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With a Pontiac
badge and Toyota
guts, one of our favorite
small wagons returns
with a few new tricks
By MALCOLM GUNN
WHEELBASE COMMUNICATIONS
P
ontiac and Toyota
have once again
teamed up to build a thrifty, high-stylin’
Vibe wagon.
The upstart little car with capacious
cargo capacity certainly carried the day for
Pontiac when it first arrived back in 2002
for the 2003 model year.
The value was obvious from the beginning. The
sheetmetal appeared way ahead of its time and the
wagon design was more than practical. And the fact
that it contained significant content emanating from
Toyota’s Corolla and Matrix (and at a down-to-earth
price) was reassuring for buyers who otherwise might
not have strayed from the import fold.
But the most remarkable factoid concerning the
Vibe was its nearly universal acceptance by new-car
buyers of nearly every demographic stripe. From
younger shoppers just entering their new-car buying
years to the over-50 set, the Vibe was embraced by all.
Pontiac had a winner on its hands.
The 2009 edition — available in early 2008, actually
— enriches the ownership experience with more
room and power choices while retaining the overall
sense of style that made the original so popular. The
new
shell
displays
more crisply defined
features — especially
the front
bumper area — and the fenders
add to the vehicle’s broadshouldered
shape.
In an unusual display of bigger-is-better
restraint, the Vibe’s key dimensions remain
nearly identical to that of the outgoing version, although
the weight has slightly increased and maximum
cargo capacity with the rear seat folded has
shrunk, possibly due to a slight roofline reduction.
For passengers, the new Vibe holds tight to the
stylish and comfortable traits that made the original
so popular. Improvements to the gauge layout and a
meatier steering wheel will be especially appreciated
by drivers, while everyone aboard will continue to
enjoy the supportive front chairs, generous leg and hip
room and fold-flat 60/40 split rear seat for those occasions
when big cargo capacity is required.
Perhaps the best news for Vibe fans is that the
powertrain choices are more robust. Base cars arrive
with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine that now produces
132 horsepower, six more than last
year’s 1.8, while a 158-horsepower 2.4liter
four-cylinder is included with the
all-wheel-drive Vibe AWD. As you might
recall, all-wheel-drive actually fell off
the Vibe menu at the end of the 2006
model year. Both engines originate with
Toyota and will also be offered in the
new Matrix wagon as well as the nextgeneration
Corolla sedan.
A five-speed manual transmission is
standard on base Vibes while a fourspeed
automatic is optional, but standard
when AWD is specified. Also
returning following a two-model-year
absence is the Vibe GT trim level, which
also runs with the same 2.4 as AWD
models, but offers a choice of a fivespeed
manual transmission or fivespeed
automatic with manual-shift
control.
The AWD and GT also feature a
different fully independent rear
suspension than base models, one
that’s claimed to produce more precise
handling characteristics.
Beyond the now standard safety
gear that was actually optional on
the previous Vibe (including six
airbags plus traction and stability
control to keep the Vibe heading
where the driver intends), base
models include a tilt and telescopic
steering column, power windows
and door locks, 115-volt power outlet,
overhead console and a four-
64005
speaker audio system.
The AWD adds a rear-cargo storage
system, roof rack and fold-flat front passenger
seat, both of which were standard
on the first-gen Vibe, and air
conditioning. The GT further pumps up
the content with 18-inch wheels, sporttuned
suspension, leather-trimmed
front seats, unique front fascia, special
body cladding, rear spoiler, fog lamps
and a 320-watt, seven-speaker sound
package with a large subwoofer embedded
in the passenger-side rear trim
panel.
With about 300,000 first-generation
Vibes already on the road, General Motors
has a solid indicator that the Toyota/Pontiac
formula works. Adding a
dose of power and refinement is all this
wagon needs to head into the next
decade with the same kind of success.