The Pontiac Sunfire is a

compact car Compact car is a vehicle size class — predominantly used in North America — that sits between subcompact cars and mid-size cars. "Small family car" is a British term and a part of the C-segment in the European car classification. However, p ...

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

that was introduced for the 1995

model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...

to replace the

Sunbird Sunbirds and spiderhunters make up the family Nectariniidae of passerine birds. They are small, slender passerines from the Old World, usually with downward-curved bills. Many are brightly coloured, often with iridescent feathers, particularly i ...

. Not only was the name changed, but dramatic styling changes were included as well. The new styling was shared with the redesigned

Chevrolet Cavalier The Chevrolet Cavalier is a line of compact cars produced by Chevrolet. Serving as the replacement of the Chevrolet Monza, the Cavalier was the second Chevrolet model line to adopt front-wheel drive. Three versions of the Cavalier have been sol ...

. The J platform was updated structurally to meet more stringent safety standards for the 1996 model year. The Pontiac Sunfire went through two facelifts in its 11-year run: a small redesign in 2000 featuring the heavy plastic cladding look that was prevalent with Pontiac at the time, and a more streamlined update in 2003. In the US, the coupe was the only model available from 2003 to 2005. The sedan continued to be sold in Canada and Mexico until the end of production on June 22, 2005. GM replaced the Sunfire with the G5 for the 2006 model year in Canada and the 2007 model year in the United States.

Technical

* 1995 – '' Quad 4 (RPO: LD2)'' I4, 150 hp (116 kW) and * 1995–1997 – ''

2200 In contemporary history, the third millennium of the anno Domini or Common Era in the Gregorian calendar is the current millennium spanning the years 2001 to 3000 (21st century, 21st to 30th century, 30th centuries). Ongoing futures studies se ...

(RPO: LN2)'' I4, and * 1998–2002 – ''

(RPO: LN2)'' I4, and * 1996–2002 – ''

Twin Cam An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

(RPO: LD9)'' I4, and * 2002–2005 – ''

Ecotec Ecotec (capitalized ECOTEC, from 'Emissions Control Optimization TEChnology') is a General Motors (GM) and Opel Automobile GmbH (Opel) trademark that refers to a series of emissions technologies that were implemented throughout a range of GM engines ...

(RPO: L61)'' I4, and The base model had the 2.2 L engine from 1994 until 2002. The GT trim level had an optional, more powerful 2.3 L Quad 4

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...

from 1994–1995, which was replaced by the 2.4 L LD9 engine in 1995. The 2.3 and 2.4 litre engines were optional in the 2 and 4 door LS trim level. In 2003, both the 2.2 L and the 2.4 L engines were replaced by the 2.2 L Ecotec engine, and would be the only powertrain available for the remainder of production. The Ecotec engine was also an option for the 2002 model year. File:2.4L Twin Cam.jpg, 1997 Pontiac Sunfire Twin Cam engine File:2003 Pontiac Sunfire Ecotec.JPG, 2003 Pontiac Sunfire Ecotec engine At the time of introduction, the Sunfire was available with a three-speed automatic or a five-speed manual. General Motors had envisioned introducing a new four-speed automatic with the new car, but the company's cash shortage delayed this option until the next year.

Trim levels

The Sunfire could be purchased as a sedan,

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

, or

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

. All three variations came in the standard SE trim level. An upscale GT trim level was available on the coupe and convertible. The GT trim level came standard with the 2.3 litre LD2 engine from 1994 to 1995 or the 2.4 litre LD9 "Twin Cam" engine (1996–2002), 16-inch alloy wheels, dual exhaust, and a more aggressive looking front fascia. The SE trim was the standard for the Sunfire which included the 2.2 litre 2200 OHV Engine. The 2.3/2.4 DOHC Engine was optional. Both the SE and GT trim levels were dropped after the 2002 model year, along with the 2.2 OHV and 2.4 DOHC engines. The 2.2 litre

was the only available engine as of the 2002 model year. Originally, the convertible was only in the SE trim level until the 1999 model year where it became only available in the GT trim. The convertible was discontinued after the 2000 model year. All Sunfire convertibles were assembled at the "Genesis" Lansing, Michigan Plant. At its introduction from 1995 until 2001 the rear of the vehicle on coupes has the brand name "Pontiac" between the tail lights, and the trim panel is backlit when the vehicle is on using license plate bulbs installed in the trunk. As vehicles are passed from one owner to another, the panel is not illuminated due to the owners not being aware of the feature. Prices in 1995 Range from A base sedan at $10,243 (), all the way to a $14,195 coupe GT (). In 2005 The Pontiac Sunfire had a base price of $15,205 (). File:Pontiac Sunfire -- 07-09-2009.jpg, 1995-1999 Pontiac Sunfire sedan File:95-99 Pontiac Sunfire coupe.jpg, 1995-1999 Pontiac Sunfire SE coupe File:95-99 Pontiac Sunfire convertible.jpg, 1995-1999 Pontiac Sunfire convertible File:2001 pontiac sunfire gt rear.jpg, 2001 Pontiac Sunfire GT coupe rear File:2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire sedan -- 09-03-2010.jpg, 2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire sedan File:2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE, Front Right, 10-05-2020.jpg, 2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE coupe File:2001 pontiac sunfire gt front.jpg, 2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire coupe File:2005 Pontiac Sunfire SL sedan in Light Spiral Gray Metallic, Front Left, 10-06-2022.jpg, 2003-2005 Pontiac Sunfire SL sedan File:2004 Pontiac Sunfire in Light Taupe Metallic, front right, 8-1-2021.jpg, 2003-2005 Pontiac Sunfire coupe File:2004 Pontiac Sunfire, Rear Right, 07-01-2021.jpg, 2003-2005 Pontiac sunfire coupe

References

External links

General Motors Sport Compact ForumsThe J-body Organization
{{Authority control Compact cars Front-wheel-drive vehicles Sunfire Coupés Convertibles Sedans Cars introduced in 1994 2000s cars Vehicles built in Lansing, Michigan Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States