The GT is the most excellent among the Sunfires when it comes to engine and performance. It is easy and fun to drive quickly. It hangs on confidently in fast corners and stays poised and predictable. It is well balanced, exhibiting surprisingly little under steer 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.

 

With the new Ecotec 2.2-liter twin-cam engine, the Sunfire 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. While some engines tend to be peaky, providing maximum power only in a very narrow rpm range, the Ecotec has a broad torque curve and that enhances the engine's drivability. It develops maximum torque (150 pounds-feet at 4000 rpm) at lower revs than the previous 2.4-liter (155 pounds-feet at 4400 rpm).

 

Like all other Sunfire trim models, the GT come standard with air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, and a tilt steering column. Either Sunfire engine can be mated to a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic transmission. GT adds aerodynamic body trim, fog lights, a CD player, performance tires mounted on 16-inch alloy wheels, plus its more powerful engine and sportier suspension tuning. With the Sunfire GT's Ecotec engine and aerodynamic body structure, the GT becomes more appealing and ideal to young customers. Not to mention its market price and the Pontiac emblem it bears.