The problem was this was confusing to the average Pontiac buyer at the time. These didn't rattle enough or fall apart fast enough to meet their typical expectations.
Zack, What a pity the Vibe and Matrix did not achieve consistent sales success in the USA because they were extremely popular up here in Canada. I have been living the Pontiac Vibe dream for over 19 years. Mine has the base, 126 hp engine and 5 speed manual. It may not be fast but it is very reliable and efficient. Thanks to the fold-flat front passenger seat and remarkably generous headroom, it is also very adaptable. Just the other day my Vibe quite easily carried two 8 foot extension ladders, two 6 foot step ladders and two 6 foot occupants at the same time. If that isn't living the Pontiac Vibe dream, I don't know what is. 🤩🤩
@@jamesstuart3346 Yes, there is nothing more satisfying than comfortably closing the Vibe's hatch on a half dozen 2X4s while watching the owner of a giant pickup with a 5'5" bed struggle with the same cargo. 😁
These had an unusual body style. They were shaped like a crossover with the high roofline, but they had a regular car ride height. They seem like great little cars that are also very practical.
I have a 2005 Vibe. The seat height is definitely raised substantially above a typical car. For 5 years of my Vibe ownership I also had a 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis. Not only did the Vibe provide much more generous headroom but the seat height was higher. By any other measure the Vibe was a bit of a tin can compared to that sumptuous Mercury.
I owned two Toyota Matrixes in a row, a 2003 base with the 5 speed, and a 2003 XRs with an automatic. The XRs is the equivalent to the Vibe GT. Boy-o was the automatic the wrong transmission for the XRs. It failed to take advantage of the engine's capabilities except when passing on the highway. Otherwise, these were damned useful cars - very large on the inside for its exterior size, and a flat and plastic load floor meaning I could bring anything home and sweep the back out. I moved rolls of sod in one of my Matrixes.
Until a coworker bought a base Pontiac Vibe years ago I didn’t know that they basically were a Toyota. I wish I had bought one years ago for pizza delivery instead of one of my regular cab Ford Rangers. Over the years I lost several large pizza delivery orders because the management didn’t allow pizza bags being carried in the truck bed. The rear subframes of the all wheel drive had rust problems. The GT with the 1.8 could starve the engine of oil if you pushed it hard cornering, and blow up the engine. Some people have swapped GT 6 speed manual transmissions into the base model.
A couple of things, the GT version has 180hp. It's one of few naturally aspirated factory engines to hit 100 hp per liter. On the 2zzge engine the head and intake were tuned by yamaha the 1zzfe engine is all toyota. On the note of the 1zzfe engine which is in everything except the go fast models I get 32 mpg regularly. I'm disappointed you didn't talk more about the storage space the back seats lay down completely flat and so does the passenger. I have fit a 5x4 sheet of 3/4 plywood in the car with the hatch down. It is 8 feet from the dash to the hatch so 8 foot boards are no problem. There was also a factory subwoofer option. I have the matrix version which I feel is a more attractive body style. The toyota version was also made in California.
I agree with almost everything you said. Every Vibe was made on a Corolla assembly line in Fremont, California, USA but every Matrix was made on a Corolla assembly line in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
The 2ZZGE is far more than just a rework of intake and exhaust. The bore and stroke are different to facilitate being happy at high RPM. The cylinders are sleeved in a metal matrix composite.
These are underrated cars. Reliable, roomy, and surprisingly fun to drive. The owner must really like purple to tint the windows purple. Opening rear windows need to return. I haven't seen one of these in years, not even a clapped out one barely holding together. Toyota sold a variant in Japan with the Vibe's styling but the Matrix's interior. They covered up the front Pontiac logo with a silver arrow. It wasn't a sales success.
I had a 2006 base model 5-speed Vibe for a couple years. It's fun to drive a slow car fast. Twice I drove it across the county with the whole car loaded up with stuff, it was flawless.
I had a 2004 Vibe base model. Car was basically made of Tupperware with a 5 speed manual transmission and it was so much fun. Plus when you laid the back seats down you damn near had a truck bed in the back.
My 07 automatic base is best car I've ever had. Been driving sense 1980. Love the roll up windows and rear drum brakes. Passenger seat folds into a lunch tray as well. I've had it 7 years and have clocked 115k on her sense. ZERO issues other than the infamous chain tensioner cover oil leak. She now has 166k on her. My usage goal? 600k daily driver. Make it? Prolly.🤠
I own a base model 05 and I love it! Might be slow as molasses but I beat the piss out of it and still get 30mpg city no issues. Love the ease of driving/parking probably squeezed this lil car through spots I shouldn't have tbh. Bought about a year ago for 1500$ at 104k miles currently at 120k miles and 0 issues. Surprisingly spacious as well! Went camping with it and had no trouble sleeping 2 with all the seats down and with the seats up even 6'4 wider folks fit just fine in the backseats. Yes it will be a little noisy maybe a bit bumpy especially above 50mph,yes its not going to win any races, and yes most people just see it as an old pontiac but let that get you some real bang for your buck when its really just an old corolla hatchback underneath 💪
Bruh, you gotta hit lift! Doesn't' kick in until 6,200 RPM on the 2003 model (which was the best year for the GT) Power jumps about 40whp and it sounds angry af when that VVTLI kicks on.
I bought a brand new 03 GT back in the day, and it’s still one of my favorites ever. You missed a key interior feature the front passenger seat actually folds forward completely flat, and the seat back is a rubberized material you can actually use as a table top, or in conjunction with the fold flat backseat, it’s great for hauling very long items, and the household plug in the dash worked great for a laptop or a blender. And for a few years, these were exported to Japan where it was called the Toyota Voltz!!
Exactly!! Why the fold-flat front passenger seat has nearly disappeared is one of the greatest mysteries in the automotive world. 🤔 If you want that feature today you can only find it in the 2 door Tacoma or one of those small Buick/Chevy CUVs build by Daewoo. 🤨
@@mike-yv9nt I can see the point about power seats being incompatible but I cannot see how the airbag mounted in my folding seat is less safe than an airbag mounted in a non-folding seat.
My AWD Matrix is a good 85+ mph freeway flyer. Gutless at low rpm and loses momentum up mountains. 35 mpg at 65 mph 27 mpg at 85 mph+ I would put Toyota Matrix in the ad if I were trying to sell this vibe. Someone searching for Toyotas on Craigslist will not find this or Scions for that matter.
My family seriously shopped these for almost their entire production run. My parents spent like 15 years trying to buy the right new Pontiac for them until Pontiac shut down. All through the 90s they wanted a Bonneville SSEi. That was too big so they shopped a Grand Prix GTP. Dad couldn't fit comfortably in the GTP so we bought a Buick Regal GS with the same powertrain but a taller roofline (1.4 inches more headroom makes a difference when you're over 6 feet). When the Vibe came out I really liked it. We were a primarily GM family and I grew up in the back of a 1985 Pontiac 6000 STE so the Vibe was a likely contender to be a "safer" first car for me. My folks test drove a Vibe GT at a GM event but thought it wasn't running right, and they didn't like the fact that you had to rev it so high to get it to do anything. Living with a supercharged Buick Regal day to day, my parents took an interest in the dealer accessory TRD supercharger and aftermarket leather the dealer offered to install on a base Vibe, but nothing came of it. When we took a family vacation in 2004 the rental company had a regular Vibe on the lot, so I found something wrong with the Buick Century they tried to give us and my dad convinced the counter person to let us have the Vibe instead. It was a good opportunity to live with the car for a while. The trip was two weeks on two different Hawaiian islands and once again we managed to get a Vibe as our rental. We discovered that a base automatic Vibe with three people in it can't pass on a hill. It handled the twisty Road to Hana just fine. We all hated the high-glare chrome rings around the instrument panel. I liked the white gauge numbers GM added for 2004 that fixed my gripe about the red numbers on the '03. Always liked the monochrome paint option this car has, too. When Pontiac facelifted the car with the rounder GTO-style fascia in 2005 I just wasn't interested anymore. I felt it dumbed down an aggressive-looking car, and I never cared for the Matrix twin in the first place. I was learning to drive by this point and I developed an unfortunate aversion to manual transmissions after struggling with the three on the tree and stiff clutch in my dad's old truck. Never mind that most manuals were better than that, I flat didn't want one. So no GT and the base car was lame. I started looking at Focus wagons and hatches and really eyed used Mazda Protege5s, but gave up after driving one and seeing how tinny and rustprone they are. I drove the 6000 until 2008 when it was parked for repairs and started using the Regal. Dad stopped shopping Vibes when GM killed Pontiac as he didn't want a new car with no future support and I didn't like the styling. I ended up with a used '07 Focus sedan, loaded with factory leather and options, which I still own. I still have the Pontiac bug for a G8 GT but doubt that will ever happen. The Regal scratches the itch to go fast and the Focus is fun in corners. I have a feeling the Vibe would have been more reliable than the Ford, which needed a transmission rebuild a few years ago that cost roughly the value of the car, but that's how things went. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
lol thats what i like about how cheap pontiacs are all the parts are shared across GM's other products, except body panels and such you'd have to find them in a junkyard.
My coworker bought a Matrix new in '03. Still drives it to work everyday, 480k, zero issues ever, just minimal maintenance. I looked at them in '03, wish I'd bought one!
Funny thing is where I live, I see more Matrixes than Vibes. The reason for that I think is the buying public at the time did not know it was a rebodied Toyota, and just as reliable. Currently own a 07 Matrix XR.
Nice review, thanks. I really wanted one of these back then, and damn near bought one. That said, I'm happy to currently drive what is sorta-kinda its modern spiritual equal...'17 VW Golf. I LOVE a car like this that can do almost anything. If/when I do need big truck shit, no worries -- run to Home Depot and rent one for a couple of hours.
My good friend had the Matrix variant of this. I remember it being painfully slow but got decent gas mileage and had an acceptable amount of space. I drove it a few times and the manual trans was a bit better than average at the time. Overall it was a fine vehicle but nothing special.
There's more of these in Indiana than Matrixes. I have the 09 core but the first gen looked better i think. All gens had Delco alternators and AC's, so there's some American engineering there. Fun side note, Toyota never sold the Matrix in Japan but they took this one there. Kept the Pontiac badge and slightly rebadged it as "Toyota Voltz".
My 2005 Vibe has a Denso alternator. Only the A/C compressor, radio and battery are GM. The battery lasted 10 years and the radio and compressor are doing fine.
@@rightlanehog3151Interesting. Guess the 2nd gen was a bit different. The AC is better in my opinion in the Vibe. At least comparing the 09 to the 04 Matrix XR.
That highly useful feature was available in many cars in those days. Today you can only find it in the 2 door Tacoma and those small GM CUVs made by Daewoo.
Funny you mentioned the Pontiac G6. I drove these 2 cars back to back and the G6 just feels so heavy compared to the Vibe. The Vibe has a nicer ride and handles better than the G6 which was quite surprising. Styling however, the G6 is beautiful while the Vibe is not.
There is a ground socket on that plug in the dash. It's just kind of hard to see since it's at the top of the plug and hidden by the plug cover when opening.
My brother just bought a ponaic vibe, 2006 model, his isnt a GT but it was 6 speed swapped. I drove it about 600 miles in a day whist driving it up from where he bought it and that includes 3 hours of stop and go traffic in Washington DC. It was fine in terms of comfort, but compaired to the Toyota Cressida I drove up the other 400 miles, well yeah the cressida tanked it lmao
Controversial opinion but I like the face-lift of this car (05-08) better than the original car. That face-lift fixed the red gages because people couldn't see it in the daylight and even in the nighttime. A small fact about these cars too, they are limited to 299,999 miles and kilometers because Toyota wanted to make a cheap vehicle that wouldn't cost too much money to produce and buy.
Yes, I think Lotus used their own tuned ECU for some added power but the engine was essentially the same. Lotus also used the superb Toyota 2gr V6 in some of their cars too.
lmao, that shiftknob, 6th gear is for highway overdrive "f%$#in fast" Also, yes these Yamaha engines rev high, and starve for oil which is why they blow up.
The only difference between the 1zz base engine and the 2zz GT engine is the head on the 2zz was built by Yamaha. The block and internals are the same on both engines.
Would you buy a 2zz Corolla XRS or IS250 with a manual transmission? I'm looking for a fun, daily sedan, and can't choose between the 2. Although admittedly leaning hard towards the IS250.
@@antrinh5525 - I can tell you the Matrix was far more popular but the Vibe has a cult following. Last summer I was looking intently to purchase a circa 2003 Vibe GT and got into a few FB groups. I came darn close on buying a couple. Fortunately I grew out of that phase because I loath Manual transmission cars but I still think they’re a fantastic niche economy car. I like the looks of the Vibe over the Matrix myself.
The problem was this was confusing to the average Pontiac buyer at the time. These didn't rattle enough or fall apart fast enough to meet their typical expectations.
Zack, What a pity the Vibe and Matrix did not achieve consistent sales success in the USA because they were extremely popular up here in Canada. I have been living the Pontiac Vibe dream for over 19 years. Mine has the base, 126 hp engine and 5 speed manual. It may not be fast but it is very reliable and efficient. Thanks to the fold-flat front passenger seat and remarkably generous headroom, it is also very adaptable. Just the other day my Vibe quite easily carried two 8 foot extension ladders, two 6 foot step ladders and two 6 foot occupants at the same time. If that isn't living the Pontiac Vibe dream, I don't know what is. 🤩🤩
Bought mine new in 2003. Still loading 2x4s 😅
@@jamesstuart3346 Yes, there is nothing more satisfying than comfortably closing the Vibe's hatch on a half dozen 2X4s while watching the owner of a giant pickup with a 5'5" bed struggle with the same cargo. 😁
These had an unusual body style. They were shaped like a crossover with the high roofline, but they had a regular car ride height. They seem like great little cars that are also very practical.
I have a 2005 Vibe. The seat height is definitely raised substantially above a typical car. For 5 years of my Vibe ownership I also had a 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis. Not only did the Vibe provide much more generous headroom but the seat height was higher. By any other measure the Vibe was a bit of a tin can compared to that sumptuous Mercury.
I owned two Toyota Matrixes in a row, a 2003 base with the 5 speed, and a 2003 XRs with an automatic. The XRs is the equivalent to the Vibe GT. Boy-o was the automatic the wrong transmission for the XRs. It failed to take advantage of the engine's capabilities except when passing on the highway.
Otherwise, these were damned useful cars - very large on the inside for its exterior size, and a flat and plastic load floor meaning I could bring anything home and sweep the back out. I moved rolls of sod in one of my Matrixes.
You be quiet about these not being popular they’re already going up in value 😡
Ikr
since most of them are in the midwest, its almost impossible to find in mint condition
The first Generation GT is rare, it's currently worth around 5-6 thousand. A few more years it'll be worth 10,000 the 03-04 Matrix XRS is also rare.
Please this is a very real thing that kills me
@static_Tricolor_camry Already found an 03'Vibe GT in my area for like $16k, because its like 1 of 1 SEMA cars from that year
Until a coworker bought a base Pontiac Vibe years ago I didn’t know that they basically were a Toyota. I wish I had bought one years ago for pizza delivery instead of one of my regular cab Ford Rangers. Over the years I lost several large pizza delivery orders because the management didn’t allow pizza bags being carried in the truck bed.
The rear subframes of the all wheel drive had rust problems.
The GT with the 1.8 could starve the engine of oil if you pushed it hard cornering, and blow up the engine. Some people have swapped GT 6 speed manual transmissions into the base model.
Rolling it properly with the money light. You missed how the passenger seat folds into a lunch tray.
A couple of things, the GT version has 180hp. It's one of few naturally aspirated factory engines to hit 100 hp per liter. On the 2zzge engine the head and intake were tuned by yamaha the 1zzfe engine is all toyota. On the note of the 1zzfe engine which is in everything except the go fast models I get 32 mpg regularly. I'm disappointed you didn't talk more about the storage space the back seats lay down completely flat and so does the passenger. I have fit a 5x4 sheet of 3/4 plywood in the car with the hatch down. It is 8 feet from the dash to the hatch so 8 foot boards are no problem. There was also a factory subwoofer option. I have the matrix version which I feel is a more attractive body style. The toyota version was also made in California.
I agree with almost everything you said. Every Vibe was made on a Corolla assembly line in Fremont, California, USA but every Matrix was made on a Corolla assembly line in
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada.
It’s very important to stress that the Pontiac models were made in the same plant as Tesla’s 🤣
The 2ZZGE is far more than just a rework of intake and exhaust. The bore and stroke are different to facilitate being happy at high RPM. The cylinders are sleeved in a metal matrix composite.
The 2zz- ge.. keeping the rev range up past 6k and this car comes alive . 0-60 not so much
This is the closets thing we got to the Toyota sportivo here in the states.
355,000 on my ‘08 and still counting. Love my Vibe!
A great example of a slow car that is a blast to drive fast.
Gonna hang on to my '03 as long as I can, it's a value without being valuable.
These are underrated cars. Reliable, roomy, and surprisingly fun to drive. The owner must really like purple to tint the windows purple. Opening rear windows need to return. I haven't seen one of these in years, not even a clapped out one barely holding together.
Toyota sold a variant in Japan with the Vibe's styling but the Matrix's interior. They covered up the front Pontiac logo with a silver arrow. It wasn't a sales success.
I had a 2006 base model 5-speed Vibe for a couple years. It's fun to drive a slow car fast. Twice I drove it across the county with the whole car loaded up with stuff, it was flawless.
The 6 speed gt is not a slow car
I had a 2004 Vibe base model. Car was basically made of Tupperware with a 5 speed manual transmission and it was so much fun. Plus when you laid the back seats down you damn near had a truck bed in the back.
My 07 automatic base is best car I've ever had. Been driving sense 1980. Love the roll up windows and rear drum brakes. Passenger seat folds into a lunch tray as well. I've had it 7 years and have clocked 115k on her sense. ZERO issues other than the infamous chain tensioner cover oil leak. She now has 166k on her. My usage goal? 600k daily driver. Make it? Prolly.🤠
I own a base model 05 and I love it! Might be slow as molasses but I beat the piss out of it and still get 30mpg city no issues. Love the ease of driving/parking probably squeezed this lil car through spots I shouldn't have tbh. Bought about a year ago for 1500$ at 104k miles currently at 120k miles and 0 issues. Surprisingly spacious as well! Went camping with it and had no trouble sleeping 2 with all the seats down and with the seats up even 6'4 wider folks fit just fine in the backseats. Yes it will be a little noisy maybe a bit bumpy especially above 50mph,yes its not going to win any races, and yes most people just see it as an old pontiac but let that get you some real bang for your buck when its really just an old corolla hatchback underneath 💪
I have been happily driving my 05 in the slow lane for 19 years.
Bruh, you gotta hit lift! Doesn't' kick in until 6,200 RPM on the 2003 model (which was the best year for the GT) Power jumps about 40whp and it sounds angry af when that VVTLI kicks on.
I bought a brand new 03 GT back in the day, and it’s still one of my favorites ever. You missed a key interior feature the front passenger seat actually folds forward completely flat, and the seat back is a rubberized material you can actually use as a table top, or in conjunction with the fold flat backseat, it’s great for hauling very long items, and the household plug in the dash worked great for a laptop or a blender. And for a few years, these were exported to Japan where it was called the Toyota Voltz!!
Exactly!! Why the fold-flat front passenger seat has nearly disappeared is one of the greatest mysteries in the automotive world. 🤔 If you want that feature today you can only find it in the 2 door Tacoma or one of those small Buick/Chevy CUVs build by Daewoo. 🤨
@@rightlanehog3151more stringent safety standards. And technology. Power seats can't really flip and fold quickly.
@@mike-yv9nt I can see the point about power seats being incompatible but I cannot see how the airbag mounted in my folding seat is less safe than an airbag mounted in a non-folding seat.
My AWD Matrix is a good 85+ mph freeway flyer.
Gutless at low rpm and loses momentum up mountains.
35 mpg at 65 mph
27 mpg at 85 mph+
I would put Toyota Matrix in the ad if I were trying to sell this vibe.
Someone searching for Toyotas on Craigslist will not find this or Scions for that matter.
A few years back I almost bought a 2003 Vibe GT, it was like new with low miles. But the owner changed his mind about selling it.
My family seriously shopped these for almost their entire production run. My parents spent like 15 years trying to buy the right new Pontiac for them until Pontiac shut down. All through the 90s they wanted a Bonneville SSEi. That was too big so they shopped a Grand Prix GTP. Dad couldn't fit comfortably in the GTP so we bought a Buick Regal GS with the same powertrain but a taller roofline (1.4 inches more headroom makes a difference when you're over 6 feet). When the Vibe came out I really liked it. We were a primarily GM family and I grew up in the back of a 1985 Pontiac 6000 STE so the Vibe was a likely contender to be a "safer" first car for me. My folks test drove a Vibe GT at a GM event but thought it wasn't running right, and they didn't like the fact that you had to rev it so high to get it to do anything. Living with a supercharged Buick Regal day to day, my parents took an interest in the dealer accessory TRD supercharger and aftermarket leather the dealer offered to install on a base Vibe, but nothing came of it.
When we took a family vacation in 2004 the rental company had a regular Vibe on the lot, so I found something wrong with the Buick Century they tried to give us and my dad convinced the counter person to let us have the Vibe instead. It was a good opportunity to live with the car for a while. The trip was two weeks on two different Hawaiian islands and once again we managed to get a Vibe as our rental. We discovered that a base automatic Vibe with three people in it can't pass on a hill. It handled the twisty Road to Hana just fine. We all hated the high-glare chrome rings around the instrument panel. I liked the white gauge numbers GM added for 2004 that fixed my gripe about the red numbers on the '03. Always liked the monochrome paint option this car has, too.
When Pontiac facelifted the car with the rounder GTO-style fascia in 2005 I just wasn't interested anymore. I felt it dumbed down an aggressive-looking car, and I never cared for the Matrix twin in the first place. I was learning to drive by this point and I developed an unfortunate aversion to manual transmissions after struggling with the three on the tree and stiff clutch in my dad's old truck. Never mind that most manuals were better than that, I flat didn't want one. So no GT and the base car was lame. I started looking at Focus wagons and hatches and really eyed used Mazda Protege5s, but gave up after driving one and seeing how tinny and rustprone they are. I drove the 6000 until 2008 when it was parked for repairs and started using the Regal.
Dad stopped shopping Vibes when GM killed Pontiac as he didn't want a new car with no future support and I didn't like the styling. I ended up with a used '07 Focus sedan, loaded with factory leather and options, which I still own. I still have the Pontiac bug for a G8 GT but doubt that will ever happen. The Regal scratches the itch to go fast and the Focus is fun in corners. I have a feeling the Vibe would have been more reliable than the Ford, which needed a transmission rebuild a few years ago that cost roughly the value of the car, but that's how things went.
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
lol thats what i like about how cheap pontiacs are
all the parts are shared across GM's other products, except body panels and such you'd have to find them in a junkyard.
My friends mom had one back in the early to mid 2000s and loved it
Toyota built these for GM. It's just a Toyota Matrix with a Pontiac badge
Yes…. We know that. Everyone know that.
Actually, GM built this themselves using Toyota parts (apart from the body and lights).
@@damilolaakanni No lol
Where'd you get this inside information? You some sort of corporate spy?!
@@doug6191😂
Test drove the GT back in 03 but it was too high-strung. Bought the base automatic and I am still driving it 😃
Scotty Kilmer has entered the chat
😂
My coworker bought a Matrix new in '03. Still drives it to work everyday, 480k, zero issues ever, just minimal maintenance. I looked at them in '03, wish I'd bought one!
🙋♂️I’ll take things that didn’t happen for $1000 Alex. The odometer stops at 299,999…
Funny thing is where I live, I see more Matrixes than Vibes. The reason for that I think is the buying public at the time did not know it was a rebodied Toyota, and just as reliable. Currently own a 07 Matrix XR.
Nice review, thanks. I really wanted one of these back then, and damn near bought one. That said, I'm happy to currently drive what is sorta-kinda its modern spiritual equal...'17 VW Golf. I LOVE a car like this that can do almost anything. If/when I do need big truck shit, no worries -- run to Home Depot and rent one for a couple of hours.
I drive a silver vibe also!! Best Pontiac ever made!!
Agreed!! If Pontiac had let Toyota build all their cars, they would still be around.
My friend has one of these and every time I see one I take a picture and send it to him
My good friend had the Matrix variant of this. I remember it being painfully slow but got decent gas mileage and had an acceptable amount of space. I drove it a few times and the manual trans was a bit better than average at the time. Overall it was a fine vehicle but nothing special.
The best gm car because they didn’t make it lol.
These videos just get better!
I love my 'very pop out' cup holders
Here in Honduras 🇭🇳 you see these things EVERYWHERE I believe that’s why you don’t see them no more in the states
There's more of these in Indiana than Matrixes. I have the 09 core but the first gen looked better i think. All gens had Delco alternators and AC's, so there's some American engineering there.
Fun side note, Toyota never sold the Matrix in Japan but they took this one there. Kept the Pontiac badge and slightly rebadged it as "Toyota Voltz".
My 2005 Vibe has a Denso alternator. Only the A/C compressor, radio and battery are GM. The battery lasted 10 years and the radio and compressor are doing fine.
@@rightlanehog3151Interesting. Guess the 2nd gen was a bit different.
The AC is better in my opinion in the Vibe. At least comparing the 09 to the 04 Matrix XR.
The backlight on the radio display was burned out on my old 2006 Vibe. Figures that a GM part would fail on an otherwise excellent Toyota based car.
Passanger seat FOLDS DOWN . ALSO available in the IS300 Sportwagon .
That highly useful feature was available in many cars in those days. Today you can only find it in the 2 door Tacoma and those small GM CUVs made by Daewoo.
Funny you mentioned the Pontiac G6. I drove these 2 cars back to back and the G6 just feels so heavy compared to the Vibe. The Vibe has a nicer ride and handles better than the G6 which was quite surprising. Styling however, the G6 is beautiful while the Vibe is not.
There is a ground socket on that plug in the dash. It's just kind of hard to see since it's at the top of the plug and hidden by the plug cover when opening.
Owners do not want to part with their indestructible Pontiac.
My brother just bought a ponaic vibe, 2006 model, his isnt a GT but it was 6 speed swapped. I drove it about 600 miles in a day whist driving it up from where he bought it and that includes 3 hours of stop and go traffic in Washington DC. It was fine in terms of comfort, but compaired to the Toyota Cressida I drove up the other 400 miles, well yeah the cressida tanked it lmao
I did not hear it hit lift even once in this video or bounce off the limiter at 8200 rpm. It doesn’t even wake up until 5900 rpm.
Drive a 2zz and don’t hit lift once?
Controversial opinion but I like the face-lift of this car (05-08) better than the original car. That face-lift fixed the red gages because people couldn't see it in the daylight and even in the nighttime. A small fact about these cars too, they are limited to 299,999 miles and kilometers because Toyota wanted to make a cheap vehicle that wouldn't cost too much money to produce and buy.
I agree with the gauge thing, looks cool though.
its a vibe
It is the same as a Matrix, but I would say it is a better looking HHR.
I think this engine is the same in the Lotus Elise so it gives it some street cred.
Yes, I think Lotus used their own tuned ECU for some added power but the engine was essentially the same. Lotus also used the superb Toyota 2gr V6 in some of their cars too.
The GT seats have extra padding over the base seats. Look the same though.
You never hit the lift 😢
Props to the Adam for allowing you to review the car but I do wish it was in better condition.
Why not review a first gen awd?
Most reliable Pontiac.
If Toyota had been allowed to build every Pontiac, the brand would still be around today.
If you think the Vibe is a great car, you should drive the Chevy Nova from the late 80s. It was a rebadged Toyota Corolla hatchback.
lmao, that shiftknob, 6th gear is for highway overdrive "f%$#in fast" Also, yes these Yamaha engines rev high, and starve for oil which is why they blow up.
The 1.8 in the GT, is not the same 1.8 in the other models. Two different 1.8's.
Also the 2zz ge from 03 to 04 had 180 hp and 130 ft-lb, later models had less horsepower because restrictions
The only difference between the 1zz base engine and the 2zz GT engine is the head on the 2zz was built by Yamaha. The block and internals are the same on both engines.
@@johnjones393 yes I know that lol
Would you buy a 2zz Corolla XRS or IS250 with a manual transmission? I'm looking for a fun, daily sedan, and can't choose between the 2. Although admittedly leaning hard towards the IS250.
These are sweet
The 2003 GT is 180 hp.
I’ve seen Adam on Lucore Automotive’s channel! 🤩
I gotta ask, why don't you make the owners clean their cars before you do reviews?
such great vehicles!
04:45 BIG FRIGGIN BOTTLE FAIL!!!
Ahaa the Toyota Voltz the Toyota Carib replacement
You kept out of lift lol it hit once and you shift thats the excitement range you want to be in otherwise it just feels like a regular vibe lol
What the heck the first Gen looks like the Aztec
2nd gen looks like a Pontiac g5
This is a pre-facelift first generation. Facelifted models (~2005-2008) looked better.
@@damilolaakanni Right to mimic the front look of the Soltice.
Nice 😊
Scotty Kilmer approves 👍
That's so true wrong turn people
it is the toyota matrix xrs in disguide
No, the Matrix is a Vibe in disguise 🤫
@@RustyZipper they're twins, can't tell which one came out first 🤣
@@antrinh5525 - I can tell you the Matrix was far more popular but the Vibe has a cult following. Last summer I was looking intently to purchase a circa 2003 Vibe GT and got into a few FB groups. I came darn close on buying a couple. Fortunately I grew out of that phase because I loath Manual transmission cars but I still think they’re a fantastic niche economy car. I like the looks of the Vibe over the Matrix myself.
Its a re-badged toyota matrix.
Thanks Columbo
@@sneakerfreak2002 happy to help those who need help.
I honestly thought it was a a Vauxhall Cavalier 1600L
Shhhhhhhhhhh!!
Tccn won’t work on it coz it’s not a Toyota.
its not more popular because like every single toyota or any japaneese car, its very underpowered and boring to drive
Have you driven the 2003-2004 GT model? Not the lackluster circa 2009 model
Its a rebaged Toyota Matrix
it has that pontiac 👀🤌 vibe that is always good
Enough with these pos SUV's bring back the hatchbacks.