2005 Pontiac Vibe Review (continued)
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Walkaround

The smooth new grille and front fascia give the 2005 Pontiac Vibe a more contemporary look and hint at the styling direction Pontiac is taking with an upcoming sports car, the 2006 Solstice.

Otherwise, its appearance is unchanged. The Vibe was conceived by General Motors and is built to Toyota assembly standards with Toyota components at a joint GM/Toyota assembly plant. Toyota sells its own version of the car, called the Matrix, with different styling cues. Traditional Pontiac styling cues distinguish the Vibe. Its wedge shape, muscular stance and cat-eye headlamps signal that you are looking at a Pontiac.

Vibe's hatchback design makes for a practical car, but Pontiac's designers strived to avoid a design that looked too boxy. They wanted to make sure it looked like a Pontiac. So the front and rear overhangs were kept short. (Overhang is the part of the car that sticks out past the bumper.) Short overhangs means the wheels are pushed out to the corners of the car. In addition to improving handling, this design helps uphold that traditional Pontiac Wide Track" stance. More slope was put into to the rear section of the roof. In profile, the Vibe hints at a fastback shape. The encapsulated C-pillars almost look like inverted hockey sticks.

Pontiac hasn't quite broken its habit of surrounding its vehicles with lower-body cladding. But at least the Vibe's bottom fringe is relatively simple, and is available in either low-key charcoal or even less conspicuous body color ($325). We think the charcoal looks best on the all-wheel-drive version, giving it some visual elevation and a more outdoorsy look.

Buyers who want to project more attitude can purchase dealer-installed extensions for the sides and front and rear fascias, plus spoilers for the roof and tailgate. The whole package ($1890) is offered in a selection of vibrant colors, or in primer and ready for your own custom paint."

Interior Features

Vibe seats five. The seats are elevated for a good view of the road and the driver gets a manual seat-height adjustment. The driver operates in a cockpit-style environment. Secondary controls are easy to reach and use. Audio controls are located at the top of the center stack. Three big dials are used to control the heating/air-conditioning system. We found the handbrake lever awkward, though.

Nice touches went into making the Vibe a pleasant place for driving or even for working: The front passenger's seatback folds flat, so its back can serve as a table for a laptop computer or even a video game system plugged into the 115-volt outlet. It's a convenient setup with release levers on both sides of the passenger seatback, so it can be folded with one hand either from the driver's seat or from outside the car.

The rear seat has room for at least two full-size adults. The rear seatbacks are split 60/40 for versatility. With both rear seatbacks and the front passenger seat folded down, Vibe provides a perfectly flat cargo area shaped like Utah and almost as large: 8 feet from the rear hatch to the right half of the dashboard. With all seats folded, the Vibe can carry 54 cubic feet of cargo, which can be secured by using the numerous tie-downs, including those that lock into position in a clever pair of tracks in the rear cargo floor. Those tracks are also built into the rear seatbacks, so when the seats are folded down they extend the full length of the rear cargo floor. The hard finish used in the cargo area makes for easy cleanup, great for dealing with muddy equipment or wet dogs. However, this same hard finish means cargo that isn't secured tends to slide around. To address this, Pontiac offers accessories, including: a cargo net system ($35), a cargo gear box ($95), and a heavy-duty cargo mat ($50). An optional seatback pack ($80) attaches to the back of the front seat and includes a first-aid kit.

There's also plenty of places to tuck stuff away. Vibe provides nearly a dozen interior storage containers, nine of which keep contents out of view. There's even a compartment behind the base of the back seat, where an umbrella or fishing rods can be kept in a covered pocket. The rear window on the Vibe's hatchback opens independently, so you can reach your stuff without having to open the entire hatch.

XM Satellite Radio ($325) is a great option for long-distance traveling because the stations don't change as you drive across the country. XM Satellite Radio is nice to have around town for listening to the 24-hour news and sports broadcasts, or for staying tuned into your favorite types of music (classical, jazz, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s).

The optional DVD-based navigation system works well and has a split-screen feature so you can see both the detail of your immediate locale as well as your location in relation to a larger, metropolitan area. However, it isn't cheap ($1,650).

OnStar works like a navigation system but there's nothing to program. Press the button and a live human responds, ready to give you directions, locate the nearest sushi bar or send flowers to your mom. Through the miracle of satellite navigation, OnStar always knows the location of your vehicle. The staff will direct the rescue squad to your car if your airbag goes off and you do not respond to their calls. Or you can press the emergency button and they'll send out the troops. OnStar is good for lesser emergencies, too, like unlocking your doors when you lock the keys inside or directing you to the nearest gas station or ATM or Starbucks. If your vehicle is stolen, OnStar can pinpoint its location and direct the authorities to apprehend and recover.