Pontiac Vibe

The Pontiac Vibe is a car produced in Fremont, California, in the United States by NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc), a shared endeavor between General Motors and Toyota. Prototypes were shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2000 and production vehicles came on the market in 2002 for the 2003 model year.

It is a short and tall station wagon that is being marketed as a trendy, quasi-SUV vehicle for younger buyers. Toyota calls their North American version the Matrix, although lack of capacity at the NUMMI plant means that the Matrix is produced in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.

See Wikicars' comprehensive Pontiac Vibe Review.

Recent Changes

 * The Pontiac Vibe is an all-new model for the 2009 model year. As with the first generation, the second gen Vibe will share its body with the Toyota Matrix.

Styles and Major Options
The 2007 Vibe comes in one trim, the Base model. It is equipped with a 1.8L 126hp I-4 engine, a 5-speed manual transmission, and front wheel drive. Although there are no alternate trims available, several features are optional, including electronic stability control, a 4-speed automatic transmission, traction control, leather seating, an upgraded audio system, and cruise control, among others. For a list of standard safety features, see the Safety section below. Some of the other standout features include:
 * 16" steel wheels
 * 6-way driver (4-way passenger) front bucket seats
 * Cloth seating and door trim
 * Front and rear cup holders
 * Manual front air conditioning
 * 4-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system
 * Manual locks/windows, power mirrors
 * Tilt steering wheel
 * Exterior temp. monitor and trip odometer
 * Black grille moldings with chrome surround

Pricing
Today's actual prices for the Pontiac Vibe can be found at CarsDirect.

Gas Mileage
As seen on the FuelEconomy.gov website, the City/Highway MPG averages are as follows:

Reliability
For the 2003 and 2004 model years, which were the most recent to provide long-term reliability information, the Vibe received all around Green ratings in every category examined by Automtive Information Systems. This indicates that the Vibe experienced minimal problems.

Safety
The 2007 Vibe earned mixed results from safety tests carried out by the NHTSA. Its only 5-Star rating was awarded for driver's side front-impact crash tests. Tests for passenger side front-impact, rear side-impact, and rollover yielded 4-Star ratings, and front side-impact crash tests earned it an average 3-Star rating. Some of the safety features found standard on the Vibe include:
 * Front and rear anti-roll bars
 * Driver/passenger front impact airbags
 * Occupancy sensors
 * Side impact bars
 * Available ABS and driveline traction control
 * Available StabiliTrak electronic stability control
 * Available side impact airbags

Colors
A complete list of colors for the Vibe is available at CarsDirect.com. Some of the possible combinations include:

Exterior
 * Abyss (Black)
 * Frosty (White)
 * Neptune (Blue)
 * Salsa (Red)
 * Stealth (Gray Metallic)

Interior
 * Graphite
 * Slate

Main Competitors

 * Mazda Mazda3
 * Toyota Prius
 * Honda Civic
 * Toyota Corolla
 * Scion tC
 * Toyota Matrix
 * Subaru Impreza
 * Nissan Sentra

Hybrid Models
There are currently no hybrid models of the Vibe in production.

Resale Values
According to Kelley Blue Book, "the Vibe is expected to post a lower-than-average residual value after 24-, 36-, 48- and 60-months. Ironically the Vibe's sister vehicle, the Toyota Matrix, holds better-than-average value over the same time periods."

Criticisms

 * "Little can be done to remedy the limited functionality of the Vibe?s roof rack. Place-ment of the antenna precludes using it for anything larger than a snowboard or bike; a kayak is out of the question." - AutoWeek
 * "The Toyota 1.8-liter engine does not have much low-end torque, and all-wheel drive models are available only with the base engine and an automatic transmission." - Kelley Blue Book

Current Generation: (2003–Present)
The car features a standard household-style 115 volt AC electrical outlet so that common electrical devices can be used inside the car without a separate inverter.

The Vibe is available in an economical base model, in "sporty" GT trim with more power, or also in an all-wheel drive model.

Powertrains available for this car are a 1.8 L I4 16-valve engine producing 126 hp on the base model (manual or automatic transmission), 118 hp on the all-wheel drive model (automatic only), or a version with VVTL-i producing 164 hp for the GT (manual 6-speed only). The Vibe is currently the most fuel efficient vehicle sold by GM in North America.

There have been some minor changes between model years. The Vibe was first officially produced in 2002 as a 2003 model. Originally the HP ratings of the 2003 model year were much higher, with the GT claiming to possess 180 hp, the base model rated at 130 hp, and the all-wheel drive model rated at 126 hp. The 2004 saw a slight drop in HP reported, and additional 'smog' filters were added to the engine.

The first major change in the Vibe line was the change of the front fascia starting in the 2005 model year. In an attempt to 'converge' the Pontiac look, the front grills were rounded out to more closely match the look of the other vehicles in the Pontiac line.

The all-wheel drive and GT versions will be dropped after 2006 due to poor sales, leaving only the base 1.8 Vibe on the market.