2005 Pontiac Sunfire SL Coupe 2.2 litre Ecotec from North America

Summary:

Very cheap, but also very cheap to operate; the car is almost half-decent

Faults:

Vehicle is in perfect mechanical condition (I would expect nothing less from a 3 year old car). But a few of the cheap plastic parts inside have broken and fallen off. For instance, the cover over the driver side seat belt mount. Brake rotors are also of poor quality, and the car shudders during braking already.

Emergency brake handle doesn't release all the way in below freezing temperatures, and causes e-brake alarm to sound, requiring me to hold down the e-brake handle until the vehicle warms up.

General Comments:

The car screams "cheap". The fit and finish is absolutely horrid. Plastics are of the worst quality, and fit terribly together leaving large gaps throughout interior. Hitting a bump will cause the interior plastics to creak and make noise...ugh. Not to mention, the suspension does a poor job of masking a bump. And as expected, there is lots of road noise.

Engine and power train are good; it has adequate torque and is capable of climbing hills without losing speed.

Has very poor vision out of the rear of the vehicle.

I'm 6'4", and the car is very uncomfortable for me. Trips longer than an hour make my legs cramp up.

The car's sticker price ranged from $10,000 to 16,000 CAD, which was the cheapest car on the Canadian market at the time. So most of these complaints are to be expected.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd March, 2008

21st Mar 2008, 21:22

I bought a Pontiac Sunfire 2005 and as you said, it was the cheapest new car at the time. Nothing major to report... until last week. Possibly the muffler is finished cause the engine is quite noisy when accelerating, much more than previously. I'm wondering if that's possible with only 25 000 km on the odometer. I'll bring it to a garage...

Now, there are cars out there for 10 000 CAD base model of course, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio are much better cars... but I guess I shouldn't complain. I've used the car for almost 3 years already.

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2005 Pontiac Sunfire SL 2.2 Ecotec from North America

Summary:

Not too good, not too bad either

Faults:

The piece of plastic at the end of the dashboard that connects to the windshield came loose. The dealer repaired it.

My question here is that there's a slight clicking sound coming from the clutch when changing gear. What could that be, it has only 17000km on it. Has anyone encountered this so when I'll get it to the dealer, I'll have an idea what this is about?

Thanks.

General Comments:

I bought the car in June 2005 for 11 000 CAD brand new. It was a substantial rebate from the sticker price because it was a end of line product (about to the replaced by the Pursuit).

I thought it was a good bargain mainly because it has the same "modern" engine as the Cobalt/Pursuit - 2.2L Ecotec.

Now, I find the gas mileage not being very impressive even though I drive conservatively. At 1,20 CAD the liter, I find myself envying those Japanese cars...

Plus, the car makes noises when I hit a hole or some other imperfections on the road and the car doesn't feel solid even compared to some subcompacts nowadays (Fit, Yaris, Accent).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th May, 2007

27th May 2007, 13:40

Comment from the original reviewer.

Today, I have just sat in a Toyota Yaris and couldn't believe the difference in terms of quality. It doesn't feel nearly as cheap and poorly assembled as my Pontiac Sunfire. I have not sat in a Cobalt, but I guess and hope that GM have improved their products for the new generation of cars. As time goes by, the only thing I'm happy with my car is the price I paid for it.

I forgot to say that I also had a problem with the driver's seat, but that was fixed by the dealer promptly.

And yes, the cup holders are poorly designed, it is not possible to use the climate control when used. Also, one of my friend complained about the headlamps not being bright enough for night driving, which I had no idea since it's my first car.

Thinking I'll probably have to keep it for the next 10 years while there are so many better cars out there, what a downer, my car is probably worth only 5-6 k CAD.

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