Pontiac Vibe mixes a sporty economy car and a spacious wagon
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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MALIBU, Calif. -- Scooting along twisted ribbons of asphalt warped across the Santa Monica Mountains above Los Angeles, we're playing all of the curves in crinkled canyons like Encinal and Zuma through a connection of the Pacific Coast Highway at Malibu.
These narrow strands of blacktop -- rumpled traces in serial switchbacks etched into steep palisades -- amount to some of the most demanding driving routes on the planet.
The canyon roads serve as our impromptu automotive laboratory to experience the curve-hugging agility and sample the playful spirit of a sporty new kind of wagon that comes to Pontiac as a 2003 product.
It's the Vibe, the next big idea in cars.
The concept mixes spry road manners of a small four-door sports sedan with the cargo-hauling capability of a sport-utility vehicle and the miserly fuel efficiency and attractive price points of an economy car.
It's part sports car, part station wagon and part thrifty runabout that's practical to use but fun to drive.
Exterior styling looks keen and aggressive, with lean and muscular lines spread across a broad structure where wheels push to perimeters of the package and the body seems to hunker on pavement.
The bold chin-forward face is all Pontiac with trapezoidal cat-eye headlamp clusters at front corners flanking a double-decker twin-port grille. Below, a thick slab of protective plastic molding houses round foglamps and wraps around each side to a low row of matching cladding rippled around oversized wheelwells.
front face tips decidedly rearward as the hood slopes up to a raked windshield and front pillars form rails that arch over second and third blackened door pillars to meet the opposed angular rear pillars in steep descent to a hatchback tail.
Creased shoulder planes run the length of both sides above flat doors sculpted with subtle horizontal ridges that suggest swift movement.
Two broad doors on each side provide access to front and rear seats in the cabin, while the hatchback lid at the rump with inset lift-up window swings high to open the cargo compartment.
Vibe's interior structure is tall, which accommodates seats that rise high like chairs and creates voluminous space for people and equipment.
Sitting erect with hips elevated not only feels more comfortable than a slouched stance in the typical car seat but sets the head in a commanding position so you can see more clearly outside the vehicle.
High seats also make it easy to climb aboard because you simply slip laterally into the seat.
Headroom is generous even for tall passengers and so is the legroom for front and back seats. Up front, there are two buckets separated by a console, and in back a firm bench makes room for three adults. The seatback splits in two sections and each side folds forward independently to expand space for cargo.
That back bay has a flat floor and, with both rear seatbacks folded down, expands to 57 cubic feet.
A track system in the floor adapts with various accessory kits to mount sports equipment like a mountain bike or snowboard.
In addition, the right front passenger seat also folds flat. Long cargo items such as skis and ski poles may be stacked on top of the folded seatback and stretched from dashboard to tail door.
Pontiac constructs Vibe in three variations, and we steered all versions through the Malibu mountains and found each has different traits for performance and handling.
A price-leading base Vibe and the Vibe AWD come with either front-wheel (base) or all-wheel (AWD) driveline and an economical four-cylinder engine displacing 1.8 liters.
With front-wheel-drive (FWD), this plant hits 130 hp at 6000 rpm and tunes torque to 125 lb-ft at 4200 rpm.
The AWD Vibe musters 123 hp at 6000 rpm with torque running up to 118 lb-ft at 4200 rpm.
In FWD mode, Vibe stocks either a standard manual five-speed transmission or optional automatic four-speed.
The automatic applies exclusively to Vibe AWD.
That base Vibe with the manual stick shows guts, even when running up a set of switchbacks on a mountain grade. With the automatic transmission it will still surprise you with quick launches but smooth shift transitions.
Vibe AWD channels power automatically to the wheels that maintain a good bite of traction on pavement. It works well in risky situations such as wet or slippery roads.
Fuel economy figures rank best with the manual five-speed. This Vibe, as certified by the EPA as an ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV), scores figures as high as 36 miles per gallon for highway driving.
A third Vibe skews toward sporty performance.
Vibe GT with FWD system carries a high-performance engine tied to a six-speed manual transmission.
The 1.8-liter four-in-line plant, with dual cams over an aluminum alloy block with aluminum alloy cylinder heads, generates a hardy 180 hp at 7600 rpm plus torque of 130 lb-ft at 6800 rpm.
Although this engine has the same displacement as Vibe's other plant, larger bore and stroke for cylinders combined with a tall compression ratio plus sophisticated valve control device produce much higher power points. The variable valve timing goes to work as oil pressure at engine speeds above 6000 rpm increases the degree of lift for intake and exhaust valves, ultimately boosting power. It continues to a high-revving redline of 8300 rpm.
Vibe in base trim contains a substantial list of standard equipment that ranges from dual frontal air bags and air conditioning to a three-spoke sport steering wheel with tilt feature, dual power exterior mirrors, variable intermittent windshield wipers, foglamps, roof rack and an audio system with CD deck.
Vibe GT gets four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and a leather-wrapped steering wheel plus the powerful engine.
Packaged options include side-impact air bags, a moonroof, deluxe audio kit and DVD navigation system.
The MSRP for Vibe in base format totals to $16,900.
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| 2003 PONTIAC VIBE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Subcompact 5-door sports wagon
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| Model Options: |
Subcompact 5-door sports wagon
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| Wheelbase: |
102.4 inches
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| Overall Length: |
171.9 inches
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| Engine Size: |
Base / AWD: DOHC 1.8-L I4
GT: DOHC 1.8-L I4
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| Transmission: |
Base: Manual/5
Auto/4
AWD: Auto/4
GT: Manual/6
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| Drive: |
Base: FWD
AWD: AWD
GT: FWD
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| Braking: |
Base: Power disc/drum/
opt. ABS/EBD
AWD: Power disc/drum/ABS/EBD
GT: Power 4-disc/ABS/EBD
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + opt. 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
Base M/5: 30/36 mpg
Base A/4: 27/32 mpg
AWD A/4: 26/31 mpg
GT M/6: 21/28 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 16,900 to $ 24,400 |
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