Car Auto Magazine

The new Vibe will continue to be offered with front- or all-wheel drive, and marks the return of the GT model to the lineup that was discontinued for the 2007 model year. The base 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine now produces 132 hp and 128 lb-ft of torque, but remains fuel efficient with estimated fuel economy of 26/32 mpg in city/highway driving with a manual transmission. The larger 2.4-liter engine has 158 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, and has a 21/28 mpg estimated fuel rating with a manual. A five-speed manual is standard, with an optional four-speed automatic with the base engine. The automatic is standard with the larger mill, or customers can opt for a new five-speed auto with Driver Shift Control.

We’d have welcomed a turbocharged four-pot—perhaps the same 260-hp mill that adds more than a dash of dash to the Chevrolet HHR SS and would make a Vibe so equipped an excitement-division-worthy competitor to the Mazdaspeed 3 and Dodge Caliber SRT4.

The new Matrix and Vibe have been engineered to accommodate a hybrid powertrain, which conceivably could come from either automaker, although GM’s hybrid systems are geared to larger vehicles.