Long-time readers of this column know that I'm of the "less is more" school when it comes to motor vehicles. Thus it was with a sense of satisfaction, even relief, that I turned over the keys to last week's huge and heavy Chevrolet Avalanche and slid behind the wheel of the small and sprightly 2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE Coupe.
I'll admit that it's comforting to drive a two-tonner like the Avalanche and know that, should a mishap occur, I would likely win the physics battle against any other vehicle not named Kenworth.
But I still prefer to take my chances with smaller cars that cost less to buy and insure, are more fun to drive and whose freeway fuel mileage is in the 30s rather than the teens.
It certainly helped that my tester was equipped with GM's new 2.2-liter twin-cam, 16-valve all-aluminum four cylinder engine that makes 140 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, compared with the old power plant's 115 at 5,000, and which throws in better fuel economy in the bargain — 24 mpg in city driving and 32 on the highway versus 22/31 for the old 2.2 liter, 8-valve motor with a cast-iron block.
If there's any justice in the automotive world (fat chance) this new engine should go a long way toward boosting Sunfire sales, but I won't hold my breath. Sunfire competes against that 900-pound gorilla named Honda Civic, as well as the Ford Focus (named one of Car & Driver magazine's "10 Best Cars" this month), the popular VW Jetta, the newly redone Nissan Sentra, the roomy Mazda Protege and even the bargain-priced but better-warranted Hyundai Accent.
Think of the Detroit Lions having to consecutively beat the St. Louis Rams, the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers and you'll get the idea of what Pontiac is up against.
Sunfire was introduced in 1995 as a replacement for the Sunbird. It's Pontiac's version of GM's "J" platform, which includes Chevrolet's better-selling Cavalier and Saturn S-Series but apparently will not join those cars on GM's upcoming Delta platform. (Pontiac sold some 82,400 Sunfires last year, down nearly 9 percent from 1999.)
Pontiac says it is committed to offering a small car, but all the effort in that direction now seems to be focused on its Vibe small wagon, one of those "crossover" vehicles. Cavalier is scheduled to be redesigned for the 2004 model year, but Sunfire's fate after 2003 is unclear.
Still, I'm not going to jump the gun and declare it dead before the General officially gives it the last rites.
Whatever the near future holds, as of now the Sunfire continues to be Pontiac's chief attraction for young buyers (in car marketing that's anyone under age 35), and though the convertible was discontinued last year, it soldiers on as the SE coupe, SE sedan and GT coupe.
GM has half-heartedly designated Pontiac as its razzle-dazzle performance division, leaving Buick for the no-nonsense folks and Cadillac to go up against Lexus, BMW and Mercedes.
In an attempt to hold up its end of the deal, Pontiac has for years pushed the styling envelope to extremes, culminating in the Aztek fiasco, a bizarre attempt at a crossover SUV that failed so miserably they had to do major plastic surgery after only a year of production.
The Sunfire is fairly conservative by Aztek standards, although my tester's "spring green metallic" paint job clearly fell into the "love-it" or "hate-it" category. If nothing else, it sure stands out in a crowded parking lot.
If I were buying a new Sunfire, I would choose the four-door sedan, not the two-door coupe (my tester). While the coupe body style is swoopier, it renders the smallish back seat even more problematical, not just for passengers but even as a readily accessible place to stash packages, dry cleaning, luggage and such.
I will concede, however, that coupe styling is almost always racier than sedan styling, otherwise they would have quit making them long ago.
The new Sunfire's strongest suit is the new engine; it makes this car one peppy puppy, probably faster off the line than most of its competitors. When you consider it can be had for well under the $20K barrier, it's well worth a look.
My SE tester had a base vehicle price of $14,540, but a long list of options, plus a $540 delivery charge, put the bottom line at $17,145. The options came in three groups, including the "sun and sound package," the "driver convenience package" and the "power package."
The groups turned the base car into one with all the luxury goodies that buyers have come to expect even in entry-level cars.
E-MAIL: max@desnews.com