2009 Pontiac Vibe

Pontiac claims the new 2009 Pontiac Vibe has "class-leading gap/flush tolerances" as well as other improvements in the driver-centric interior like low-gloss materials as well as durable and supposedly more premium seating surfaces.

Though the 2009 Pontiac Vibe continues to share much with the Toyota Matrix, especially under the skin, the exterior differences seem more pronounced than they were with the first-generation models.

Say what you will of the knife-edge styling that plagued Pontiacs of the late 1990s, but I really liked the styling of the first-generation Vibe - it was sharp, it was (surprisingly) clean, and the result was a five-door hatch that had some sport to it. I can't say the same for the new car. Designers seemed to keep some of the sharp lines of the original, but they inexplicably added rotund forms for no real reason. It's not the Aztek, mind you, but it's not the sharp, sporty little thing I once admired.

Still, it's roomy, it's comfortable, and overall the 2009 Vibe is a competent car.

The GT badge and sporty styling are pretty misleading, though.

Dynamically, the Pontiac Vibe is competent, but far from sporty.

The Vibe is more refined, visually cleaner and appears to have more equipment for the money than its predecessor.

The rear aspect of the Pontiac Vibe is perhaps the plainest, the flat rear window line not flowing like the curves elsewhere.

The all-new 2009 Pontiac Vibe allows you flexibility in loading, signature Pontiac style that won't be old next year, and economy that applies to more than just purchase price or fuel mileage.