5th Nov 2009, 02:02

Pontiac Sunfire owner here year 2004. Definitely NOT a sports car. The older Honda Accords and even Civic CRX will beat this thing in acceleration. Very powerful 1st and 2nd gears, but it's too weighty, and can be caught by less powerful cars. Good starter car for any gearheads though. In the end, a trainer car for the drag races.

I love the power in the gears, but the ratio between all 4 in the transmission is kind of sluggish. I run my Pontiac Sunfire in the mid 9s lower 10s. Modified exhaust, cold air intake. Mine's not a GT. My older 1988 Accord ran 0-60's just a little above 8 seconds... but it's a much lighter car (mod H22A engine).

9th Nov 2009, 00:22

Very interesting comments. I don't race and I don't know a lot about cars... but I do own a 2003 Pontiac Sunfire 2 door coupe (automatic) and I can guarantee you that I can reach 60mph in under 8 seconds. Every time I'm first in line at a light, I seem to always leave my neighbors in my dust with out even trying. I love it! (-:

19th Aug 2010, 21:18

LOL I love it when people say a Sunfire isn't a race car, and I smoke people everyday with my 98 Sunfire. I've had 3 Sunfires, and they are the best for your money, as well as Cavaliers. Look in Consumer Reports and do your homework. You treat your Sunfire right, and watch all the jealous people; it's soooo funny.

19th Sep 2010, 19:08

This thread is hilarious! For example, the original poster who is talking about racing a BMW then racing his sister in an automatic Sunfire! Seriously, you're dragging your sister into this? And the 16 year old that timed his mom doing an 8 sec. 0-60? LOL! It's just hilarious how people are convincing their sisters and mothers to stunt!

Anyways, I reacquired a 2005 Sunfire this past summer and I love it as well, I think the power is great, I'm so glad I bought this instead of the previous engine. I think it's great fun to drive and I'm very satisfied. However, I'm not a car buff at all and I hope to not drive a faster car, then I'll think my Sunfire is slow!

After driving a number of rental cars, I think what contributes to the fun is that the automatic transmission is not very smooth, which gives the (near) neck-jerk feeling. I've driven a few 2010 Sentras (rentals) and even though I know the power is similar and expect the car to be lighter, I think because of the CVT, it's not very fun to drive.

I recently drove it from Calgary to Montreal (took me 50 hours), driving through the states and I enjoyed it.

Anyways, just wanted to add my 2 cents.

13th Feb 2011, 23:29

I love my Sunfire. It's a 2000 4dr automatic 2.2 liter. It gets right up to 90-95, then rises a little slower. I got it up over 105 a couple times, and it felt awesome. I'm assuming it's completely stock, even though the dealership didn't know anything about it, but it sounds cool too, because I think the PCV valve needs to be replaced, so it sounds like it has a turbo. Fun little car though!

It's my first car, and I'm 16, so I can't wait to get a faster car or bike. And it does a lot better than 8 seconds 0-60.

14th Feb 2011, 22:59

I'd take a Sentra over a Sunfire any day of the week. They make very good CVTs that feel like regular automatics. A Cavalier/Sunfire is the last compact car I would ever want. I drove a friend's a couple of times. It's no fun to drive at all. The power steering is completely over-assisted. It feels mushy on the road. These cars have poor reliability, too. They do accelerate well, but that's about it. No wonder GM lost money on every one they sold.

15th Feb 2011, 12:03

"And it does a lot better than 8 seconds 0-60."

I think he meant to add a one in front of the eight. The real 0-60 time of a Sunfire is 10 seconds.

22nd Feb 2011, 20:23

No, the Sunfire is faster than 0-60 mph in 10 seconds. My 98 Sunfire SE 2.2lt with upgraded air intake (AEM) and upgraded exhaust (Flowmaster) and a PDC custom built performance chip/module with a professional computerized tune does 0-60 mph in 6.1 seconds. And without the upgrades, it did 0-60 in 8.4 seconds stock.

The Sunfire's engine is a little power house, considering its size, and all Sunfires after 02-05 have a eco-tech motor, which is endless for performance upgrades. The 02-05 model Sunfires can be modded up to 1500 hp, so anyone saying the Sunfire can't or isn't a fast car is wrong; with upgrades the Sunfire will take out V6 and some V8 motors, and even though the Sunfire and Cavalier have the same motor and transmission, the Sunfire will out perform a Cavalier 9 out of 10 times, due to the body design of the Sunfire. The Sunfire when stock has awesome acceleration, but when upgrades (even slight upgrades) turn the Sunfire into a little speed machine.

23rd Feb 2011, 12:14

@20:23.

It's time for a new stopwatch..

How fast do you think a 115HP engine is? The Sunfire is a compact car, not a sports or performance car. The Sunfire does 0-60 in 10 seconds, check any reputable car mag, if they even tested these cars.

23rd Feb 2011, 15:52

Your opinion, I'm not going to argue, I know what my Sunfire does, and my Sunfire has been dyno'd by HRH from 120hp factory to 216hp to the (wheels). My Sunfire does 0-60 in 6.1 seconds after my performance upgrades/modifications and computerized tune, so go buy yourself a Sunfire, completely mod it out, then get back at me. I'm tired of people on this site acting like people are lying. And anybody who thinks just because it's a 4 cylinder, that it can't be fast, and can't be modded, needs to go back to mechanic school. And no, it's not time for a new stop watch, my times are recorded at my local Cederfalls Raceway, not by a little stop watch. My 0-60 mph times are correct. People really?? Quit hating on the Sunfire, modify it completely like I have, then you will see for yourself what it's capable of!! Don't go around saying people's information is incorrect.

23rd Feb 2011, 17:27

I agree. These cars are very common, and you can find lots of info. on them. There's virtually no difference in acceleration between a stock Sunfire or Cavalier unless you've done modifications. Neither one is a sports car, either.