![]() Both feature a strut suspension in front, torsion beam with trailing link and coil springs in the back, and antiroll bars fore and aft.īase and GT roll on 16-inch wheels and tires, though 17-inch are available. If you’re good with it, GM claims you should be able to get your Vibe GT from 0 to 60 mph in the "low-eight-second range." The GT also has four-wheel antilock disc brakes, where the base model unfortunately still has rear drums with ABS only as an option. Especially in around-town driving, the GT isn’t enough of a useable performance increase from the base Vibe to matter.īut for your $19,900 plus destination fee, you also get a six-speed manual transmission (also donated from the Celica GT-S). A peaky motor like this may work in a low-slung sports coupe like the 2500-pound Celica, but the 2800-pound Vibe GT’s character is entirely different, calling for a flatter torque curve. The "L" is for "lift" it’s this increased valve lift that gives the GT motor its greater peak power of 180 hp at 7600 rpm and 130 lb-ft at 6800 rpm. This is the same engine that powers the Celica GT-S, similar to the base Vibe motor, but featuring VVTL-i. The same can’t be said for the Vibe GT powerplant. With a five-speed manual (a four-speed automatic is also offered), this drivetrain doesn’t make the car a screamer but it does feel perfectly matched to its 2700-pound host. In the base vehicle, the 16-valve dohc engine with VVT-i (Toyota’s variable valve timing technology) produces 130 hp at 6000 rpm and 125 lb-ft of torque at 4200 rpm. Our motivation is simple, based on the Vibe’s motivation, a Toyota 1.8-liter four in various states of tune. This would be the base Vibe, priced at $16,900 plus destination. Of the three different Vibe models that go on sale in February, the least expensive is incongruously the one we most desire. Place-ment of the antenna precludes using it for anything larger than a snowboard or bike a kayak is out of the question. Little can be done to remedy the limited functionality of the Vibe’s roof rack. You can opt to have the body cladding painted, and we think you should, lest the salesperson try to talk you into a leftover 2001 Aztek. Two devices accomplish this: the ubiquitous gray Pontiac body cladding and a standard, nonremovable roof rack. We’d be inclined to say yes.Īs for its Toyota counterpart, much of the Vibe’s distinction is based on the notion that the Matrix has a sleek "street" look, while the Vibe is supposed to look tougher, more functional, like an SUV. The question to ask is if the good looks make up for the bad. Neither is as nicely proportioned as the Mazda Protegé5. Aesthetically, the Vibe fares about the same: From some angles, both cars look great from many they don’t. The Vibe has a 102.4-inch wheelbase, nearly the same as the Ford Focus though it’s a bit longer, wider and taller than its five-door Blue Oval competition. But it is a small, front-drive five-door with somewhat awkward styling. GM says the Vibe combines the "features of a sports car, sport wagon and SUV all at the same time." It frightens us to imagine such an automotive griffin this car is surely and thankfully not it. The two were co-developed by GM and Toyota, though neither their shared chassis nor identical powertrain has a Detroit lineage. As a consequence of the joint-venture arrangement, the Vibe has a fraternal twin in the Toyota Matrix (AW, Dec. The Vibe is not a complete departure from the Corolla, as it’s based on the new one but also borrows parts from the Celica bin. Instead it will be selling the Vibe, the Prizm’s replacement on the lines at NUMMI. In the ensuing 17 years, Toyota redesigned the Corolla three times and each time GM’s NUMMI version (the Nova name gave way to the Geo/Chevy Prizm) reigned as the best small car sold by The General.Ī new Corolla will debut in 2003, but GM will no longer have its own version. When it debuted, the Nova allowed Americans to buy an American car sold by an American dealership that was as well designed, well built and reliable as a Japanese car, this in an era when that wasn’t otherwise possible. (NUMMI), the landmark GM-Toyota joint-venture in Fremont, California. No, not that Nova-we’re talking about the Toyota Corolla Chevrolet dealers began selling in 1985, the one that was built at New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. The Pontiac Vibe is General Motors’ best new small car since the Chevy Nova. ![]()
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