Weekend Athlete: 2009 Pontiac Vibe
It's not the greatest name for a car, I grant you, but Pontiac's little hatchback is a nice car for Weekend Athletes in a lot of respects.
For starters, the cargo area and the back of the rear seats aren't carpeted, making for easier cleanup after you load your dirty toys. Since it's a car, the load floor is nice and low. The hatch opening is also wide, making it easier to load stuff.
There's room for three campers' stuff, or four if you pack light. The bike went in with the wheel on, though I did have to turn the handlebars. Taller athletes will have to watch out for that if they’re considering a Vibe. I could fit the camping stuff in around the bike OK, but it wasn't great.
What's really interesting to me is how this car compares with the Saturn Astra I tested the week before I drove the Vibe. Bottom line, the Vibe is by far the better Weekend Athlete car, but, to be fair, the Astra I tested was the two-door version.
The seats in the Vibe were a simple design, requiring only one hand to use, unlike the Astra. The cargo hatch opened wider than that of the Astra and, again, the cargo area was covered in plastic. Those are all pluses on the Weekend Athlete scorecard.
Now, to my eye at least, the Astra had a nicer, more modern interior, and its cargo area with the cargo shelf in place was enormous. You’d have plenty of room for groceries and that kind of stuff. So, yes, you could use that room for camping gear, but I'd feel more comfortable carrying it all in a Vibe.
What all that explains is why the Astra scores a 6 in locker room cred and the Vibe scores an 8. The Vibe is just the better tool for this job. If you don’t want to go the SUV/crossover route and like to ride and camp, then I’d put the Vibe on the test-drive list.
Weekend Athlete Scores (out of 10)
Ease of loading gear - 6: It's not great, but it's not abominable either.
Ease of seat operation - 8.5: Simple is best.
Bike hauling - 7: The wheel didn’t come off, but the handlebars did have to bend down toward the floor behind the front seat.
Locker room cred - 8
All-around - 7.5: It beats the Astra by a solid point.
Previous
Subscribe to our feed
Email us your tips!
Just bought an 08 vibe - manual trans - had a hitch for a bike rack put on. Loving it! Want to put on a kayak carrier - concerned about the antena on top - any suggestions?
I'd suggest two ways: The Vibe can be ordered with a luggage rack and since it's a factory item, it should work with the antenna. BUT, I'm not sure if that rack could be modified to carry a kayak mount.
So, the other option I'd try is to find a full-service outdoor store and see if they recommend a rack that will work. If it were my car, I'd have the salesperson come out to the car and inspect it just to be safe. It's not the type of thing I'd just order blind ... I'd want to see it first.
Thing is, with the way they make racks these days, I'm sure one of the major brands makes something that will work around the antenna, but it might take a minute to find exactly the right one.
at least the blind spot is a little bit smaller than in the Matrix.
The vibe is a SWEET car america needs more cars like this
We own TWO Vibes! An '04 and '07 model. That's how much we like them! GM really messed up the on the styling -UGH! (We'll be buying the new Matrix I guess!) They carry Tons of gear and get excpeptional mileage! We Avg.25+CTY and 32+HWY! That's w/a Yakima roof rack for bikes (full length trays) on one and the other has a Yakima Load-Warrior cargo basket w/bike mounts! We normally carry our bikes Inside Along w/all our gear! (wish I could post a pic of how much gear we can cram into the thing!) We use the SLIKFIT FASTRAK SUV Bike rack. Want more info? Go to GenVibe.com!!!
Hello,
Very happy to see the articles you have written. It is quite refreshing to find someone who thinks along the same lines as I do in terms of a car for outdoor adventure.
I believe the criteria you have choosen to use for testing (camping, bikes etc) is very good. However, I would make some additions to the criteria. I road and mountain bike, as well as camping, but I also canoe/kayak and cross country ski.
Carrying 210 cm cross country skis in a car can be a challenge. Also, the roof rack for carrying kayaks is of great importance. I read that you liked the Honda Element. The roof rack on the Element is nothing but an ornament - cannot put two boats side-by-side and cannot even put one tandem kayak that is 22' long over a 36" span. Also, here is nothing on the outside of the vehicle to tie straps to - no hooks etc. The vehicle tries to portray an image that is largely just that, an 'image' of a vehicle for adventurous people.
I ended up modifying my 97 Suzuki Sidekick 4 dr by welding a section on to the back of the vehicle to make it longer so I could carry more gear inside and on top.
Many of the vehicles today are incredably inadaquate in terms of usable space, tie-downs, and roof racks (and manual transmissions).
Why does Europe get all of the good cars - Fiat Doblo, Renault Kangoo, Land Rover Defender etc.
Take care,
doug kermode
I carry a 13.25 foot kayak on my Vibe. Both Yakima and Thule make nice roof racks (with locks) - I have the Thule. My kayak does need a red flag for protruding bahind 3 feet, but no trouble with support, field of view, etc. I love my Vibe - so bummed Pontiac is going under!