Jackson Free Press

Ms. D and I had a driving trip planned for the long Thanksgiving weekend, and I saw it as a chance to give a good, long test to a car that I might honestly consider committing to. As I walked past the Avis rental lot, I saw that I was in luck—they had a Pontiac Vibe, which Avis rents in many locations, but not generally in Jackson.

I've discussed the Toyota Matrix, the Vibe's fraternal sister, in this space previously, although I'd only just tooled around the block a few times in the Matrix. I like the Vibe's exterior styling more, aside from the slightly cross-eyed front facia. The Matrix has a certain slick Anime appeal, while the Vibe has a more all-American sport-ute look, like a mini Jeep Grand Cherokee or Ford Escape. Ms. D, of course, was less enthusiastic. "Yeah, it's fine," she was apt to say in response to my prompting.

The Vibe was an excellent fit for our long trip. Our luggage squared up nicely in the wagon's 19 cubic feet of cargo area—pillows, blankets and reading material filled the back seat, with plenty of room left for reclining the passenger seat and storing five days worth of local newspapers. (One of us has a certain obsession with newsprint.) Our trip's first leg, to my brother's place in suburban Nashville, clicked along with me making just one significant observation—gas mileage with the Vibe's four-cylinder engine is excellent; about 32-33 mpg at 70+ speeds on level pavement.

After a wonderful dinner, a few doses of warm, spiced pies, and a full lesson in the wonders of DirectTV-based Tivo, we were off again early the next morning on the longer leg of our trip, destined for New York City.

The Vibe's cabin is interesting—it has a huge front windscreen, almost a picture window, and you sit somewhat upright as if in a tiny minivan. The driver's position was probably my biggest complaint—the seat itself has a tightly woven fabric and, overall, good comfort for a sub-$20K wagon—but it was tough to find the right place to put my elbows—either a higher center console or a more comfy window sill would have been welcomed.

Ms. D.'s comfort complaints were similarly minor—she liked the space and found comfortable sitting and lying positions, but complained that the passenger side of the dash had too low of a bottom, requiring her to squeeze her feet up under it to get decent legroom. As our trip took us through the mountains of West Virginia and Maryland, I noticed that the Vibe's little four cylinder had to pull itself into a passing gear to make it to the top of some hills, but has a dead-on cruise control and was fully capable of passing anything we needed to put behind us. Even in the Appalachians, efficiency never dropped below 30 mpg.

This Vibe had full power, a one-touch driver's window, remote keyless entry and a dual-trip odometer with an outside temperature indicator. The six-speaker stereo system—which, admittedly, I used more for books-on-CD than anything—was adequate, but not amazing. The heat was hot, and the AC controls are well-designed; Ms. D mentioned in passing that she liked the chrome effect on the gauge cluster. Truly impressive are the power options—a household-style two-prong AC receptacle (for laptop, boombox) sits next to the cigarette lighter on the dash; inside the center console is another auto-style plug that can be used for charging a cell-phone.

But it was only after we got through the Holland Tunnel and into the city that Ms. D.'s automotive enthusiasm perked up—unfortunately, it wasn't over the Vibe. "Did you see that Mini?" she exclaimed, almost clapping as one strolled past us on Sixth Avenue. And, the next day, after we'd stopped into Urban Outfitters on Second Avenue, "Oh! Another Mini!"

The final incident came on Sunday as we motored around the relatively empty city streets, thanks to a Thanksgiving exodus. I innocently prodded once again for Ms. D to share in my excitement over the Vibe, as it handled a quick trip through Central Park and down our old, narrow street, past our old building.

But as we turned south onto Columbus Avenue, she spotted another and managed to answer my query by saying, "Oh! Mini! Mini! Mini!"

Yes, yes, the Mini turns heads, and I promised Ms. D we'd look one up in the near future. But for this trip, I opted to dance with the one that brung me, admiring the Vibe for both its good looks and personality. As we crossed the G.W. Bridge headed for New Jersey, I was thinking that the Vibe might just be The Car. It's inexpensive, efficient, sporty, built to Toyota quality in California, has an eight-inch ground clearance and is both practical and whimsical enough for a 3,000-mile weekend whirlwind.

This, I'm thinking, may be the one.

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