work for its ugly exterior styling. I'm experiencing the same issue others have mentioned with the tranny in that it down shifts as soon as you let your foot of the gas. Also with only 140 miles the paint has chipped and is rusted. Nice huh? We'll see what the dealer says but I'm not optimistic. I won't do GM again. Iderad having to deal with the service department.
Great Economic and Stylish Choice
The CARS program paved the way for the wife to research cars that achieved 30+ miles per gallon and the Vibe came up as a strong contender in the fuel economy arena. After learning that the current model actually came out in 2009, she proceeded to research reviews on last years model and discovered that the '09 Vibe had achieved a very respectable 9 out of 10 Edmunds ranking and very favorable reviews across the board. Dealer inventory in our area is disappearing at a rapid pace so the Vibe has deservedly caught on in Pontiac's 11th hour exit. We both agree that this is indeed a vehicle that shouts reliability, comfort and economy and if performance is lacking, we don't notice. Impressive!
Has to stop and think about accelerating
It has a hesitation, a miss, a delay in acceleration, a hiccup after stepping on the gas .it is obvious to me all the time and there to catch my attention whenever I try to go. It's not a shift issue, shifting up & down is fine. The problem is: step on the gas at 20 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 30 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 40 mph it dips its nose then goes, or step on the gas at 50 mph it dips its nose then goes, and so on. Kinda been snubbed by my dealership's service department on this, not sure if their problem, GM's issue, or what.
Great Car
Great car in its segment. The redesign in '09 blows away the out of date/style (ugly) "ribbed" & rigid look of the original. The engine is peppy enough and the car is surprisingly fun to drive. Spacious interior with efficient layout. Great gas mileage & sturdy build.
nice
Fun car I can get all my stuff in it or on the roof it does everything I need it to do and then some. Radio is great, head lights are super bright everyone loves the rims (18s on the gt) oh and fun to drive too. Good car for the price. To bad its gone for good. I got one of the last cars with the Pontiac badge and a cool color (orange) I feel lucky!
We love this car
We purchased this car after waiting three months for a Chevy Equinox and we couldn't be happier. We switched from a Saab all wheel drive SUV to a smaller better gas mileage car. The car is very zippy and handles great. Although its size isn't that of an SUV, it does have plenty of room even with a baby. After a full week with this car, we love it. Every Vibe owner we talk to loves their car after 3 or 4 years. This is unusual for any car. We are happy and if you are looking for a decent size car with alot of options for a great price, take a look at a Vibe if you can find one. We couldn't locate many within a 50 mile radius in S. Florida.
A Good Vibe!
We picked up our new Vibe just in time for a family trip - loaded the boys, the bikes and the bags and put 700 miles on pretty quickly. This is the best purchase I've ever made - I love it, I'm glad i got one in time and wish they were still making them.
happy so far
nice ride overall for a small car, it is fast and runs smooth. bought in august for $ 16000 out the door. base model no power windows or locks,steel rims,but bought aftermarket rims and it looks nicer.
i love this car
i replaced a 2003 base vibe with the 2010 gt. wow! we love it. i do miss the rear opening window, the luggage rack, but it is so fun to drive. i anticipate that my biggest concern in the future will be the paint quality. i fear that pontiac knowing they were shutting down cut back on the amount of paint applied to the car thinking what will the consumer do about it. except for that, i really love the car.