2003 Pontiac Vibe; GM's new Toyota.(Product Announcement)(Statistical Data Included)

The Pontiac Vibe is General Motors' best new small car since the Chevy Nova. 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. (NUMMI), the landmark GM-Toyota joint-venture in Fremont, California. 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. 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. That is, until now.

A new Corolla will debut in 2003, but GM will no longer have its own version. Instead it will be selling the Vibe, the Prizm's replacement on the lines at NUMMI. 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. As a consequence of the joint-venture arrangement, the Vibe has a fraternal twin in the Toyota Matrix (AW, Dec. 10, 2001). The two were co-developed by GM and Toyota, though neither their shared chassis nor identical powertrain has a Detroit lineage.

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. But it is a small, front-drive five-door with somewhat awkward styling.

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. Aesthetically, the Vibe fares about the same: From some angles, both cars look great; from many they don't. Neither is as nicely proportioned as the Mazda Protege5. The question to ask is if the good looks make up for the bad. We'd be inclined to say yes.

As 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. Two devices accomplish this: the ubiquitous gray Pontiac body cladding and a standard, nonremovable 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. Little can be done to remedy the limited functionality of the Vibe's roof rack. Placement of the antenna precludes using it for anything larger than a snowboard or bike; a kayak is out of the question.

Of the three different Vibe models that go on sale in February, the least expensive is incongruously the one we most desire. This would be the base Vibe, priced at $16,900 plus destination. Our motivation is simple, based on the Vibe's motivation, a Toyota 1.8-liter four in various states of tune.

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. 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. The same can't be said for the Vibe GT powerplant. This is ...