2005 Pontiac Vibe Review

The Pontiac Vibe is popular for its practicality, sporty styling and zippy performance. A new front fascia greatly improves the appearance of the 2005 models. It's a smoother look that suggests the styling of an upcoming sports car called the Solstice.

A five-door hatchback, Vibe has roomy front and rear seats, making for comfortable travel for four. Its cargo compartment features a track system with adjustable tie-down anchors for securing your stuff. The seating setup is flexible, allowing the driver to flip down the passenger seat when hauling items up to eight-feet long. That seat can be used as a desk for a laptop computer, which can be plugged into the 115-volt electrical outlet.

Vibe is best represented in the standard model. It's pleasant and comfortable to drive and offers versatility when it's time to haul something. Its four-cylinder engine delivers adequate performance and it's clean, already meeting Ultra-Low Emissions standards set for 2007. It's also inexpensive. A Vibe loaded with optional safety features, premium sound systems and cargo compartment accessories retails for about $20,000. And it can get there: All-wheel drive is available for dependable all-weather capability.

The Vibe GT is designed to deliver more excitement, but its high-performance engine seems too peaky for this application and adds considerably to the cost. Vibe comes in wild colors, and accessories are available to enhance its look.

New safety features are options for 2005 models, including StabiliTrak electronic stability control, side curtain airbags, seat-mounted side-impact airbags, a tire pressure monitor, OnStar, and programmable automatic door locks. The front-passenger airbag has been upgraded on all models. 2005 models get new cloth fabrics as standard equipment. Leather has been added to the options list along with an upgraded audio system.

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.