Pontiac Vibe Interior Review
Pontiac Vibe provides seating for five, and those seats are elevated for a good view of the road. The person at the wheel can enhance that vantage by taking advantage of the manual height-adjustment controls the driver's seat.
The driver operates in a cockpit style environment, and should appreciate some of the nice touches that went into making that environment a pleasant place for driving or even for working.
For example, the front passenger's seatback folds flat forward, so its back can serve as a table for the driver to rest a laptop computer or video game system plugged into the 110-volt outlet. Making this process easier are release levers on both sides of that passenger seatback, so the driver can do this operation one-handed; someone standing outside the car on the passenger's side can easily reach in and do the same thing.
The rear seat has a 60/40 split (and room for at least two full-size adults) and either or both seatbacks can be folded down, providing a Utah-shaped flat floor all the way from the rear hatch to the right half of the dashboard. The Vibe can carry more than 57 cubic feet of cargo, which can be secured by using various tie-downs, including those that lock into position in a clever pair of tracks in the rear cargo floor. Those tracks also are built into the rear seatbacks, so they extend the full length of the rear cargo floor. Pontiac also offers a net system for the cargo area and various bicycle or ski racks for the roof. The rear window on the Vibe's hatchback opens so you can reach your stuff without having to open the entire hatch.
In addition to the storage available on the cargo floor and roof rack, the Vibe provides 11 interior storage containers, and nine of them provide concealed storage, including a compartment behind the base of the back seat, where an umbrella or fishing rods can be stored in a covered pocket. The Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix share the versatility of designer John Mack's interior layout.
The GT we drove was equipped with the optional DVD-based navigation system, which has a split-screen feature so you can see both the detail of the immediate area as well as your location in relation to a larger, metropolitan area. The system worked well, but for that same $1,600 you can equip a base Vibe with anti-lock brakes, side airbags and an automatic transmission.
Pontiac Vibe Road Test
The basic Vibe is no pocket rocket, but it is built on the new Toyota Corolla chassis and should provide a good platform for those who want to give their hatchbacks the fast and furious aftermarket treatment.
The base 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine has Toyota's variable valve timing technology and produces 130 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 125 pound-feet of torque at 4200 rpm. By comparison, the Ford Focus five-door wagon has a 121-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder and the Mazda Protege5 a 130-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder.
The Vibe's five-speed manual lets the driver extract the full measure of its power. Making the task of manipulating the manual gearbox easier is the way the shifter is mounted in an extension of the dashboard instead of in a center console. Your right hand falls easily from the steering wheel directly onto the shift lever.
In addition to the base Vibe with a five-speed, we tried a Vibe AWD with an automatic transmission. Even though the engine produces slightly less horsepower (because of changes in exhaust routing around the AWD's independent rear suspension setup), the gearbox responded nicely when we needed it to kick down in passing situations or for pulling onto freeways. (The AWD with the automatic gets a smaller fuel tank, poorer fuel economy, and isn't as quick as the five-speed two-wheel drive.)
The Vibe's engine was a little noisy under acceleration, but the drivetrain quieted nicely at cruising speeds. With a solid chassis, engineers are able to do a good job at sound insulation and ride control. Engineers say one of their targets was to build a small car in which people could ride comfortably for several hours. We spent a full day in the Vibe and were always comfortable.
Enhancing the experience are easy to reach and use controls, with the audio system controls at the top of the center stack and with three big dials to control the heat-a/c-ventilation system.
The all-wheel-drive system uses lightweight, aluminum components and has a viscous coupling. It usually sends its torque to the front wheels, but can split it 50/50 front/rear when it detects wheel slippage. Pontiac expects 10 percent of Vibe buyers to opt for this model.
It also expects 13 percent of buyers to opt for the Vibe GT, a car that does qualify for pocket rocket status. Pontiac says the Vibe GT will rocket from a standing stop to 60 mph in less than 8.5 seconds (compared to around 9 or 10 seconds for the base car and 11.5 for the Vibe AWD).
The Vibe GT's engine also displaces 1.8 liters, but has been massaged by Yamaha, which shortened the stroke but bored out its cylinders and increased the compression ratio to 11.5:1 (compared to 10.0:1 for the version in the Vibe and Vibe AWD). The Vibe GT engine needs 92-octane fuel, but the payback is 180 horsepower at 7600 rpm. (Ford's much-heralded SVT Focus has only 170 horsepower.)
Coupled to the GT's engine is a six-speed manual gearbox. Although the Vibe GT rides on the same front MacPherson strut/rear twist-beam suspension as the base Vibe, the GT gets four-wheel disc brakes, standard ABS and has its 205/55 aspect tires mounted on 16-inch cast aluminum wheels.
Rev the Vibe GT's engine to 6000 rpm and a higher-lift, longer-duration cam lobe kicks in and it feels as if a turbocharger has activated, like afterburners have been ignited. We drove the car hard and fast on canyon roads west of Los Angeles and it was quick and stable and predictable, and the GT engine emits a nice exhaust note.
This 1.8-liter is the same engine that powers Toyota's Celica GTS, but in the Vibe GT the engine is in a package that has room for people and their stuff.
Pontiac Vibe Lineup
Three models are available: The base Vibe ($16,900), the Vibe GT ($19.900) and the Vibe AWD ($20,100).
The base Vibe is amazingly well equipped with air conditioning, a CD player, a two-prong household-style power outlet (as well as two standard automotive power outlets), the rear cargo track system with adjustable tie-down anchors, a height-adjustable driver's seat and a rear hatch that features a glass window that can be opened without having to open the entire hatch. A 130-horsepower four-cylinder engine is adequate to the car's basic transportation tasks.
The Vibe GT is a factory-built sport compact with a 180-horsepower engine and a six-speed manual transmission. It also gets four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, 16-inch cast alloy wheels and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
The Vibe AWD is powered by the same engine as the base Vibe, but it produces only 123 horsepower and is available only with an automatic transmission. But it has an independent double-wishbone rear suspension and standard anti-lock brakes.
With so much standard equipment, the option list is brief, but you'll want anti-lock brakes ($500) on the standard Vibe, and you should consider the Moon and Tunes value package ($500) that includes a power glass moonroof and 200-watt audio system and the power group value package ($600) that includes power locks, windows, rear hatch release, cruise control and remote keyless entry. A four-speed automatic transmission (standard on the Vibe AWD) is available on the base Vibe ($800). Other options of note include 17-inch wheels ($800 on the base model and $400 on the GT) and in-dash six-CD changer, which is available as a stand-one option ($300) or which comes as part of a DVD-based navigation system ($1,600).