INTRO
While on a recent business trip to Phoenix, AZ I had a rental car from Enterprise and I was very excited when they told me it would be a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. These vehicles had interested me since their release back in 2003 and now i would get to see what the base model Pontiac Vibe has to offer!
WHAT IS IT? CAR? SUV? STATION WAGON? WHO KNOWS?
The Pontiac Vibe is a very interesting vehicle and it has a very unique design. When you first see the Vibe you will think station wagon straight away. The elongated design and the hatch back will add to this perception. The you will take another look and you will think SUV. You will think this because of the high roof line and because the Vibe seems to sit higher up off the ground than the average car does.
The overall design of the car is actually very curvy but thrown into the mix are some very strong lines that actually give the car a real sporty look. The base model that i was going to be driving was Lava Red a beautiful color but it also had dull gray cladding that ran down the sides of the car, since I am not purchasing this particular vehicle so this did not matter, but I am excited that the Vibe can also come with color matching cladding that looks superb and really adds to the sporty look of the Vibe. The Pontiac Vibe is a 4 door hatch back. I have always loved hatch backs, they always come in very handy, especially when you have those extra large boxes you need to haul around. Overall the design of the Vibe is very modern but i think it will be one of those designs you will either love or hate with no in betweens!
LETS TAKE A LOOK INSIDE
When you open the door of the Vibe you will again see a very uniquely designed interior. The dashboard looks very modern. There are 4 round dials that are surrounded with chrome which looks quite stunning. The dials consist of the Speedometer, the Rev counter, the Fuel gauge and the Temperature gauge, all are very well placed are very easy to read. I love the color of the gauges too. They have a black background with white numbers and around the edges of the dials there is a red highlight. These dials are easy to read during the day time and very easy to read at night.
The center of the dash is again a very interesting design. This is the first vehicle i have ever seen that has the gear shift in the middle of the dash. This is a great design and put the gear shift in a very easy to reach position. The Base model Vibe that I was driving came equipped with a 4 speed automatic, but the Vibe GT comes with a 6 speed manual and I can only imagine how easy it would be to shift gears with the gear shift located in the dash.
Directly above the gear shift you will find the Vibes A/C and Heat Controls. The A/C in the Pontiac vibe is wonderful. Being out in phoenix with the temperature being anywhere from 100 to 115 you need a very good air conditioner, and the vibe has one of the best i have seen in a car. The controls for the heat and air are basic dials, no fancy digital controls like you find in some vehicles, they are easy to use and the markings are clear and easy to read and they are located so that they are within easy reach of the driver. Right above the heat and air controls you will find the in dash Radio.
The base model come with a single cd player but as an option you can purchase something called the moons and tunes package which adds a moon roof and a thumping stereo that includes a sub and amp. Even without the moons and tunes package the radio puts out some quality sound. The Speakers are pretty powerful and put out a fair amount of base, the clarity of these speakers is also very good, especially for factory fit speakers.
There is a lot of room in the interior of the Vibe, i was pleasantly surprised with this. I am 6ft 1 and i had no trouble getting comfortable in this vehicle. The high roof line leaves plenty of space between the top of the car and the drivers head. There is ample leg room for the driver and passenger respectively.
The back seats offer plenty of leg rooms for passengers in the back too, Even with the front seats pushed all the way back you can still fit 3 people in the back comfortably Earlier on i said i love hatch backs, and this is another reason why. The back seats in the Vibe will fold down flat which creates a large amount of room in the back of the vibe for whatever you desire to carry, even with the seat up there is still a lot of room for groceries, golf clubs or whatever you need to put back there. All around the cabin you will find many different cubby holes and storage spaces which will all come in very handy, ranging from a coin holder that is located next to the steering wheel to the cd and pen holder which is located between the front seats, just in front of the seats you will find the cup holders that are in a very easy to reach position. Overall the interior design of the Vibe is very impressive
SO HOW DOES IT DRIVE
When I took the car back to Enterprise after my 10 day stint in Phoenix, I was talking with the Enterprise representative and I found out that the Pontiac Vibe was actually a joint venture with Toyota. The Toyota Matrix is the equivalent of the Vibe. It turns out that the overall design of the vehicle came from Pontiac but the Engine and the transmission come from Toyota. The base model Vibe come equipped with a 4 cylinder 1.8 liter engine that puts out a respectable 130hp.
The engine is the same one that Toyota uses in their Corolla. I was pretty impressed with the engines seeing as it is a 4 cylinder. Off the lights the Vibe is not going to beat many vehicles but the base model is not designed for that. If you want to be the boy racer you would need to get the Pontiac Vibe GT that puts out 170hp. The engine in the GT is the same engine that you would find in the Toyota Celica. However when the base model engine gets going it is actually quite nippy! When you need to accelerate it is always willing to get up and go which really makes overtaking very easy. Getting up speed to join the interstate is also pretty easy which is always a good thing from a safety stand point. The only minor downside is that the engine can be a little noisy when you start to accelerate but when you get going the noise almost completely goes away.
The ride quality is very good and the seats offer good support even after long journeys, the seats will still be comfortable. The other thing like about the seats is the elevated seating position. It gives you a good clear view of the road ahead and the overall visibility is just wonderful, which again takes me to the comparison between a car and an SUV. The Vibe handles just like a car should but the elevated seating makes you feel like you are driving an SUV. The suspension i thought i was a little bit firm, I guess Pontiac went for that to try and match the sporty look and feel of the car. Overall the car handles superb, it has a pretty tight turning circle and there is little to no roll which surprised me due to the height of the car.
The gas mileage of the Vibe is another great feature. Around town you can expect to get 30mpg and on the interstate you will get a very respectable 36 mpg, with today’s high gas prices this is a very strong selling point of this vehicle.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After driving the Vibe around Phoenix for ten days it really, really impressed me. The styling is very modern and sporty looking and the overall performance of the car was wonderful, especially with the high gas mileage. In fact I have been so impressed with the Pontiac Vibe that I have decided that I am going to trade in my current vehicle and I am going to purchase a 2005 Pontiac Vibe. This is a wonderful car that is overlooked, after all, if I had not been given this car as my rental I would never have looked at it! I hope that this review will inspire the readers who are in the market for a new car to give the Pontiac Vibe a try, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Amount Paid (US$): 14000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: BASE
