A bit tight up front
The passenger quarters are nicely designed and the dashboard looks quite modern. Fortunately, it's not as radically styled as the bodywork. There are plenty of small storage bins throughout and the dual glove box comes in handy. The backlit instruments are easy to read regardless of lighting conditions. However, rearward visibility is very limited due to the massive rear pillars and tiny window.

A tilt-telescopic steering wheel comes standard, which is a good thing because the front seats are not generous in terms of legroom, especially for tall drivers. Furthermore, the tight door opening does not make entry and exit easy. Actually, I had less trouble stepping inside a Pontiac G3 Wave! Legroom is also limited in the back.

The front seats are not generous in terms of legroom, especially for tall drivers.

 
Sub-par road manners
When you see the letters "AWD" on a vehicle, you kind of expect to feel invincible behind the wheel, even in a severe blizzard. That wasn't the case with my tester, though. At times, the Vibe's all-wheel drive system felt like a rear-wheel drive! Also, the car came with the 1SF Package, which includes 17-inch wheels, among other upgrades. These massive alloys were wrapped in V-rated Pirelli 240 Snowsport Winter tires and, while the latter did a fair job on cold, dry pavement, they could not prevent the Vibe AWD from skidding due to their ill-suited width and lack of effective grooves. Failure to grip the road firmly often led to the activation of stability and traction control, relegating the all-wheel drive system to a bystander role. How ironic!

So, forget this stylish set of wheels, which merely add a touch of "bling" to the car, and stick to the standard 16s, especially if you live in colder regions. With narrower yet more aggressively-treaded winter tires (also less expensive), this Hot Wheels for adults will deliver more pleasant driving dynamics.


Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux, Matthieu Lambert