2009 Pontiac Vibe is Weird

"ClassicDatsunDebate" (gmagnusson) 02/16/2020 at 19:45 • Filed to: design

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I was driving behind one of these in traffic today and I was struck by how strange the rear window looks. It was off putting. It’s rectangular like a house window. It’s almost like the designers spent no time on it. They were like “ Re ar window? Let’s just let the engineers figure that out.  I hear we’re shutting down our division anyway. ”  Lazy.

SiennaMan > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 19:51

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The interesting thing is I have to think t here were likely plenty of adequate parts bin rear windows from across the GM spectrum. It makes me think it’s intentional..

facw > SiennaMan 02/16/2020 at 19:54

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But it’s a Toyota? Though it’s not like Toyota is a tiny company without any resources for this sort of thing either...

fintail > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 19:58

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Makes the blindspot marginally larger, which seems to be a feature on some cars.  These later Vibes seem to have somewhat of a “thick” look in general, suspect visibility.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > facw 02/16/2020 at 20:05

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It is but I think Pontiac had relative carte Blanche with the styling. They were assembled in different places too

ClassicDatsunDebate > fintail 02/16/2020 at 20:28

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Especially with the hugely thick c- panel on the Vibe.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > facw 02/16/2020 at 20:29

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GM wanted their reskinned Corolla hatchback to look  radically different than the 1st gen, and they succeeded through failure.

fintail > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 20:30

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And high beltline:

Seems to be an inspiration for the current Mazda 3 hatch extra blindspot edition.  First Vibe/Matrix looked better to my eyes.

ClassicDatsunDebate > fintail 02/16/2020 at 20:33

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I thought the same about its previous model.

Under_Score > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 22:02

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These get weirder when you look at the keys. It’s the Toyota key used for the Corolla and the RAV4 of the era, but with a big black Pontiac logo instead of a silver Toyota logo.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 22:13

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Man, I always get weirded out by base model Vibes. A friend used to have a higher trim Vibe, that had a two piece rear hatch where the glass could be lifted independently. It’s so weird that there were two totally different hatch options.

Angelo Mandato > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/16/2020 at 23:13

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This was a collaborative car between gm and Toyota, I suspect GM pushed it onto P ontiac’s lap (gm never liked the Pontiac division an d tried to kill it a few times before). GM did this a few other places, Saturn SUV’s had Honda engines and transmissions for example.

More interesting, I believe the plant these were made in California is now where Tesla makes their cars.

bcweir > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 00:19

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Wait what? You devoted a whole article to Pontiac Vibe window shapes?? Slow news day?

BahamaTodd > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 00:40

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Maximizes interior volume keeping it flat? A spoiler helps to hide some it.

Some use has been found for it in the last few months but its still technically up for sale.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/viben-1838537771

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 01:22

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Yeah... I test drove one. It’s okay to drive.

But yeah, they really half-assed the update it got in 2009. The pre-2008 model looks better.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > facw 02/17/2020 at 07:47

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The rear window of the Matrix is completely different from the Vibe though.

ClassicDatsunDebate > BahamaTodd 02/17/2020 at 11:02

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Black helps a lot!

mbratch > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 11:03

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I’ve been driving a 2009 Vibe for 1 0 years. It and the Matrix have a Corolla chassis. Never had a visibility problem with it as a driver . Great car and never regretted buying it . Gets around 27- 30 mpg whether I’m on the highway or in town. And I can fit a lot of stuff in the back. The one negative is that the electronics in o ne of the rear hub assemblies died shortly after warranty expired. It just means I have to deal with driving in the winter unassisted. No problem for me since I grew up in the upper Midwest and started with rear wheel drive. Lol

ClassicDatsunDebate > bcweir 02/17/2020 at 11:04

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You must be new here.

JDawg70 > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 12:44

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The rear window of the 2005 Vibe my stepdaughter is still driving (220k+ miles, all options working fine, no paint fade) opens independently of the rear hatch and is supported by it’s own pair of lifters. Its wide and rectangular design allows plenty of room to load and unload the back from only the glass hatch being open. Occasionally it can serve as an opening to extend long cargo as well. Hardly a lazy, thoughtless design element.  Ask anyone who has actually owned a Vibe and you will quickly hear it's an extremely versatile, well made blend of Toyota / GM elements.  I've loaded 8ft long 2x4s in my Vibe by myself at Lowes while 3 guys look like the Keystone cops trying to do the same in the Ford Explorer Sporttrac.  

ClassicDatsunDebate > JDawg70 02/17/2020 at 13:08

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The ‘05 is a different design.

JDawg70 > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 13:18

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09 is first year of fixed rear window. In my and many other Vibe owner opinions (seen in Vibe owner forums) 09 & up are a devolution of the earlier models, including the rear window sealed shut and i n that regard I concur - lazy design indeed.

ClassicDatsunDebate > JDawg70 02/17/2020 at 13:19

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It’s literally the title and the premise of this post.

Textured Soy Protein > JDawg70 02/17/2020 at 13:26

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The 2009 is the 2nd generation.

OG:

2G:

The original, the window is the full width of the hatch. The 2nd gen, the window is inset in the hatch with metal around the edges of it. 

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 13:32

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So what you’re saying is it doesn’t pass the......vibe check? :D

ClassicDatsunDebate > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 14:08

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This is a reply to an edited comment.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/17/2020 at 19:50

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I had one, rear visibility sucked.  I missed it when it was gone (Tree fell on vibe)

Danangme > Angelo Mandato 02/17/2020 at 22:49

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One more time, China killed Pontiac because of their fetish for Buicks. A sales manager at a multiline GM dealership told me he sold a lot more Pontiacs than Buicks.

For Sweden > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/18/2020 at 11:27

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They’re good Vibes

ClassicDatsunDebate > For Sweden 02/18/2020 at 11:42

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Darkbrador > ClassicDatsunDebate 02/18/2020 at 17:14

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Black is worth a good 3 or 4 hp at the wheel . And I don’t even talk about the spoiler ...