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Road Test: 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD car review; Vibe rant
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The 2009 Pontiac Vibe is proof that General Motors has to do something with its investment in NUMMI, the New Union Motor Manufacturing Incorporated. NUMMI is a joint venture with Toyota to build cars in the United States. And since it no longer gets rebadged Toyota Corollas (once sold as the Chevrolet Nova), it might as well get a version of Toyota’s Matrix, a spunkier version of what a Corolla station wagon would be if there were such a thing as the Corolla wagon, which there isn’t. Since Pontiac doesn’t have a wagon version of the Pontiac G5, a sedan in the same market category as the Corolla, what’s more logical than a Pontiac Matrix?
But renamed, of course, the Pontiac Vibe.
Bless their hearts, Pontiac stylists have done their best to conceal the origins of the Vibe. Up front the Vibe has the trademark Pontiac split grille and its own headlamp design. The hood is rounder and lacks the spines down the hood that the Matrix has. But turn the cars in profile and it’s evident that not only are they built on the same platform but have the same body as well.
Scroll down for slide show.
What’s more, the drivetrain options are identical and one-hundred percent Toyota: a base model with a 1.8-liter four, a mid-range model with a 2.4-liter four and a choice of front-wheel or all-wheel drive, or a deluxe version with the same engine/drivetrain options but more stuff. We’ve tested the top-of-the-line 2009 Matrix XRS. The tester for this review is a 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD.
The creatively named Vibe AWD, which as its name suggests has all-wheel drive, has the 158 horsepower 2.4-liter engine of the equally creatively-named Vibe 2.4L. The base model is called (surprise!) the Vibe 1.8L. On the other hand, for the 2.4-liter engine and all the bells and whistles, select the Vibe GT.
One whistle—or perhaps it’s a bell—the GT won’t have, however, is all-wheel drive. That’s reserved for the Vibe AWD.
<b>All-wheel advantage</b> The particular advantage of the Vibe AWD should be obvious. It’s the all-wheel drive. Alas, all-wheel drive adds weight to a package which rates a resounding adequate in performarnce, and it means reduced mileage in everyday use as well as bleeding off acceleration. That’s aggravated further by the optional automatic which, instead of the 5-speed available with 2.4-liter front-drive Vibes, is only a four-speed. Missing that extra ratio means slower acceleration and increased fuel consumption. Alas, the Vibe AWD isn’t available with the five-speed manual transmission either.
The ability to go in unlimited weather is a definite plus, however, though we spoke with a ski resort employee who owned—note the past tense—an earlier version of the all-wheel drive Toyota Matrix but traded it in because of its lack of grunt to handle the upgrades.
All-wheel drive also banishes any hint of torque steer, but with a mere 158 horsepower on tap, that isn’t a major negative with the front-drive versions.
At least the Vibe AWD, with better handling and a smoother ride, comes with the fully-independent rear suspension otherwise reserved for the Vibe GT.
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The obvious comparison of the Pontiac Vibe to the source Toyota Matrix brings up the obvious question: Why buy the Pontiac Vibe instead of the Matrix? The customary choose-your-dealer advice applies, of course, but there’s also the matter of packaging, preference for styling and that ol’ debbil price. Because Pontiac and Toyota have decided to make different features standard and bundled options differently, we can’t compare item to item. However, the Pontiac Vibe AWD compares to the Toyota Matrix S all-wheel drive in favor of the Pontiac.To wit: the Pontiac has a lower base price, $18,910 versus the $22,615 of the generally better-equipped-at-base-trim Toyota. However, for comparably equipped versions of each, the Vibe beats the Matrix by more than $1,000, at $22,615 to $23,858.
The Vibe AWD comes standard with OnStar (and one year service), XM satellite radio (plus three months service), stability control, 155-volt auxiliary electric plug, and a fold-flat front passenger seat. Our test model included a Sun and Sound Package, at $1,285 including upgraded audio, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob and a sunroof, and the Preferred Package, which adds keyless remote entry, power windows and locks, cruise control and front and rear variable wipers, a $1,070 that makes life livable. Our tester also had 17-inch chromed aluminum wheels (with unconvincing bolt heads molded in) for $650 and fog lamps at $115. Adding $585 destination charge brings the bottom line to $22,615.
Resale is always a big question mark, but we’d expect that, all things being equal, the Toyota would retain more initial value, just based on its nameplate.
Still, for something one expects to live with for at least several years—lease or buy—the matter comes down to which face one rather see put on the driveway. And one more factor. The Pontiac Vibe is assembled alongside the Toyota Corolla at the Nummi factory in California. The Toyota Matrix is built in Canada. Where would you rather have your patriotic All-American dollars go?
Indeed, buying a Vibe means more of your dollars stay in the good old US of A, however, two major components are shipped from Japan: the engine and the transmission. This is still largely a Japanese car. Not that is should matter to a true free-trader, but buy-American purists will look elsewhere for their wheels. Not, of course, that any vehicle is wholly built of all parts manufactured in one country and assembled there as well, but there you go.
The 5-speed automatic transmissions optional on all but the all-wheel drive model have tip-shift sequential shifting, allowing manual control of the transmission by moving the shift lever fore and aft. The Vibe AWD’s four-speed automatic has a more conventional zig-zag pattern for its shifter.
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Our test vehicle was painted an intriguing “Steel Blue Metallic,” a blue-ish darker gray much more interesting than the ubiquitous silver.In almost a week of general all-around use, we recorded 23.7 miles per gallon of 87-octane with the our 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD, which compares with the EPA estimated 20/26 city/highway, or 21/28 for 2.4-liter 5-speed manual transmission Vibes and curiously, 21/29 for 2.4L/5-speed automatic cars. In other words, with the 5-speed automatic-equipped cars, more of your American dollars will stay in the U.S. rather than shipped overseas oil producers. Wave the flag on that one.
| Base price | $18,910 |
| Safety: airbags, front, front side, front side curtain; ABS, stability control | std |
| Interior: Tilt & telescople steering wheel, AM/FM/CD w/aux input; 115v AC electric power; floor mats | std |
| Exterior: 16-in. steel wheels; all-season tires; power mirrors; luggage rack; rear window wiper | std |
| Sun andd Sound pkg: sunroof; AM/FM/CD w/MP3; 7-speaker Monsoon premium sound; leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls; leather-wrapped shift knob | $1,285 |
| Preferred package: keyless remote; power door locks, windows; cruise control; front & rear4 variable intermittant wipers | $1,070 |
| 17-inch aluminum wheels, chrome | $650 |
| Fog lamps | $115 |
| Destination | $585 |
| Total vehicle price | $22,615 |
| Engine | 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve I-4 |
| Horsepower @ rpm | 158 @ 6000 |
| Torque, lb-ft @ rpm | 162 @ 4000 |
| Fuel required | unleaded regular |
| Fuel econ., EPA city/hwy mpg | 20/26 |
| Fuel econ., as tested, overall | 23.7 |
| Transmission, tested | 4A |
| Drivetrain layout | Front engine, all-wheel drive |
| Brakes, disc dia., in., front/rear | 1.65/11.06 |
| Wheels, front/rear, inches | 16 x 6.5 |
| Tires, front / rear | 205/55R16 |
| Wheelbase, inches | 102.4 |
| Length, inches | 171.1 |
| Width, inches | 69.5 |
| Heigth, inches | 62.8 |
| Trunk/max cargo capacity, cu ft | 20.1/49.4 |
| Curb weight, pounds | 3,284 |
Illustrations: 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD. Photos top, bottom, by John Matras; middle courtesy GM Corp.
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