Left Lane News: Spied: Redesigned 2008 Pontiac Vibe

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:07 am

technology can work wonders! I have gotten as high as 38mpg!i just can't help but wonder, will there actually be a higher performance version of the vibe available?

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 4:09 am

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx »yeah, but then you'll have wheel hop/tq steer. we already do... well I do.

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 6:13 am

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »we already do... well I do.same here

NewNeptune · Post by **NewNeptune** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:20 am

Maybe they could put in that V6 from the RAV4 as an option. I heard it gets pretty good mileage compared to the RAV4's 4cyl.

SeattleJeremy · Post by **SeattleJeremy** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 8:29 am

Quote, originally posted by NewNeptune »Maybe they could put in that V6 from the RAV4 as an option. I heard it gets pretty good mileage compared to the RAV4's 4cyl. Hmm, thats not a bad idea. 3.5L 269 hp V6 with 21 / 28 mpg. The Rav4 V6 is 3500lbs. That engine and 5speed auto, in the Vibe could tip the scales at just under 3000lbs and get around 30mpg on the highway. Tasty.http://autos.msn.com/research/...id=-1

sk8r78 · Post by **sk8r78** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 10:15 am

Since the exhaust exits the right side now its likely that a new motor has been installed. The rear hatch window will no longer open independently of the hatch(no handle on the rear wiper). Looks like frt and rr disc brakes on the rackless car. They might have Michigan plates on but I would guess they are in the California desert, same place GM has proving grounds. They have been rumored to be larger than the current models, but I can't see any indications of that, Doors look the same, and the roof line is the same. Interior wise the seatbelt sliders seem to have a greater range of travel. The license plate has been moved from the hatch to the bumper. The sportier model has the elongated honeycomb on the upper and lower grilles, but the other one with the rack has the horizontal bars on the frt and rr valances. No plastic body cladding, could suggest no more two tone. The tape and cardboard on the back could be conceiling a spoon type spoiler. Guess we will just have to wait a little longer.

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 9:06 pm

http://audio.autoblog.com/2006...atrix/Quote »Automakers apply camouflage to their test mules in unique ways, so spy photographers are often able to tell what company is testing a vehicle based on its unique "camo signature". These spy shots appeared on the internet this morning of what most auto pundits are calling the next generation Pontiac Vibe, probably based on the strip of camo that's bisecting the grille. After a consult with a friend in the spy business, however, we learned that this vehicle is probably not the next Pontiac Vibe, as the camo doesn't match the tape-and-cardboard job usually done by General Motors. We asked him too look closely at the strip on the grille, and he stood by his claim and told us it looks more like the work of an Asian automaker, so we're going out on a limb and calling this vehicle the next Toyota Matrix. While the two tall wagons are mechanically identical in many ways, each company is responsible for it own styling, and it appears Toyota engineers may have been deliberately trying to get us to guess they were driving a Pontiac. Aside from that, the camo is expertly applied and completely obscures the shape of the rear. If this vehicle is the Matrix, we can see that it grows in size, especially in the front where we hope some new, more powerful engines are being used. Then again, it may not be the Toyota Matrix, either.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:13 am

Interesting. I'm still wondering about the roof rack/sans roof rack though...and wondering if maybe it was one of each out there. Especially since if you disguised a Vibe and a Matrix in that sort of cardboard, they would pretty much look alike. JMHO.

TRDman · Post by **TRDman** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 7:00 am

So... would it be: the Vibe with the roof rack and the Matrix without? After all, the Matrix was marketed as the sportier, less "SUV-ish" model when the current generation came out, wasn't it?

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:11 am

Yes, the Matrix hasn't had the roof rack while the Vibe always has, crossbars or not...so that's what makes me wonder if they were both out there, if indeed it's even the vehicles we're thinking at all.

GMJAP · Post by **GMJAP** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:43 am

Quote, originally posted by TRDman »So... would it be: the Vibe with the roof rack and the Matrix without? After all, the Matrix was marketed as the sportier, less "SUV-ish" model when the current generation came out, wasn't it? More likely they are both Matrixes. The Matrix roof-rack is an option, and the bars go from side-to-side, just like on the test car.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:30 pm

I for one hope they don't change a thing! I really like the cardboard, I can only hope that will make it to the production version. If not, I hope the add-on's are available through the dealer! Spy photos are great... No telling what kind of car that actually is, it could be neither a Vibe nor a Matrix for all we know... I recall this snafu, what was supposed to be the upcoming Elantra... Uh, yeah, wow, the Elantra has grown bigtime and has gained dual exhausts, cool! Must have a V6! Nope, that ain't the Elantra, that was the 2006.5 Kia Optima. heh! Way to go there automotive press, for giving us accurate clues about an upcoming model. I guess we shall see what happens... I don't see enough of the car at this stage to even want to think about whether I like it or not... And I'm not convinced as to what it actually is, so I wouldn't want to be sitting around saying "hey, that's really cool! I must have one as soon as it comes out!" only to find it is a Toyota or something later on and not a "Pontiac." Ya'know, if I ran my own car company, I'd do all my testing out in plain sight just to say "screw you" to all the others. Of course they'd steal my company's ideas but hey, I wouldn't be keeping my customers in suspense for years like this. Let them see pretty much what they'll get before they get it. 'course it won't be "new" anymore when it officially goes up for sale but oh well... (removed)

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:44 am

Right now, looks kinda like a baby Aztek...

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 1:59 am

i say if it's the vibe, keep it GM and put the 3500 in there. it's in the G6s and maxx and gets great economy, similar to the 1.8 on the highway. imagine that in the light vibe! in car and driver it shoots my 3400 pounder through the quarter in 16.1, anyone have a rough estimate what 220tq and 200hp would do for a vibe in the quarter?

melders · Post by **melders** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:46 am

has anyone else seen any other pictures of gm test mules? do they camo them like they did with this supposedly vibe? i think if it is a vibe...it seems pretty cool. i heard they werent making vibes after 2007 anymore? must have been false if this truly is a vibe....just my .2 cents

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:55 am

Be careful, what you see isn't what you are going to get, that car doesn't only have cardboard to hide certian charaistics, it's also has a lot of extra stuff on it to throw you off, just look at the c6 vette:

michaelgt · Post by **michaelgt** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:38 pm

Yes, most test mules contain covers and other accessories (black tape, cardboard, etc.) to disguise the test vehicle. When Ford was testing the Excursion, they used tape and material to make it look like a pickup with a cap on it.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:04 am

Okay, this is my effort and thoughts of what the vibe might/should look.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:06 am

Looks great, V! You should work for GM as a designer.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:10 am

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Looks great, V! You should work for GM as a designer. I wish, that's my dream job.

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:19 am

the dual beam lights wouldnt work... they like the ugly single beam lights for some reason?

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:26 am

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »the dual beam lights wouldnt work... they like the ugly single beam lights for some reason? did you look at the pictures of the cars, they have duel beams

NewNeptune · Post by **NewNeptune** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:35 am

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx »i say if it's the vibe, keep it GM and put the 3500 in there. it's in the G6s and maxx and gets great economy, similar to the 1.8 on the highway. imagine that in the light vibe! in car and driver it shoots my 3400 pounder through the quarter in 16.1, anyone have a rough estimate what 220tq and 200hp would do for a vibe in the quarter? Noooooooooooooooooooo! I worked hard to get away from that engine. I had the 3.1L (the 3.5L's predecessor) and the 3.5L and they both idled terribly after 15K and got terrible gas mileage. Highway may be great but they stink in the city. At the time I traded my 04 Maxx, it was getting 20-22 MPG.

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:41 am

nice job V (wow, i just gave V a compliment )anyway, it looks like a cross between 03-04 & 05+ frontends with the new headlights.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:50 am

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »nice job V (wow, i just gave V a compliment )You did didn't you

Mrizzle05 · Post by **Mrizzle05** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:55 am

looked at pics but didnt pay attention... sorry. Ok ok... well good job then with ur drawing. i think you spent too much time in arts and crafts in school! We love you V

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:02 am

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »We love you V lol, suckup V, what did you use to do that mock-up?& what's do you guys think the 08 vibe will have the cladding? it's hard to tell with all that camo...

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:03 am

haha but it came out for the better didnt it. nice V! you should go for a J-O-B at GM or Toyota.

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:13 am

theres problay going to be no cladding at all. it might be all mono

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:19 am

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »lol, suckup V, what did you use to do that mock-up?& what's do you guys think the 08 vibe will have the cladding? it's hard to tell with all that camo...I mostly used a pic of a mule, Aztek, 03-06 vibe, and some imagination.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:20 am

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »We love you V They love me they really do

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:32 am

that we do and is why we like kiddin around with you

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:11 am

not sure if anyone noticed, I gave her hood scoops

new05vibeowner · Post by **new05vibeowner** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:21 am

Nice rendering. But for you to be a GM designer means giving up that nice warm Florida weather for the 'burbs of Detroit.Is it worth it? LOL

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:31 am

Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »not sure if anyone noticed, I gave her hood scoops I did but i felt like everyone would think "duh" if I pointed that out.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:41 am

Quote, originally posted by new05vibeowner »Nice rendering. But for you to be a GM designer means giving up that nice warm Florida weather for the 'burbs of Detroit.Is it worth it? LOLBorn New Yorker, and I work in a freezer almost all day. It'd be worth it, you can't frighten me away with the cold.

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:37 am

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »I did but i felt like everyone would think "duh" if I pointed that out.yea same here i saw those and was like cool!

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 10:44 pm

Quote, originally posted by NewNeptune »Noooooooooooooooooooo! I worked hard to get away from that engine. I had the 3.1L (the 3.5L's predecessor) and the 3.5L and they both idled terribly after 15K and got terrible gas mileage. Highway may be great but they stink in the city. At the time I traded my 04 Maxx, it was getting 20-22 MPG.that's too bad man. i get better gas mileage in my maxx than i ever did in my AWD vibe, it has a little over 30k miles on it now.

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:28 pm

I was thinking. Maybe GM is way worse off than we thought, and the new Vibe will actually be made out of cardboard and 100 MPH duct tape. Welcome to the future.

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 11:52 pm

http://www.gminsidenews.com/in...GuideIt's official, and I think I heard the Matrix won't be coming back out until 2009.

GrayFox · Post by **GrayFox** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:00 am

that gminsider site has had that listing for the 08 vibe forever. & how can they redesign the vibe while retaining the current matrix? If you're gonna set-up a factory to crank out a new design wouldn't it be more cost effective to just update the matrix as well? (I don't claim to know anything about vehicle factories so please tell me if I'm wrong.)

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:05 am

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »that gminsider site has had that listing for the 08 vibe forever. I didn't know that... hummmm Me thinks some one should go have a talk with Pontiac, you know set them... er I mean us straight.

isaaclud · Post by **isaaclud** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 12:27 am

i like the pics of the update...we will see when it debuts huh?then we can do the HOT OR NOT convos

NascarXprt · Post by **NascarXprt** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:38 am

if you look closely at the sindow by the mirror it resembles the G6 so... this is the Pontiac Vibe not the Matrix.Vibe: G6:

SeattleJeremy · Post by **SeattleJeremy** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:56 am

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »& how can they redesign the vibe while retaining the current matrix? If you're gonna set-up a factory to crank out a new design wouldn't it be more cost effective to just update the matrix as well? (I don't claim to know anything about vehicle factories so please tell me if I'm wrong.)The Vibe is produced at the Nummi Plant in Fremont, California. The Matrix is produced at a Toyota plant in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. Source.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_VibeThats how they can keep the new and old. The Corolla (also produced at Nummi) will be updated for 08 as well.

NewNeptune · Post by **NewNeptune** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 10:20 am

Quote, originally posted by NascarXprt »if you look closely at the sindow by the mirror it resembles the G6 so... this is the Pontiac Vibe not the Matrix.Yep, I see it. The sheetmetal on the G6 curves downward from the mirror before going upward. I can see it on the test car too. Also, is it just me, or does the grille look like the one on the current Vibes (honeycomb-ish)?

VforVIBE · Post by **VforVIBE** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 11:21 am

Quote, originally posted by NewNeptune »Also, is it just me, or does the grille look like the one on the current Vibes (honeycomb-ish)?It's not just you, they are honeycomb, but the the holes are bigger

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:06 pm

Quote, originally posted by NewNeptune »Yep, I see it. The sheetmetal on the G6 curves downward from the mirror before going upward. I can see it on the test car too. Also, is it just me, or does the grille look like the one on the current Vibes (honeycomb-ish)?It does have the honeycomb, but I'm not sure that really proves anything because the Matrix has kept the large honeycomb design up until now, whereas the Vibe went from large to smaller honeycomb.

josholiver1 · Post by **josholiver1** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 7:27 am

Is Toyota going to Offer XM?There is an XM antena(or Onstar) On the rear top of the roof..thats what makes me think its going to be a vibe..

Toasted7 · Post by **Toasted7** » Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:50 am

V's pic looks like a Caliber... at least to me it does.