9th Aug 2005, 11:17

I believe those times are close to what the Sunfire GT would get, although it's off by about a second or two. No way are those times for a 2.2 litre.

8th May 2006, 16:33

I don't think anyone has taken the time to get a 0-60mph on this car. It wasn't designed to be a rocket, but rather an economy car. Let me say that again: Economy car. I believe the automatic hits 8.0 0-60mphs and the manual may or may not add a second to that due to gearing.

What people don't realize is how this small engine can output 140hp. Engine technology is becoming very advanced these days. These 2.2L Ecotecs are receiving a lot of publicity due to the fact that GM Performance teams have managed 240horsepower on the Ecotec engine with stock parts.

This is a great engine that will reward you with super gas mileage if you drive it right. Save your 0-60mph for a car that was meant for it...

29th Jun 2006, 04:07

I have the 2003 Sunfire with the 2.2 liter Ecotec motor.

My average mpg is 29, which is great in my opinion. I had it on cruise control from Arizona to Nevada and hit 380 miles and the tank would only take 10.3 gallons. It was filled when I departed. That is almost 37 mpg all freeway miles with the cruise control at 70 mph.

I added a cat back 2 1/4 inch exhaust and a drop in K&N on this car. It breaths a hair better and is less restricted on the exhaust. I would say about 7 hp total was gained across the RPM band not on the max output, yay.

It is an automatic and I have had great results in up and go. It is a very responsive motor and I attribute a 2.2 liter engine of today being so much better than a 2.2 liter from the 80's and 90's from the technology of using lighter and stronger components, with the state of the art car computer running it and the gearing and axle ratio is a lot better. Since the parts are stronger and lighter and the car breaths a lot better, my Sunfire 'does' get 0-60 in a hair under 8 seconds. It is not a race car as it stands, but it can surprise a lot of unknowing drivers.

I had given a Spec V a hard time a day ago. He only creeped ahead bit by bit, and I had been driving all day. If I had not, I bet I would have hung with him or passed him. I know my car and the up and go was not at it's best that day from the heat outside being around 100 degrees. He may of just started up his car and ran nice and cool, so who knows.

All I know is, the Ecotec engine can be modded to over 1200hp. That is with turbo, NOS and so on. They drag race Cavaliers and Sunfires with kick butt results. When my warranty is gone, I am getting a CAI, DIS-2, dual Accel coil packs, Magnecore upgraded sparkplug wiring, header 4-2-1 configurated, and the 2 1/4 high flow cat. This will get me a hair under 7 seconds 0-60 I am sure.

The Ecotec motor, along with its gearing and state of the art technology makes this car. It used to be about the liters back in the day. Rotary engines are proof of small liter high output performance, it is all technology.

3rd Jan 2007, 21:59

I own a 2003 Sunfire and here is the reality:

With the automatic I get an average of 29mpg.

0-60 was about 8 seconds stock.

After the catback exhaust and drop in K&N it is about 7.7 seconds 0-60.

I went from Mesa AZ to LV Nevada and I did get 37mpg.

I went from Mesa AZ to Prescott AZ and I did get 36.5mpg.

That is 99% highway miles with mostly the cruise control on.

I hate to say this, but the 2.2 2003 and newer Ecotecs are faster than the older 2.4 GTs are. I have raced a few of these GTs and never has one beat me in the 2.2 Ecotec.

The older GTs have either worse transmissions or axles or whatever to make them not as fast. Bottom line is the new Sunfires are all GT grade and there is not 10 second + 0-60 snail model like they had in 2002 and earlier. Plus the suspension is a lot better. I know because I was test driving both GT and base Sunfires at the Auto Show in Motion of 2001. Major body sway on the old Sunfires.

The new ones are much better overall. The newer Sunfires could be perfect with just a strut brace added.

11th Jan 2007, 17:16

Wow, wow, wow. Just stumbled onto this and had to put my 2 cents in. 2.2 ecotec sunfire 0-60 in 7.2 sec. Give your head a shake and as far as you link to consumer guide that gives those specs, re-read the article, they're talking about the Solstice not the Sunfire.

22nd Sep 2007, 21:12

We're not talking 0-60 in 4 seconds like an EVO. It's 7+ seconds to get there. It's not difficult, I had an 89 Accord that could do close to that on a Carborated engine. I have a 04 Sunfire coupe and no I haven't tested it, but the time sounds about right.

25th Dec 2007, 18:33

Your 0 to 60 in about 7 seconds is correct. I had a Sunfire with an ecotec and used a beltronics Vector FX1 Accelerometer to measure my 0 to 60 time, it was 7.1. I actually took my car to the track and to my surprise it was very accurate, my 0 to 60 time at the track was 7.1, so I know it works. I find the ecotec slower than the old 2.4, so I bought an older Sunfire GT and did a 0 to 60 in 6.8. I had to redline it and shift hard, but I was impressed with a 6.8. I threw in a Centerforce stage 2 clutch and did a 6.6. The imports are OK, but they lack torque and the gears are spaced more evenly to allow it to gain much higher top speeds than the Sunfire, but for a quick rip to 60 miles per hour if you own a Sunfire GT you are probably going to take the lead. If you aren't going from a dead stop, those imports will dominate for sure.