The Good :)
Small car with smart looks with good
cargo room. All wheel drive. Stability control.
The Bad :(
Low quality of some interior
parts.
Poor gas mileage. Narrow body.
Engine
4Cyl 2.4 Liter
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Output
158 hp @
6000 rpm
162 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Top Speed
120 mph
0-60 mph
9 sec (est.)
Weight
3,200 lbs
Price As Tested
$22,615
Pontiac is trying to make more innovative,
striking,
and gas conscious vehicles now at a time when most car makers are
feeling the bite of a USA without much money. Built in california
at the United Manufacturing plant that GM and Toyota have together, the
Vibe is a cousin of the Toyota Matrix and it is built together on the
same production line as the Toyota. With the same mechanicals and
a slightly different look how can GM and Toyota share the same car when
they are both portrayed as trying to kill one another in the automotive
world? And the more important question is that if GM is
controlled by Big Oil, is Toyota as well?
Vibe’s three models - base, AWD and GT - are distinguished from one
another with unique styling cues. For example, the AWD features a
standard roof rack perfect for outdoor activities. The GT has its own
front fascia - with larger fog lamps and lower-fascia air intake -
rocker moldings, roof spoiler and a bright exhaust tip for a more
sporty look. All models offer distinctive wheel options
“With the 2009 Vibe, we knew we wanted to take everything we liked
about the original and push it to the next level - more power, more
style, more versatility,” said Craig Bierley, Pontiac marketing
director. “It has the interior room and cargo capability expected of a
larger SUV, but with the precise handling characteristics you would
expect from any Pontiac.”
On the exterior pontiac has styled a smooth and compact vehicle.
The Vibe has a smooth and rounded front end with a single piece bumper
without many lines or clutter. Headlamps wrap along the outer
edges nicely and the signature pontiac grille is surrounded with chrome
touches. Fog lamps also have a touch of chrome making for a high
end appearance. The deeply raked front windshield looks quite
nice however we would have liked to see the windshield wipers hidden
more under the front hood. From the side profile the Vibe shows
that it is well rounded while being small. The front end seems
overly large as compared to the rear end where the body flows downward
a bit too fast we think. The large distance from the front wheel
arch to the top of the front hood looks strange and raises the entire
front end of the Vibe too much as compared to the tail end.
Smoothness abounds on the side panels where aerodynamic lines at the
bottom of each door gives the Vibe a sporty look. We thought that
the 17 inch wheels looked rather small on the Vibe and perhaps this was
due to the large wheel gap on our All Wheel Drive model. Windows
are angled sharply with a small triangular rear 3rd quarter window
adding some style.
At the rear the Vibe is quite tall having clear tail lamps with
circular tail lamps inside a clear lens covering. The rear
valence is smooth and flowing which matches the overall feel of the
Vibe. We thought the rear window was rather small as compared to
the entire vehicle which gave the Vibe a strange ‘pinto’ like
feel.
On the inside the Vibe feels quite narrow and has a very modern yet
cluttered appearance to its design scheme. The dashboard seems to
enter the cabin more than necessary and the doors try to wrap the dash
around to the sides in a modern way yet something feels wrong.
Perhaps it is the use of a web like plastic on the upper dash combines
with that same material on the tops of each door along with the heavy
use of silver plastic and smooth black plastic trim parts.
Pontiac forgot to cover the roof and front pillars with something warm
and cozy such as fabric rather than the old fuzzy stuff. Overall
we thought the interior felt cheap and was not designed to be pleasing
to the eye.
The air vents are a example of ugly design. They are large and
when open, which is 90% of the time, they look like large gaping holes
in the dash. Adding a little bit of chrome was helpful but too
little too late. The arm rest is inadequate and very cheap,
something adjustable in nature and with a more solid feeling would be
much nicer. Bulbous plastic parts and a large steering wheel
which has a bulge in the center just did not look good for us day in
and out. It made you feel like you were driving a bloated
vehicle. Something that seems to flow from the large front end on
the outside into the drivers seat.
The Radio sits high for easy use along with ventilation controls which
are also high up on the dash. This is then followed by a gear
shift lever that is part of the front console. Having left open
the area in between the front seats, the Vibe offers storage areas
which come with a removable plastic divider so you can change the exact
size of each storage area hole. The instrument cluster is modern
and follows in the practice of recent GM vehicles having a periscope
appearance with deeply set dials. It looks much better when the
car has something to look at in the instrument cluster for the
passenger and other persons seated. With these deeply set gauges,
passengers cannot see anything.
The steering wheel is nicely wrapped in leather however it seems
bulbous in nature just like the Vibe. It is also quite
small. Seats are small in front and are situated high especially
at the passenger seating position. They offer little lateral
support in the bottom cushion. They also do not slide back as
much as we would like them to. The sunroof is operated with two
buttons for opening and for tilting. Things are quite basic in
the Vibe and better ergonomics can be found in a VW.
The rear seats are quite flat and hard, making long trips uncomfortable
for those with only 2 legs. The smaller windows here makes for a
cosy feeling however. Designers made grab handles in the doors
but they cannot be used when you are sitting in the car. they are only
to grab the door and shut it. When making a sporty compact car we
think that designers should have thought more thoughtfully.
The overly plastic feeling in back is just too much. Seats are
styles with a fabric of white dotted material in the center with flat
black hard material on the sides and that is all the variation you get
in the Vibe.
Versatility is quite nice in back with room for 2 easily and deep seat
bottoms for good support. The seats when folded down make a large
hard lined cargo area. This comes in quite useful when you need
room for all your fun gear. Rubberized cargo floor strips help
prevent items from sliding. A rear cargo compartment storage
organizer is standard on all models equipped with a 2.4L engine
(optional with the 1.8L engine) and provides an almost unlimited number
of cargo solutions, thanks to a multitude of hooks and net-divided
compartments. It also conveniently folds into the floor when not in
use. Vibes equipped with the 2.4L engine also come with a fold-flat
front passenger seat that expands the interior’s storage versatility -
for times when you need to haul a ladder, small kayak or other long
items.
The stereo system offers XM satellite radio and a audio jack for easy
playback of any device. The optional system in our car has 7
speakers and a 320 watt monsoon amplifier and subwoofer. Also
located into the vehicle is a regular electrical jack so you can plug
almost anything to this car and recharge.
Two new Toyota engines are available in the Vibe. The 2.4 liter
four cylinder engine makes 158 horsepower and 162 pounds of torque at
4000 rpm. A four-speed automatic transmission is standard on the
AWD model we tested. Customers choosing the base or GT models can
choose between a standard five-speed manual transmission or a new,
five-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission featuring
Driver Shift Control (DSC), which delivers a great combination of
performance, fuel economy and smoothness. With DSC, the driver
can manually select gears via tap up/tap down controls. The gas
mileage on our all wheel drive version is quite low. We would not
recommend it even if you live in northern climates. We averaged
about 21 miles per gallon and this was amazingly low for the small size
of this car, some V8’s in a very large sedan get 22 mpg. GM sure
knows how to keep the mileage low doesn't it.
The suspension is a front independent setup with a rear torsion beam
design. Road feel is lacking a bit and the Vibe does feel strange
doing down a straight road due to its suspension. Steering response is
good however and there is good sound insulation. What is lacking
is that feeling that you are in a sports car or even a small car.
A bit too much body sway adds to this feeling. Rear end slip is
evident but controlled by the traction control. We would like the
Vibe to be wider and not as tall therefore giving more of a sports car
feeling.
The Vibe offers a good amount of safety features. Anti lock
brakes with electronic brake assist are standard. Tire pressure
monitors are standard on all cars now starting this year and the Vibe
has them as well. Dual stage front, side, and available head
curtain side impact airbags are offered. Onstar is also offered
with its host of safety services.
Our Vibe starts off at $18,910. The sun and sound package with
sunroof and AM&FM stereo cd player with MP3 format & auxiliary
input. It also includes a leather wrapped steering wheel and
shift knob. All this is going to cost $1,285. The preferred
package costs $1,070 which includes a remote keyless entry system,
power door locks, power windows, cruise control, and variable
intermittent wipers. Chrome clad wheels in 17 inch size cost
$650. Fog lamps are $115. A destination charge of $585
brings our total to $22,030. About 61% of parts come from the US
or Canada. 39% of the parts come from Japan. The final
assembly point is Fremont, California. The engine and
transmission come from Japan and are made by Toyota.
The Vibe offers a better warranty and has better equipment than the
Matrix and is therefore a better buy. More incentives also give
you a good reason to come to a American make. The dealer
experience and resale value may be the key point in deciding whether to
go with a Toyota or a Pontiac. We think that most buyers will not
like the overall design of the Vibe. Hopefully GM will make a
better designed small car in their next version. Sharing cars
with Toyota is not a good idea.
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