The Pontiac Vibe is the same basic car as the Toyota Matrix, down to the body style, instrument cluster design, and materials. Key differences lie in the technology. Where Toyota offers an in-dash navigation system and a JBL premium stereo, Pontiac has OnStar and a Monsoon stereo.
The GT is the sport model of the Vibe. Other trims are the 1.8L, 2.4L, and AWD. Each lesser trim only comes with a four speaker stereo, and a few different drivetrain options.
The Vibe GT's standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine produces 158 horsepower. The Vibe is also available in non-GT trim with a 1.8-liter four cylinder engine producing 132 horsepower. With the Vibe GT, we averaged more 28 mpg for a freeway-heavy road trip.
The Vibe GT has this stabilizer bar under the hood, which should give the car more rigidity in the turns. But the car has a fairly high center of gravity, so we weren't inclined to throw it really hard around the corners.
The Vibe GT has a fairly high stance, affording a comfortable upright seating position for the passengers. With five doors, it could be described as a short wagon or a big hatchback.
The dashboard in the Vibe GT is simple, yet functional. Tech options are lean, though, consisting of the stereo system and OnStar, with no in-dash navigation or Bluetooth.
We had a solid-feeling five speed manual transmission in our car, and a five speed automatic is available at this trim. At lesser trims, a four-speed automatic transmission is available.
The mirror bezel holds buttons to connect to an OnStar operator or use the OnStar phone service. We were impressed with the navigation service, which amounts to the operator reading out a list of directions.
After inserting an MP3 CD, you can tell the stereo to scan it. After it finishes this process, you can select music off the CD by artist, album, and genre.
