Pontiac Vibe 2004
To attach the Vibe to what will undoubtedly be considerable consumer interest in the Solstice, Pontiac has redone the wagon's front end a little to resemble the roadster's.
Pontiac describes the styling changes to the model that came out as a 2002 model thusly: it will have a ''fascia and grilled inspired by the 2006 Solstice roadster.'' It should be in dealerships by early summer.
The look of Solstice and Vibe are also supposed to look like other recent Pontiacs, including the US-only GTO, the new Bonneville GXP, and the soon-to-arrive G6 sedan.
''All of these new products strengthen the momentum of Pontiac's design and performance renaissance,'' claims Jim Bunnell, the marketing general manager of GM's Pontiac-GMC division.
Bunnell's new on the job at Pontiac, but he realizes that having cars such as the Solstice in your showroom brings in ''new buyers who previously didn't consider Pontiac -- or, often, any other GM vehicle.''
The Vibe is already doing a good job with that, Bunnell notes, since it's ''our number one conquest vehicle, which means these new buyers aren't currently driving a GM vehicle.''
Other additional features (which will probably be optional) on the 2005 Vibe include a ''Moon & Tunes'' (a moonroof and an upgraded stereo) package with integrated sub-woofer, StabiliTrak vehicle stability enhancement system, leather seating, side curtain airbags, programmable door locks, and OnStar with one year of the Safe and Sound service.
New standard features include new fabric patterns in certain colors, a passive suppression airbag on the passenger side, and a tire pressure monitor on the GT and AWD models.
There are no powertrain changes on the 2005, so there will still be three variations on a 1.8-litre, DOHC inline-four theme.
In the base front-wheel-drive model, that engine is good for 130 hp at 6000 rpm and 125 lb.-ft. of torque at 4200 rpm. Add the all-wheel-drive and the power numbers drop to 123 and 118, respectively, at the same rev levels. There's also a version that puts out 180 hp at 7600 rpm and 130 lb.-ft. of torque at 6800 rpm, but that's available only in front-drive.
Pontiac is anxious to encourage the use of Vibe by young enthusiasts, so the list of tailored accessories and performance parts is constantly growing.
There's a supercharger, for example, that boosts horsepower by 30 percent and torque by 18 percent, and there's a sport package that includes front and rear fascia extensions, side skirts and dual spoilers.
To attach the Vibe to what will undoubtedly be considerable consumer interest in the Solstice, Pontiac has redone the wagon's front end a little to resemble the roadster's.
Pontiac describes the styling changes to the model that came out as a 2002 model thusly: it will have a ''fascia and grilled inspired by the 2006 Solstice roadster.'' It should be in dealerships by early summer.
The look of Solstice and Vibe are also supposed to look like other recent Pontiacs, including the US-only GTO, the new Bonneville GXP, and the soon-to-arrive G6 sedan.
''All of these new products strengthen the momentum of Pontiac's design and performance renaissance,'' claims Jim Bunnell, the marketing general manager of GM's Pontiac-GMC division.
Bunnell's new on the job at Pontiac, but he realizes that having cars such as the Solstice in your showroom brings in ''new buyers who previously didn't consider Pontiac -- or, often, any other GM vehicle.''
The Vibe is already doing a good job with that, Bunnell notes, since it's ''our number one conquest vehicle, which means these new buyers aren't currently driving a GM vehicle.''
Other additional features (which will probably be optional) on the 2005 Vibe include a ''Moon & Tunes'' (a moonroof and an upgraded stereo) package with integrated sub-woofer, StabiliTrak vehicle stability enhancement system, leather seating, side curtain airbags, programmable door locks, and OnStar with one year of the Safe and Sound service.
New standard features include new fabric patterns in certain colors, a passive suppression airbag on the passenger side, and a tire pressure monitor on the GT and AWD models.
There are no powertrain changes on the 2005, so there will still be three variations on a 1.8-litre, DOHC inline-four theme.
In the base front-wheel-drive model, that engine is good for 130 hp at 6000 rpm and 125 lb.-ft. of torque at 4200 rpm. Add the all-wheel-drive and the power numbers drop to 123 and 118, respectively, at the same rev levels. There's also a version that puts out 180 hp at 7600 rpm and 130 lb.-ft. of torque at 6800 rpm, but that's available only in front-drive.
Pontiac is anxious to encourage the use of Vibe by young enthusiasts, so the list of tailored accessories and performance parts is constantly growing.
There's a supercharger, for example, that boosts horsepower by 30 percent and torque by 18 percent, and there's a sport package that includes front and rear fascia extensions, side skirts and dual spoilers.
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