1999 Pontiac Sunfire Sedan 2.4i 16V 5MT FWD (154 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Pontiac refreshed the Sunfire in 1999, and besides the front fascia, it also improved one of the engines installed under its hood.

The American brand struggled to sell more than 100,000 units per year, and it only managed that in 1997. So the automaker considered that a refresh would help sales, and it did that in 1999 for the model year 2000. But its dreams were shattered since there was only a 10% increase, and that was just for a year. After that, the figures just went down until 2005, when it finally decided to pull the plug on the small econobox that the Sunfire was.

Based on the same J-body as the Chevrolet Cavalier, the Sunfire was considered by its manufacturer a sportier version for that. To further emphasize this, it introduced a new front bumper, which featured a single slat on the lower air intake instead of two. In addition, on the sides, turn signal lamps were rounded and installed in individual clusters, flanking the bumper. The rest of the vehicle was similar, with the same steel wheels fitted on the base, SE trim level.

Inside, the materials’ quality was slightly improved, but the cranked windows were still in place. The same went for the rear bench seats’ folding seatback, which was still in one piece that extended the trunk’s space. One of the few things that looked nice on the little Sunfire sedan’s interior was the interior light, which faded out when turned off.

Under the hood, the 1999 Sunfire has received an improved 2.2-liter inline-four that was fitted as standard. While it offered five ponies less than its predecessor, it provided a higher torque that worked better with the four-speed automatic transmission that was offered as an option.