Our new 1995
Pontiac Sunfire had barely tooled into the downtown parking lot when two Generation X guys ran across the street to get a closer look. These young men, precisely the target audience for the Sunfire, were bowled over by the vehicle's look.
The amount of attention a new car draws is a good barometer for how well the designers did their job. It appears Pontiac designers were right on target with the Sunfire, a car clearly inspired by its stablemate, the Firebird.
The Sunfire replaces the 13-year-old Sunbird. Pontiac officials felt the car was so different from its predecessor that it deserved a new name. The Sunfire's cousin from Chevrolet, the Cavalier, has also been dramatically redesigned for 1995, but Chevrolet opted to retain the name.
For now, the Sunfire is available only as the SE sedan and the SE coupe. In mid-1995, Pontiac will add an SE convertible and GT coupe to the lineup. The GT coupe will be outfitted in Pontiac's characteristic racer look with dual exhausts, spoiler, black roof treatment and a revised 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve Quad 4 engine.
Our test car, an SE coupe that goes for $13,550, came with air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and door locks, and an effective 3-speed automatic transmission.
The design concept behind the Sunfire was to provide the same fun-to-drive feel and signature styling as
Pontiac's larger cars, but in a small, affordable package. (According to EPA ratings, the sedan is considered a compact, the coupe and convertible are subcompacts.)
Another mission Pontiac designers had was to make the sedan as sporty looking as the coupe so that buyers - particularly young families - could enjoy the advantage of 4-door utility without sacrificing exciting coupe styling. Pontiac officials are convinced they have succeeded on this count and have bet that the sedan will attract a larger audience than it had as the Sunbird, when it was far outsold by the coupe.
The sleek, rounded aerodynamic exterior features dual breakaway outside mirrors, standard tinted glass and sharp bodyside moldings. And the Sunfire is available in nine colors, among them Bright Red and Bright Aqua Metallic.
The Sunfire SE coupe and sedan come standard with a 2.2-liter 4-cylinder engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission. The engine is rated at 120 hp, which compares well with the base Plymouth Neon powerplant, rated at 132 hp. And the sunfire's horsepower output is higher than the Ford Escort LX's, rated at 88 hp, and the Saturn SC1 coupe's, at 100 hp.
However, the Sunfire is more than just looks and performance. The car's body features a steel safety cage that surrounds the passenger compartment, energy-absorbing metal rails that frame the engine and trunk compartments, and side-impact door beams.
