Pontiac Sunfire

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Pontiac Sunfire Models

The Pontiac Sunfire has two body styles: four-door sedan and two-door coupe. Coupes are available in SE and GT trim. The sedan comes only in SE trim.

The coupes are more fun, but the SE Sedan offers more practicality with a roomier back seat and a larger trunk.

Two four-cylinder engines are available, a 115-horsepower 2.2-liter and a sporty 150-horsepower 2.4-liter twin-cam. The Twin Cam comes standard on the GT Coupe; it can be added to SE models, but requires purchase of the 1SC Option Group.

Three-speed and four-speed automatics are available along with a five-speed manual gearbox from Getrag.

Driving the Pontiac Sunfire

The Pontiac Sunfire is easy to drive and fun to drive quickly. It hangs on confidently in fast corners and stays poised and predictable. It is balanced well, exhibiting surprisingly little understeer for a front-wheel-drive car. The GT seems at its best in transient, or slalom-type, maneuvers. You can really throw it around. Our only quibble with its handling is the unassisted steering that is a little slow.

The chassis and suspension and steering combine to produce an exceptional blend of ride and handling, and the car projects a secure feeling of stability and solidity. The suspension is composed of MacPherson struts up front and a twist beam axle in the rear. It's not as sophisticated as the suspensions in some of the other cars in this class, but it gets the job done. Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering gives the Sunfire quick steering response and good on-center feel. At the same time, the Sunfire's body rigidity provides a ride that's firm and confident at higher speeds. And it's quiet. Standard on the GT Coupe are P205/55 performance tires on 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels.

With the 2.4-liter 16-valve Twin Cam engine, the GT Coupe provides comparable power to a Honda Civic or Dodge Neon. It raises the Sunfire's performance from the realm of acceptable to spirited. It earns an EPA rating of 22/33 mpg city/highway.

What the smaller engine has to offer is economy: It comes standard on the SE models. When combined with the standard five-speed transmission, the 2.2-liter engine gets an EPA-rated 23 mpg in the city and 33 mph on the highway, just slightly better than the more sophisticated twin-cam engine.

Transmission choices include a 5-speed manual, a 3-speed automatic and a 4-speed automatic. Built by renowned German transmission manufacturer Getrag, the 5-speed manual gearbox features decent shift feel and a synchronized reverse gear for easier engagement. A cable shift linkage aids shifting, while a reverse lockout mechanism makes for a good safety feature. The Getrag five-speed is standard on the coupe and sedan. The 4-speed automatic is available for all models and offers much better gearing than the base 3-speed automatic.

Sunfire comes with disc brakes in front, drum brakes in the rear. An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is standard. The Sunfire's brake components are designed to optimize wheel slip control, reduce noise, improve pedal feel and contribute to reduced weight. However, it is not as sophisticated as the braking systems found on more expensive cars, and overall braking performance is average.