I tested a gts a while back and was very disappointed by its performance. the lobe change is at like 6.5k and the red was a scant 7.8 i think. if you shifted from 1-2 it did drop out of range and there was about 300 rpm to catch up to. i have heard the best way to keep it in range is to over-rev it as there is no cut on the ignition or fuel right at red line. even considering that i was not impressed by the gts and am sure to be even less impressed by the matrix/vibe.
but my comparison for this was my own car although not very fast at the time had more oomph to it.