I've long been a fan of five-door hatches because of the blend of sportiness and practicality they offer. Seeing the current popularity of the new Honda Fit and Dodge Caliber, maybe the rest of the world is starting to catch on.

The latest thing with five-doors is to make them tall, so a relatively large amount of room can be offered in a relatively small package. The first car of this sort, at least the first in recent memory, was the 2003 Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix. These cars, which are virtually identical under the skin, were largely engineered by Toyota off the Corolla platform. I drove and reviewed them back in 2003.

But my memory fades, so I took a 2006 Vibe for a test drive recently. I sampled a powertrain I have not before, the base 126-horsepower 1.8-liter four with a five-speed manual. I was most interested in seeing how it compared to the Fit and Caliber, but Mazda's more conventional Mazda3 as well.

Styling

The front end of the Vibe was restyled last year to include larger, rounder twin grilles, but the effect was a wash. Maybe the revised front end appears less menacing and more friendly, which might appeal more strongly to women?

Back in 2003 I found the Vibe, styled to look like a mini SUV, considerably more attractive than the Matrix, and I still do. Without cladding, the Matrix looks more slab-sided, and its side window outline is simply odd.

The Caliber, with a truck-like front end, is styled to look tougher and more macho than the Vibe, and generally succeeds. Although the two vehicles are very close in size--the Vibe is actually a bit longer--the Dodge APPEARS considerably larger.

I'm not a big fan of the Mazda3 hatch's styling. I prefer the superior proportions of the car it replaced, the Protege5. But I own one, so perhaps I'm biased.

Inside the Vibe and Matrix are virtually identical. The interior is particularly stylish despite the thick chrome rings around the instruments and scads of faux metal trim. The instrument panel in particular appears cobbled together. But the bits feels solid, and the seat fabric doesn't scream cheap like it does in many inexpensive cars (such as the Ford Focus).

Inside as well the Dodge resembles an SUV, with large flat surfaces that come together at right angles. Alright so far if you're into the truck thing. But the materials look and feel terribly cheap, even compared to those in the Vibe and especially when compared to the relatively upscale Mazda3 interior.

Accommodations

It's not easy to alter a car's driving position, so I wasn't surprised to learn that the Vibe still suffers in this area. Especially with the manual transmission the relationship between the driver's seat and the major controls doesn't feel right. The shelf-mounted stick is too high, too far forward, and a bit far to the right.

On the other hand, at last the Vibe lacks the Caliber's ultra-deep dash and ultra-thick windshield pillars.

I prefer the more car-like driving position in the Mazda3 to either.

Where the Vibe excels is in passenger room, both front and rear. The Mazda3 and Caliber both feel tighter, especially in the back seat. In addition to being roomier, the Vibe's rear seat is also mounted higher off the floor, for better thigh support. One Caliber advantage: its rear seat reclines. None of these cars is wide enough to comfortably sit three across.

The Mazda3 easily has the best driver's seat. Those in the other two cars, and especially that in the Dodge, are squishier. The Vibe's seats look well-bolstered, but the bolsters are too soft to provide much actual lateral support.

The Vibe and (non-base) Caliber both have a folding front passenger seat, enabling them to carry long cargo. My wife's PT Cruiser also has this feature, and it has been very handy. Want to carry a seven-foot bookcase with the hatch closed? Done. The main cargo limitation in all three cars is the width of the rear cargo area--a double stroller will likely be a squeeze. The load floor is slippery hard plastic, but a carpeted cargo mat is also standard.

On the Road

For better or for worse, the Vibe drives like the average compact sedan, just with a slightly higher vantage point. It feels light and agile. Quick steering helps. The engine won't win any races, but it feels peppy with the manual. Perfectly adequate for an around town grocery-getter. Aside from being oddly located, the shifter is easy to operate.

Push the Vibe hard and it behaves less well, with a fair amount of body lean and overly much bobbling about. It just doesn't feel "tied down" the way the best cars do. But, in non-GT form, it doesn't have performance pretensions, anyway. Most of the people I see getting out of Vibes are women in their 40s and 50s, and the Pontiac is probably perfectly suited to how they drive a car. If you're an enthusiast, you want the quicker, better-handling Mazda3.

Despite the similar specs, the Caliber feels much different. Its steering is more numb, it responds to the wheel less quickly, and generally feels like a much larger, heavier, clumsier vehicle. Seems it drives somewhat like a scaled-down SUV in addition to looking like one. I've only driven the Dodge with the CVT, which felt fine to me but that many people think feels odd.

Ride quality is pretty good in both the Vibe anc Caliber. The Mazda3 rides more firmly than the other two, but is still far from punishing. Noise levels are also highest in the Mazda3, and perhaps lowest in the Dodge.

Pontiac Vibe Pricing and Price Comparisons

The two most popular comparisons (2006 models base to base, without rebates, adjusted for feature differences):

Matrix: Very close at MSRP, about $400 less at invoice

Mazda3 hatch: About $1,600 less at MSRP and $1,400 less at invoice, but only after a large feature adjustment. Also note that the Mazda3 hatch is only available with the 2.3-liter four, making it more comparable to the more expensive, soon to be discontinued Vibe GT.

Another similar vehicle:

Caliber: $2,000 less at MSRP, $1,900 less at invoice

The Caliber has its faults, but is clearly priced to sell. currently the rebate on the Vibe is $500 higher--rebates aren't included in the above comparisons.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.) TrueDelta's page for the Vibe:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Vibe.php

Last Words

The Vibe didn't appeal to me much more this time around than it did last time. I'd readily opt for the less practical but better-driving Mazda3. Those with different priorities--i.e. practicality and economy are tops--might well opt for the Vibe, though. The Caliber is less expensive, but aside from brawnier styling is clearly not as good a car.

A note on Pontiac Vibe Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy a Vibe rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Pontiac Vibe reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Vibe--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

If you're a member, and you want to receive an email when I post a new review, click here.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Pontiac Vibe GT review (2003)
Dodge Caliber review
Mazda3 review
Toyota Matrix review