What was Tested: 2004 Pontiac Vibe Compact Wagon

Engine: 1.8-liter in-line four-cylinder.

Mileage: 26 city / 32 highway.

I was apprehensive as all get out to take the new Pontiac Vibe on a long trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan. You see, my girls are both figure skaters - pretty good ones, I might add (parent's right to brag a little) - and we had to get to the Traverse City Cherry Classic.

It was even more of a treat because the girls would be skating at Centre Ice, the same ice surfaces that the Red Wings skate on during their training camp at Traverse City during September. Not that they've never been on Red Wing ice - Rebecca and Francesca skated at "The Joe" a few years ago. Never saw ice surfaces (at both rinks) so smooth and looking like glass. No imperfections anywhere. Beautiful.

Anyway, from the Detroit suburbs all the way to Traverse City is quite a haul in a compact sport utility. I didn't worry so much about the interior passenger room, even though we had to take our dogs, Stevie and Shanny, with us up there. I was more worried about the cargo room in the back.

Two skating suitcases, three duffle bags with our clothes, two travel carriers for the dogs, suit bags for their competition dresses, makeup cases for both kids (of course, they couldn't share one), a cooler for refreshments and energy food and my computer.

It all fit. And I could still see out of the rear window. No worries about cargo room, that's for sure. Behind that second row of seats, there is exactly 19.3 cubic feet of cargo volume to accommodate you. As you can see, it was enough. Could've even fitted more, if we were forced to.

Now, if you happen to need more, the second row of seats will fold down nicely and allow you a whopping 54.1 cubic feet of space. Fold that passenger seat down up in front, and you'll get a flat worktable and space to put something in the Vibe that's up to 8 feet long.

Pretty versatile, I think.

And that's the whole premise behind the 2004 Pontiac Vibe. Versatility in a small sport utility. Actually, the Vibe is one of those kind-of crossover vehicles, you know the sports car, sport hatch or mini SUV all rolled into one. There are a few things that are new about the Vibe this year, and they include a new color, the availability of XM satellite radio, 17-inch all-season tires and a supercharger.

Let's get to what's under the hood, first. There are two distinct engines for you to choose from, the 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder, which is the base model and will give you 130 horsepower. The plus behind this engine is the mileage you'll see - 29 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. It's mated to a five-speed manual as standard equipment, but can be equipped with a four-speed automatic. All-wheel-drive is, of course, only available with the automatic transmission.

The other engine, outfitted primarily on the GT model, is also a 1.8-liter power plant, but can get you up from zero-to-60 mph in about eight seconds. Power is provided with a system that includes modified heads and the availability of the after-market SPO supercharger.

It's installed at the dealership and is fully warranted for the same time as a normal Vibe. It will get you more than a 35 percent increase in horsepower and torque. Performance will surprise you.

Let's jump inside and see what the interior has to offer. Everything is tilted and geared toward the driver and boy-oh-boy is it compact as all get out. Comfortable for the driver because of its individual attention facing him or her, but mighty distracting for any passenger. Can't even scream at someone about going to fast or too slow because the passenger can't see any of the gauges. Takes all the fun out of driving with your spouse, to say the least.

There's a DVD-based navigation system on top of the center stack, exactly where it should be, and is easy to use and understand, for the most part. I had to take out the manual for the more sophisticated options, but most of it is self-explanatory.

Also in the center stack is the heating and cooling controls and under that you'll find two 12-volt power outlets and two cupholders, a storage bin, a smaller lower bin and a cell phone holder and coin holder.

One of the two 12-volt power outlets is located in the storage bin, which can allow you to charge a cell phone without it being seen.

A feature I really appreciated and loved and would be happy to see on every vehicle in the future is the a 115-volt standard power outlet with a wall-type plug. It's located on the front console of the center stack and allows you to plug anything in from an electric shaver to a laptop computer. So very convenient.

All of us have that extra adapter for our various equipment or the power converter we've found necessary to stick in the car for necessities like a DVD player or air compressor, but to have that plug, right there for my personal use, was really, really cool. Bravo, Pontiac.

Safety features are all there, all geared toward crash avoidance and crash protection for the occupants of the Vibe. You'll find seat-mounted side airbags, all-wheel-drive, anti-lock brakes, safety cage, crumple zones, adjustable anchors on the seat belts, remote keyless entry, child safety door locks, and OnStar safety and security system.

We enjoyed our long trip up north to Traverse in the Vibe. It served us well in cargo room and interior comfort, even with two dogs to deal with in the rear seat as well.

And the Cherry Classic treated my girls well, too - they carried home four medals from the United States Figure Skating-sanctioned event. Good week; even better weekend.

If you're interested in a small ute with a strong heart and a lot of room for all your stuff, take a look at the Vibe. I think you'll be surprised.