Pontiac Vibe (2006) vs. Subaru Forester (2014) Specs

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2006 Pontiac Vibe and 2014 Subaru Forester Specifications

Model Year	2006	2014
Model	Pontiac Vibe	Subaru Forester
Engine	1.8L I4 DOHC-4v 164 hp@7600 125 lb-ft@4400	turbocharged 2.0L H4 DOHC-4v 250 hp@5600 258 lb-ft@2000
Transmission	6-speed manual	8-speed shiftable CVT
Drivetrain	FWD	AWD
Body	4dr Hatch	4dr SUV
			Difference
Wheelbase	102.4 in	103.9 in	-1.5 in
Length	171.9 in	180.9 in	-9 in
Width	69.9 in	70.7 in	-0.8 in
Height	62.2 in	66.4 in	-4.2 in
Curb Weight	2781 lb.	3624 lb.	-843 lb.
Fuel Capacity	13.2 gal.	15.9 gal.	-2.7 gal.
Headroom, Row 1	40.6 in	41.4 in	-0.8 in
Shoulder Room, Row 1	53.2 in	57.0 in	-3.8 in
Hip Room, Row 1	51.7 in	0.0 in	51.7 in
Legroom, Row 1	41.8 in	43.0 in	-1.2 in
Headroom, Row 2	39.8 in	39.8 in	0 in
Shoulder Room, Row 2	52.6 in	56.5 in	-3.9 in
Hip Room, Row 2	47.8 in	0.0 in	47.8 in
Legroom, Row 2	36.3 in	38.0 in	-1.7 in
Total Legroom	78.1 in (over 2 rows)	81 in (over 2 rows)	-2.9 in
Cargo Volume, Minimum	19.3 ft³	34.4 ft³	-15.1 ft³
Cargo Volume, Maximum	54.1 ft³	74.7 ft³	-20.6 ft³

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What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2006 Pontiac Vibe

2006 Pontiac Vibe Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2006	4dr Hatch 126-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD	. see full Pontiac Vibe review
2005	4dr Hatch 126-horsepower 1.8L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	Leather seats have been durable and relatively comfortable although no lumbar control, which would have welcomed. Despite some reviews saying driving position is odd, it fits me just fine and I like being able to simply get it--I don't have to climb up as in a SUV and I don't have to get down, as in a sedan. Rear seat room is amazing for such a small car. see full Pontiac Vibe review

2006 Pontiac Vibe Seat Room and Comfort: Cons
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2006	4dr Hatch 126-horsepower 1.8L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	It would only fit the 2 kids in their seat. There is a 3rd belt, but the car seats took up the space where the adult would go between them. see full Pontiac Vibe review
2006	4dr Hatch 126-horsepower 1.8L I4 5-speed manual FWD	Heating/cooling of the rear seats is poor. see full Pontiac Vibe review
2005	4dr Hatch 126-horsepower 1.8L I4 4-speed automatic FWD	The driver's seat lacks lumbar support. I made a minor modification to significantly improve the driver seat: I shaped a piece of upholstery foam to create lumbar support. I fit it under the seat cloth so it looks factory. Without it I was slouching and had back aches within 30 minutes of driving. My test drive was 10 minutes. My wife found an inadequate situation on the passenger seat. She needs a very upright seat back. That makes the headrest push her head forward. She uses a 2" thick piece of foam on the upper 2/3rd of the back rest to create a little space between her head and the headrest. see full Pontiac Vibe review

TrueDelta Reviews the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2014 Subaru Forester

2014 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Comment
2014	Beyond visibility, people buy crossovers to get more space for people and cargo. As in previous Subaru Foresters, the 2014's ceiling is cathedral-high. I could have worn a top hat inside. If you're very tall, and have been seeking a compact vehicle in which you'll easily fit, you've found one. If, on the other hand, you've been seeking expansive elbow room, the Honda CR-V has more of it. And legroom? A combined (first and second row) figure of 81 inches tops every other compact SUV, including the otherwise segment-leading Honda (79.6 inches) and Toyota RAV-4 (79.8 inches). The Chevrolet Equinox offers another tenth of an inch, but with a 188-inch length (vs. the Forester's 181) and 4,083-pound curb weight (vs. the Forester 2.5i's 3,366) it's not truly compact. Subaru has worked no such miracles with shoulder room. At 56.5 inches, the Forester's is typical of the compact crossover class. Add in a small driveline hump (absent in the Honda) and three adults won't happily share the rear seat for long. But how many car owners put three adult-sized people in the second row for long, anyway? Measurements don't tell the entire story. The Honda's rear seat cushion is too low to the floor to provide adults with thigh support, and its rear seatback can be reclined to only two nearly identical positions. In constrast, the Forester's passengers enjoy a comfortably high rear seat that reclines through a broader range. One negative for rear seat comfort: unlike the Ford Escape (but like nearly all other compact crossovers, including the CR-V), the Forester has no rear air vents. Thanks to the tall, square rear body, cargo space is also the best in the segment, though not by as large a margin as the rear seat. Up front, there are plenty of bins in which to stash your stuff. see full Subaru Forester review

What Our Members Are Saying about the Seat Room and Comfort of the 2014 Subaru Forester

2014 Subaru Forester Seat Room and Comfort: Pros
Year	Body/Powertrain	Comment
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	I'm 6'3" and often don't fit comfortable in vehicles. I found this had a very nice amount of front seat room. The center console tends to stay out of the way as well, some newer designs have the center stack moving into where my right knee would be. It's a very noticeable improvement over my previous 2009 Escape. I actually found the Forester more comfortable for me than the Outback. I was expecting the opposite. see full Subaru Forester review
2015	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	After looking at Explorer's, I was surprised how much more room the Forester had in the back seat. Granted it doesn't have a third row, but if you don't need a 3rd row, the Forester is hard to beat in this segment for rear seat room. We can put a forward facing child seat in the back, move the front seat up a about 2 inches from all the way back and there's still plenty of front passenger room and my 1.5 year old son can't kick the back of the seat. see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Excellent rear seat comfort and rear seats are 60/ 40 and easy to fold flat. rear seats also have recline function which is nice ... excellent leg room see full Subaru Forester review
2014	4dr SUV 170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD	Huge rear seat for the car's size see full Subaru Forester review

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