Pontiac

Bring It On! 2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD, Part one

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February 25, 2009

2009 Pontiac Vibe AWD. Click image to enlarge

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2009 Pontiac Vibe

Ottawa, Ontario – Check out a Pontiac Vibe in a parking lot, and you’ll see it’s an interesting size. When parked next to a compact SUV, it looks small; but next to a compact car, it looks bigger and more practical. For many people, therefore, it’s just right.

Pontiac’s “tall wagon” is, in fact, a Toyota Matrix with a Pontiac grille and other subtle exterior differences, including the three side windows (the rearmost is a tiny, triangular affair), more angular accents, and different rear lights, headlights and bumpers. But while the Matrix is built in Cambridge, Ontario, the Vibe hails from Fremont, California. Both are built on the Toyota Corolla platform.

Pricing of the two vehicles is similar, although the Matrix can be optioned out to a slightly higher specification. A key difference, and a factor that in my opinion helped the Vibe win Best New Small Car (over $18,000) in the 2009 AJAC Canadian Car of the Year awards, is that it comes standard with electronic stability control (GM’s StabiliTrak), whereas the Matrix does not.

The Vibe is all-new for 2009, but you have to look hard to spot the differences as the tall-wagon concept carries over completely. There are new body panels, a new interior and redesigned instrument panel, and there are new engines. The AWD gets the bigger of the two, a 2.4-litre four-cylinder that makes 158 horsepower and 162 lb-ft torque. The AWD also gets an independent rear suspension and a four-speed (as opposed to five on the FWD Vibes) transmission.

The base AWD Vibe is priced at $22,345 plus $1,325 delivery, but our test vehicle is equipped with a Convenience Package that includes fog lamps and chrome cladded aluminum wheels for a total price (including delivery) of $26,345. Fitted with all-wheel drive (AWD), a set of Pirelli Snowsport winter tires, StabiliTrak, traction control, anti-lock brakes and side curtain airbags, this Vibe would appear ready for some hard winter slogging.

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