A most pathetic air conditioner. If you live in a hot climate (I'm in AZ), you will drive around town a lot waiting for the car to cool off. At 105, after parking in the sun for 30 minutes, I drove 4-5 miles on the highway before I felt any cool coming from the vents. Dealer says: "They're all that way".
Has a light an "flimsy" feel. My 1997 Saturn was more substantial. It's not broken in yet, but I don't think it will even approach the EPA mileage estimates. Don't believe the window sticker.
Most cars in this price range have small AC units. Besides that 4 cyl engine won't work with a large AC compressor/condenser, since this would zap all power out of the engine. Want serious AC capacity? Spend another $10,000 on a larger V6 car with a larger AC unit.
It's strange this comes as a big surprise to you. See--this affects most cars in this segment, and that's what test drives are for; right?
Having lived in the desert parts of Arizona, I understand the mind blowing heat when you get in a vehicle that has been left in the sun. Certainly someone had told you to leave your windows open a crack to let the heat out so it would reduce the inside temperature. And, as a previous reader commented, there is no way a four cylinder can support a big enough compressor to QUICKLY cool down an unshaded vehicle left in AZ sun. You also don't say if or what kind of tint you might have on the windows. There is a type available which has an interlaminar barrier that reduces heat in the vehicle---a lot! And one of the easist of all is to use an aftermarket windshield screen; one that is highly reflective of the heat. There is also available a solar powered fan that drops over the top of your window and has been proven to substantially reduce inside temps. Of course none of these is the magic button, but all combined can make your car almost bearable. BTW I'm now in Florida an own an SES wagon and quite frankly, it works awesome. The air conditioner was one of the reasons I got rid of my Corolla. It was a joke...
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