2004 Pontiac Vibe Review

Style, sporty performance and practicality. by Larry Edsall, New Car Test Drive

Overview


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The Pontiac Vibe offers sporty styling and performance with practical cargo and people-hauling capabilities. This five-door hatchback boasts a roomy interior for front and rear passengers. Its creatively designed cargo compartment features a track system with adjustable tie-down anchors. The seating arrangement is flexible, allowing the driver to flip down the passenger seat when hauling items up to 8-feet long. That seat can be used as a desk for a laptop computer, which can be plugged into the 115-volt electrical outlet.

For the tuner crowd, Pontiac offers the Vibe GT, tuned for performance and dressed to impress. A selection of over-the-counter accessories is available to enhance its look. Vibe comes in wild colors, including Fusion Orange, Lava, Satellite, and Envy. XM Satellite Radio, 17-inch alloy wheels, and a supercharger for the base model have been added to the options list for 2004. All-wheel drive is available for drivers in the snowbelt.

On the road, we found the base model pleasant and comfortable with a hatchback's cargo-hauling versatility. The GT offers more driving excitement, though the high-revving engine doesn't seem at home here.

Vibe was conceived by General Motors and is built to Toyota assembly standards, with Toyota components. (Toyota sells its own version of the car, called the Matrix, with different styling cues.)