Pontiac Aztek version 2.0 (Vibe)

[igor@af]

This is the Pontiac Vibe, it made me laugh the moment I saw it. Do you guys think it will perform differently from the Aztek?

[Porsche]

Is it a sport wagon? If so then yes. I think it looks 50% better.

[igor@af]

I think they meant it to be a Sports Coupe

Well, I guess it does look MUCH MUCH better than the Aztek.
Also, Toyota Matrix uses the same platform, etc as the Vibe:



For some reason the Matrix is much more appealing to me than the Vibe, even though they're supposed to be the same thing.:smoka:

[enzo@af]

Still pretty ugly, but not so bad. The matrix doesn't look too bad though.

[Lizard King]

I thought it looked pretty good when I first saw it in a different colour. It doesn't look too nice in yellow.

[Morpheus XIII]

Neither the Vibe nor the Matrix clones look like much, but I wouldn't be surprised if they fared well in the market. Both combine 2 very important factors: sports and practicality, while providing a twist of unique flavoring. Power is delivered by a 2ZZ-GE lifted from the Celica GT-S (which has been receiving loads of interest), and is channeled through an all wheel-drive system.

Now where have we seen this type of car before? Later-model Corolla variations outside of the States have been influencing the design of newer Toyotas. Sometimes when this parts-bin strategy goes too far, resemblence starts to show through between siblings. One of the first of this half-wagon/half compact-ute line was the successful Corolla WRC. Knowing that there is a solid background like this, I myself, wouldn't mind having a Matrix (Igor, you are right--there's just something about the Vibe that makes it seem odder than the Matrix).

[Adam]

Igor's definately right --

to me.. the Vibe is pure ugly.. that front grill.... well..


the Matrix is pure beauty, at least for it's weird class. Sport wagon coupe thingy I think.... unfortunately, i hear they'll tone down the Matrix for production. I think its pointy, racey-ish headlights make it look better than the Vibe. and it's better bumper. looks less like an Aztek's.

[Jay!]

Originally posted by igor@af
...For some reason the Matrix is much more appealing to me than the Vibe, even though they're supposed to be the same thing...

Well, the Toyota Corolla and the Chevy Prizm are pretty much the same car, too, but I bet I could guess which of those you like better as well.

I like the Matrix/Vibe mainly because it looks like something new. And it's wagon-y.

I like Toyota's stylistic treatment better than Pontiac's.

[Morpheus XIII]

I suppose each company has to stick to their respective 'corporate designs'. I've always liked that Nissan included their corporate grille (2 parallelograms opposing each other) on so many of their cars for such a very long time, even though it seems to be disappearing now with all the reform.

Pontiac's front 'theme' just happens to be distasteful from the start. I suppose this means we can expect a long line of Aztec-like products for the future (meaning v2.0, v3.0, v4.0... :apuke: )

Another Matrix, this one built for the track:

[Morpheus XIII]

interior:

[Morpheus XIII]

Does anyone know when Toyota and GM (Pontiac) went in cahoots? These things usually make the news but I've never heard of anything like this before now.

I'm guessing the situation is similar to the Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager deal.

[Adam]

but Toyota is going to Toyota-ize teh front grill to I hear. I really like that Rav4 interior. That commercial... well.. i just LOVE EVERY SINGLE gauge with a white background. why aren't all guages have a white background? that's why I love teh RSX so much too. I even found out the Zonda has white guages too!

[Morpheus XIII]

but Toyota is going to Toyota-ize teh front grill to I hear.

I never really thought that Toyota had their own distinct grille design... they are usually simple horizontal lines with the centered emblem. Am I missing something? Someone inform me.

As for not having an abundance of white faced gauges, this would be because if all cars had them, then the "sportier" cars wouldn't have anything to make a statement with. Auto-marketers seem to know what they are doing. The best thing about white-faced gauges are their appearance at dusk... they have this warm grey-like glow.

[Adam]

I don't know what the toyota grill is, i just saw that in some magazine.

i'm glad all guages don't have white background, i was just exaggerating i guess, but still, why don't most sport cars have white guages? white guages are more sporty? or are they only just sporty to me?

what about Aztek 3.0, the R.E.V. rear is ugly, but front is pretty cool

[Morpheus XIII]

Speaking of instrument gauges, which lit color do you guys prefer at night? I've always been partial to reddish-orange, emulating the darkroom glow of an aircraft cockpit. I see many at night (particularily Honda drivers) with aftermarket indiglo instrument clusters. Perhaps their ideology is anything different is better. I think it's pretty hilarious, watching those drivers squint their eyes so they can see the road ahead with all the blue glare coming from behind the steering wheel. I suppose they don't know that blue and green are some of the brighter colors on the light spectrum, while conversely, red and orange are on the darker side.

Some aftermarket enthusiasts seem to forget that enormous amounts of R&D have gone into automobiles--AT THE FACTORY. Many parts of the car are best left alone. Perhaps a show car that has no business of being on public roads could go 'all-out' and utilize every piece of junk in the aftermarket into one noisy ensemble (visually and audibly), but on the streets, play it safe. Use parts that are actually usable.

I don't know about you, but seeing a Honda Accord 2cm above the ground with 5 degrees of camber, bouncing around to the point where potholes slip traction, blaring musical and exhaust notes to a degree where the driver is not aware of the surroundings seriously keeps me on edge. And the indiglo and shift-light that I can see clearly from my own car can't possibly help the situation. Hope that unpadded roll cage comes in handy.

Sorry for getting so far off topic, but a point needed to be made.

As for white gauges, I love 'em. They're quite possibly the most functional tools in a car's cabin, fully maximized for the best daytime visibility. I just wouldn't want them if I happened to be driving some type of sedate luxury car. The design flow would be interrupted in that case. But every sports car or even 'sporty' car deserves the albinos.

I wonder if there are any companies (besides the dealership!) that can import the cluster from the Celica TRD Sports M for Stateside Celicas. As you can see, the single white tach is centered, trading places with the speedometer.