Vibe GT: Odd Choice Of Drivetrain, But Among The Most Fun-To-Drive Compact Wagons
Written: May 06 '04 (Updated Dec 01 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Eager performance, direct steering, versatile interior, loads of character, solid feel.
Cons: Poorly-matched engine and transmission, some interior trim reveals GM cheapness, slightly awkward driving position.
The Bottom Line: It's not as well-rounded as a Mazda3, but the Toyota-based Vibe GT offers a fun driving experience in an eminently practical tall-wagon body.
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| drive571's Full Review: 2004 Pontiac Vibe |
My Experience
I test-drove a Pontiac Vibe GT at a local dealership. My test drive lasted about half an hour and covered city streets, winding secondary roads, and (briefly) the freeway.
Performance
The Vibe GT's energetic performance came as a pleasant surprise, but its engine didn't strike me as a great match for the rest of the car. The Vibe GT and its Toyota twin, the Matrix XRS, both use the 180-horsepower, 1.8-liter Four from Toyota's Celica GT-S sports coupe (albeit detuned to 173hp in the wagons). This engine is well-known for its unusually peaky power delivery, meaning that it makes most of its power way up in the highest reaches of the tachometer. In my test-drive of the Celica GT-S, I noted that acceleration felt disappointingly ordinary in normal driving, and that the variable-cam changeover at 6000rpm was a bit abrupt.
The engine displays much of the same character in the Vibe GT, but somehow I didn't mind it nearly as much in this application. For one thing, the around-town acceleration that seemed "ordinary" in the Celica was more acceptable in the Vibe, probably because that's what one expects in a compact wagon. Its response felt a bit flat when I put my foot down at low revs, but it always felt adequate, and it responded crisply to throttle inputs. When I revved it higher on a freeway on-ramp, the cam changeover and accompanying power rush at 6000rpm just felt like a bonus.
Granted, my impression was all about expectations--if you're expecting the Vibe to feel like a tall sports car, you might experience the same disappointment I did with the Celica. But one definite advantage the Vibe had was that the engine sounded better-muffled than it did in the Celica, with lower vibration levels as well. A peaky four-cylinder wouldn't be my first choice in a sport wagon, but if nothing else, it gives the car character--it's certainly not bland.
Transmission/Clutch
The Vibe's transmission was certainly acceptable, but I found it mismatched with the engine. As I just mentioned, the Vibe's engine is a frenetic little unit, and its throttle response was near-instantaneous, building and dropping revs as quickly as I moved my foot on the gas pedal. The Vibe's dash-mounted shifter, on the other hand, was a sturdy-feeling but rather slow-witted device. It clunked from gear to gear solidly and with well-defined gates, but its weighting was heavy, and it didn't like to be hurried through the pattern.
As a result, whenever I lifted my foot off the gas pedal to change gears, the engine's revs dropped down to idle before I could get the shifter into the next gear--meaning I had to blip the throttle for each upchange, or feel a little jerk when I let the clutch out. Most irritating. You may not mind this trait if you're not picky about the driving experience, but still, this mismatch between engine and transmission seems like an unusually inelegant solution for a Toyota-engineered product.
Steering/Handling
Here's where the Vibe surprised me the most. I came into my test drive expecting fairly strong performance, but what I hadn't expected was the Vibe's tight, sporty handling demeanor. The Vibe (and Matrix) are based on the same platform as the Toyota Corolla, and every new Corolla I've driven (and the base-model Matrix, as well) has had a slightly nebulous, disconnected feel in the steering during hard driving, and a suspension calibrated too softly for my tastes. Not so in the Vibe GT.
The Vibe GT's suspension was taut, with a firm ride and excellent control of body motions. When I took corners briskly, I was surprised to find well-controlled body lean and none of the "tippy" feeling that usually comes with a tall car. When I pressed harder, the Vibe GT demonstrated very good tire grip and impressive balance--although it could be made to understeer, only big, sloppy steering inputs got the nose plowing.
I was even more impressed with the Vibe GT's steering. Quick, solid, and direct, it was far better than I had expected, and would be excellent even for a sports coupe. It felt much like the Celica's steering--precise and connected, with excellent straight-line tracking and a decisive feel in the turns. Driven back-to-back, I'm sure the Celica's would be a bit better because of its lower build and lighter weight, but still, the Vibe GT's steering and handling are way ahead of most other compact wagons, and almost on par with the nimble Mazda3.
Ride
Another plus was that the Vibe GT's responsive handling didn't come with a sacrifice in ride quality. While the Vibe GT rides more firmly than most economy cars, with tightly-snubbed ride motions more akin to a sporty coupe, it didn't get punishing on rough roads. Bumps and potholes were absorbed with muted "thunks," and while there was a bit more bump-thump than I experienced in the base-model Matrix, it was well within my comfort level--again, about on par with the Mazda3. Contributing to its composed ride quality was its stiff body structure, which felt solid and all-of-a-piece over the bumps.
Noise levels, on the other hand, were a bit higher than the compact-wagon norm. The engine is quieter in this application than in the Celica, but it still shrieks when revved all the way to the redline, and grumbles audibly in gentler driving. Also, the 17-inch wheels and low-profile tires create a bit more road noise than some customers may prefer. Still, I didn't find any of the Vibe GT's noises objectionable--if you think of it as a sports-wagon compromise, as I did, it's actually very civilized.
Interior
This is where Pontiac has obviously benefited the most from the Vibe's Toyota roots. Most Pontiacs I've driven have had interiors from the "Hot Wheels" school of design, with cartoonish bulges, strakes, and imitation aircraft-style imagery instead of legible controls and quality materials. The Vibe's interior, thankfully, is altogether different.
It still looks distinctly sporty, with chrome-rimmed gauges, red instrument faces, and aluminum-look trim, but it's by no means juvenile or tacky, and its control layout is clear and logical. There are some really clever touches, as well, like the two-prong power outlet in the dashboard, to let you plug in all manner of accessories without an adapter. The quality of the materials was even more impressive. The plastics looked and felt expensive, and most of the instruments operated with that trademark Toyota precision.
However, it was painfully obvious which panels and buttons had been contributed by Toyota, and which were from GM--with the latter's components suffering predictably in comparison. The radio, for example, was clearly a GM product, with big mushy buttons that lacked the tight-fitting, integrated look of the rest of the Vibe's cabin. The sunroof controls, too, were labeled in that flat, '80s-econocar font that could only come from an American manufacturer. But overall, the Vibe's Toyota roots have vaulted its perceived quality far beyond anything else in the Pontiac stable, and that's a good thing.
I also found the Vibe's interior pleasantly accommodating for its compact exterior dimensions. The large glass area gave the cabin a roomy feel despite the high cowl and beltline, and passenger room was generous. The rear seat, in particular, provided more legroom than I had expected--appreciably more than the Mazda3, and with a surplus of headroom to boot.
The Vibe's only weak spot, as far as comfort goes, is its driving position. This is where the Vibe shows its Corolla ancestry, with a similarly high-set driver's seat and pedals that are a bit too close for comfort. I prefer to stretch my legs out when driving, and the Vibe, like the Corolla, doesn't let you do that--it's a "sit-up-straight" kind of car. And while the seats were generally comfortable and supportive, I found the lower cushion a bit short, with insufficient support for taller driver's thighs. This is another Corolla trait, and while it's one that shorter drivers are likely to love, it doesn't endear the Vibe to six-footers like myself who prefer a sportier, more reclined position at the wheel.
Practicality
The Vibe also scores very well on this point. In addition to the generous rear passenger space, its cargo hold was surprisingly spacious. The Vibe doesn't look particularly big from the outside, but with the rear seats folded, it could swallow quite a load of stuff--helped by its taller-than-average roofline. A split-folding rear seat helps cargo versatility, as well.
The only complaint I had with the Vibe's cargo area was that its floor is made of hard plastic. That's a good idea for people who carry wet or messy loads, because it makes the cargo area a breeze to clean. But realistically, even the most "active-lifestyle" owners are likely to tote groceries more often than camping gear, and the Vibe's hard load floor will set these items sliding and rattling all the way home. I can only imagine the irritation I'd derive from loading my bass and amplifier in the back of this car, only to have them careening and crashing against the walls at every corner on the way to a gig. A mat for the cargo area is available, but only as a $70 option.
Reliability
Again, with much of the credit going to the Vibe's Toyota roots, the Vibe has proven to be a very reliable car. Consumer Reports rates its reliability Better Than Average--the same rating as the Honda Accord--which means the likelihood of mechanical trouble is very low indeed.
Overall
I was really impressed with the Vibe GT. It hasn't been selling phenomenally in California (at least, judging by their relative scarcity on the highways), and after my test drive, I really can't understand why. It's an extraordinarily well-packaged, comfortable, and responsive alternative to a small SUV. For around $20,000, you get a wagon with ample cargo space, handling in the same league as a Mazda3, and acceleration to run with many sporty coupes--not to mention the tall-car driving position that seems to appeal to so many drivers.
If the Vibe GT has a significant drawback, it's that it feels like an assemblage of excellent parts that don't always quite match up. For example, while I quite liked the frenetic, exciting Celica engine, its peaky power delivery isn't that well-suited to a cargo hauler (although it does give the Vibe more personality than I'd ever expect from a small wagon). And while the deliberate-feeling shifter wouldn't be so bad in isolation, it's a distinctly poor match to the hair-trigger engine--sometimes to the point of frustration. Finally, while the Toyota-sourced interior is mostly excellent, the presence of cheap GM bits does diminish the quality ambiance somewhat. Whether you think all of this makes the Vibe GT characterful or flawed is up to you, but it's clear that there are some less-than-perfect compromises in the Vibe GT's design.
So how does it stack up against the competition? Well, if "the competition" means other small wagons, then my answer would be very well indeed. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is well-integrated but not at all sporty, the Suzuki Aerio is pleasant but "controversially-styled," to put it mildly, the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback is available only with an automatic, limiting its enthusiast appeal, and the Volkswagen Golf is still doing very poorly in reliability surveys.
That leaves the Mazda3 hatchback, which is more refined, better-integrated, and dynamically superior to most sporty coupes--and perhaps the Vibe GT, by a slim margin--but has a tighter interior, and a less-exciting demeanor, with less overtly sporting intent than the Vibe GT and Matrix XRS. Personally, I prefer the Mazda3--it seems more focused, more of a professional effort, without the parts-bin feel of the Vibe and Matrix. But the Vibe GT is a great car, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from choosing it if they prefer its higher-strung nature, active-lifestyle accessories, roomier back seat, and more "expressive" styling.
Feel free to check out my reviews on some of the Vibe GT's competitors:
Kia Spectra5
Mazda 3s 5-door
Mitsubishi Lancer (sedan reviewed)
Suzuki Aerio
Suzuki Reno
Volkswagen Golf
Honda Element
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19.555
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Epinions.com ID:
drive571
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 in Cars & Motorsports |
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Member: P.J. McCombs
Location: Berkeley, California
Reviews written: 138
Trusted by: 69 members
About Me:
New baby at home: a 1999 Mazda Miata in British Racing Green!
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