Calling the Pontiac Vibe a sales success is more than a bit of an understatement. Because of its massive utility, economical operation, funky styling and readiness to please in any job, Pontiac sold them in massive amounts.
Vibe was a five-door wagon or hatchback, though some call it a compact crossover as well. Its ring-mates included the Dodge Caliber, Mazda 3 Sport and Subaru Impreza 5-door, though Vibe rounded things out with plenty of selection, options and an affordable price.
Now, the new second-generation Vibe is on sale- and you're likely to find top-notch selection and prices on a used one.
Vibe mainly amounts to a great buy. In spite of its American badge dictating 'lower-than-Japanese' resale values, it's no secret that it's actually a Toyota Matrix under the skin. This comes as part of a historical reciprocal relationship between GM and Toyota that even saw the Japanese automaker selling re-badged Cavaliers overseas. A little co-operation never hurt anyone, after all.
Used Vibe shoppers will be presented with several engine options alongside a confusing horsepower decline across the models life. Two four cylinder engines were available, with as much as 180 horsepower in the high-output version and 130 horsepower in the standard model.
Because of horsepower rating standards, the figures dropped off over time, so depending on the model you're looking at, the high-output engine may claim 164 ponies, while the standard engine could be rated as low as 118.
An automatic all wheel drive system was available to owners looking for more performance and all-season traction, and a manual or automatic transmission could be selected. As it commonly goes with such cars, the AWD model only came with an automatic. As the Vibe progressed through life, the high-performance GT trim level and AWD were phased out.
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| 2003 Pontiac Vibe |
Vibe was a five-door wagon or hatchback, though some call it a compact crossover as well. Its ring-mates included the Dodge Caliber, Mazda 3 Sport and Subaru Impreza 5-door, though Vibe rounded things out with plenty of selection, options and an affordable price.
Now, the new second-generation Vibe is on sale- and you're likely to find top-notch selection and prices on a used one.
Vibe mainly amounts to a great buy. In spite of its American badge dictating 'lower-than-Japanese' resale values, it's no secret that it's actually a Toyota Matrix under the skin. This comes as part of a historical reciprocal relationship between GM and Toyota that even saw the Japanese automaker selling re-badged Cavaliers overseas. A little co-operation never hurt anyone, after all.
Used Vibe shoppers will be presented with several engine options alongside a confusing horsepower decline across the models life. Two four cylinder engines were available, with as much as 180 horsepower in the high-output version and 130 horsepower in the standard model.
Because of horsepower rating standards, the figures dropped off over time, so depending on the model you're looking at, the high-output engine may claim 164 ponies, while the standard engine could be rated as low as 118.
An automatic all wheel drive system was available to owners looking for more performance and all-season traction, and a manual or automatic transmission could be selected. As it commonly goes with such cars, the AWD model only came with an automatic. As the Vibe progressed through life, the high-performance GT trim level and AWD were phased out.
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| The engine has 180 horsepower in the high-output version and 130 horsepower in the standard model. |