Pontiac Vibe/ Toyota Matrix owners

[SnuggleBuggles]

I saw this car mentioned a few times lately and I have a question about it...how useful is the trunk? Can I carry my full size stroller, groceries, and camping chairs (2)? I have never cared about cars but I am totally :love5: the Vibe. I can't believe that a US car is catching my eye. I am a die hard Toyota or Honda driver. So when I heard on NPR's Car Talk that the Vibe and Matrix were the same I got excited.

Oh, and do you love the car?

Beth

[cleo27]

Hi Beth -

We have an 2004 Matrix and really do love it. I know that they redesigned it in the last year or so - looks a lot sleeker/sportier. Ours has a lot of room in the hatch. Not sure about the full size stroller because we had a Zippy, but you could put groceries and the stroller in the back. I would imagine you could lay a few folding chairs on top, if needed?

It's pretty roomy. We only have one child, but the Britax MA is fine, you could fit a 2nd in there but there would probably not be room for a 3rd person.

It's very fuel efficient too. I think it averages around 30 mpg or so.

[niccig]

A friend has a 2004 Matrix. She has a graco double stroller, a duoglider, that has a book fold, she can get that in, but has to take the canopy off the front seat for it to fit. She also gets some grocery bags in there with the stroller. They have a snugride with base passenger outboard and a MA FF in the center - I don't advise this set up, as every time I see her, either one or both of the seats are too lose, as in I can move both of them several inches. She gets me to tighten them for her, but I think they are interfering with each other when she snaps the snugride into the base. Her husband insists on having the seats that way despite the seats getting loose, as he wants to put a passenger on the other side, no one can fit though - I'm 5' 3" and small framed, and I can't fit in the spare seat beside the MA. Two radians might be doable center and an outboard spot, still don't know if an adult would fit beside them, maybe someone who is small?

[MommyAllison]

BIL has an 03 Vibe and has loved it. It's been very reliable for him. We've borrowed it a few times, and I didn't think our MA had a very good install rear facing in there. (I only tried seatbelt install tho - and I think I put it in the center?) It is a fun car to drive though! BIL and SIL picked us up from the airport after vacation once and we fit 3 suitcases (2 of them were quite large) and the P3 in the back, but couldn't fit the pack n play. The only thing BIL has been irritated about is that he had to replace tires a year after buying (he bought it new). Apparently they come/came with performance tires that don't last long. He wished he'd known that when buying. HTH!

[himom]

Oh, and do you love the car?

Beth

We love our Matrix! :heartbeat:

The trunk is really very roomy. We had our big Joovy Caboose back there and were still able to squeeze in some groceries and smaller Costco runs. Now we just have our P3 back there, so there's lots of room for anything we need to do. We can fit the stroller, a few beach bags, a folded beach chair, and a body board all in the hatch. Plus, I love the little side compartments since they're a great place to stash extra stuff (like diapers, wipes, extra jackets for the boys) for unplanned situations.

The roof is nice and high so taller people are much more comfy than in a regular compact.

Our backseat has seen its share of carseats. At one point I had a Evenflo Triumph, a Graco high-back booster, and a Combi infant seat all in a row. All the kids were fine and it wasn't too hard to squeeze them all in. Now we have the Triumph (which is wide, btw) and the booster, with one seat empty. I sit back there and give my Grandma the front seat when we take her out, and it's a little tight but not terribly uncomfortable. The biggest problem is at the shoulder level since the booster I sit next to has "wings."

Oh, and I also have just enough room to throw another booster back there whenever DS has friends over.

We love our car!!! We kicked around the idea of something bigger if #3 ever comes along, but I'm thinking we'll just keep the Matrix and squish in. It's doable, the gas mileage is good and the car is great.

[lowrioh]

We love our Matrix! :heartbeat:

The roof is nice and high so taller people are much more comfy than in a regular compact.
.

I can confirm that the car is great for tall people. My dad had one and my DH (6'6") fit in it comfortably. In fact we are looking at getting a used one when we buy a second car.

[stefani]

DH has a 2004 Vibe, and MIL does, too. DH is 5'11" and FIL is 6', so it is definitely comfortable for tall people. I don't think we have put a full size stroller in the trunk, but MIL carries an umbrella stroller all the time, and DH has done that occasionally. I think the trunk is quite roomy. DH carried a desk in it but had to push down the back seats. I have a Camry, and I think the Vibe can potentially carry bigger things with the seats pushed down.

We only have 1 child, so only 1 car seat (now Evenflo Triumph Advance). I think we have put 2 adults in the back in it with the car seat. Not very often and probably not very comfotable, but doable. You may want to test with 2 car seats and 1 adult.

DH and MIL and FIL love it. I am not in it much so I can't comment much. It definitely gets better gas mileage than my Camry.