2002 Pontiac Vibe Base review from North America

Fortunately nothing. (Knock on wood)

I am very pleased with the car.

The styling is very appealing and the car gets a lot of admiring looks from people. I prefer the more sophisticated look of the Vibe to its sister car, the Toyota Matrix.

I have been very happy with the good gas mileage the car is getting. I had a chance to drive the GT version with the 6-speed and I think the 5-speed in my base model is actually better. The base engine allows for decent performance when pushed, but I do think the manual transmission is the way to go to get any respectable performance. However, the engine seems to idle high at start, about 1,500 rpm, but settles to about 600 rpm. The initial high-revving at startup may alarm some so I wanted to mention it.

The interior is very classy and the power outlet has come in handy. I was able to plug my laptop in and work from the front seat during a photo-shoot. The car is surprisingly roomy and the seats are VERY comfortable. It is a pleasure on long trips. The only issue I have is a small gripe about the cup-holders. They are positioned next to the parking brake handle and it is awkward working the handle when drinks are in the cup-holders. Then again, with my previous Pontiac, a Sunfire, and my boyfriend's Pontiac Grand Am, the cup-holder execution has been poorly handled. So I guess I should have expected this very minor disappointment.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Pontiac Vibe.