Background: Pontiac, General Motors' performance division, updates its sleek, rear-wheel drive Firebird coupe in the 1998 model year with an improved V-8 engine and bold new exterior. General Motors assembles the four-seat Firebird muscle coupe and its corporate twin, the Chevrolet Camaro, in Quebec, Canada.
Trim Levels: The three trim levels rounding out the Firebird stable include: Base, Formula and Trans Am. Both Base and Trans Am include convertible versions featuring a glass rear window instead of the plastic variety. An integrated rear-window defogger helps clear up the glass during inclement weather. Plastic windows are more difficult to keep clear and see through. We had the opportunity to test drive both the Formula Coupe and Trans Am Convertible.
New for 1998: In addition to a more potent V-8 engine, numerous exterior upgrades include a new hood, upgraded front fascia, aggressive fender design and pop-up headlamps with more illumination power. The new hood design provides smoother contours and improves underhood airflow. A new one-piece welded exhaust system reduces squeaks and rattles by eliminating a third of exhaust system parts. New, larger mufflers reduce engine noises at highway speeds.
Engine: Formula and Trans Am editions include the new, 305-horsepower, 5.7-liter, V-8 engine standard. This powertrain boasts 20 more horsepower than last year. Base Firebird retains GM's 3.8-liter, 200 horsepower V-6 engine. Five-speed manual transmission comes standard in the Base, V-6 Firebird while a four-speed automatic is optional. The potent V-8 engine has a four-speed automatic transmission standard and a six-speed manual transmission is optional. For more power, an optional "WS6 Ram Air Induction" package includes a V-8 engine delivering 320 horsepower. It's available in Formula and Trans Am editions only. Both our test-drive vehicles included the more powerful V-8, providing thunderous acceleration and passing power.
Price: Our Navy Blue V-8 Formula included a base price of $22,865. With options including traction control, power driver seat, security package and $525 destination charge, the bottom line added up to $23,825. The test drive Trans Am convertible represents the most pricy Firebird offering. Base price starts at $29,715 and with options and destination charge, the bottom line ended up at $31,565. The lowest price Base Firebird with V-6 engine starts at $18,540 including the $525 destination charge.
Safety features: Daytime running lights, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, energy-absorbing steering column and reduced-force dual air bags come standard. A Pass-Key theft deterrent system, which requires no special steps to engage, but will not allow the car to be started without the proper key, is also standard. Improved traction control, a $450 option in Formula and Trans Am editions, is worth serious consideration in the rear-wheel drive Firebird. This feature helps control wheel slippage during wet or snowy road conditions, and came in handy during recent inclement March weather.
Standard equipment: The higher up one travels on the Firebird hierarchy, the more standard equipment one finds. All three trim levels include air conditioning, power steering, cruise control, rear-window defogger, tilt steering wheel, intermittent windshield wipers, power rack and pinion steering and dual reading lamps. Power side-view mirrors and door locks come standard in Formula and Trans Am.
Optional equipment: A twelve-disc compact disc changer is optional across the board. Six-way power drivers seat and remote keyless entry is optional in Base and Formula while standard in the top-of-the-level Trans Am.
Seating comfort: Since Firebird sits low to the ground, so do drivers and passengers. It's a downward motion when maneuvering into Firebird. The six-way power buck seat in our Trans Am test car could be raised up an inch or so, which made entering and exiting a bit easier. Like most sporty coupes of this genre, the back seat is best left for pre-teens because of tight leg and head room along with the rear-drive transaxle hump running down the center of the floor.. Driver leg room is good with the bucket seat positioned back and headroom is adequate. Front passenger riders must contend with an awkward floor hump robbing leg room. Firebird would benefit from a passenger bucket seats that moves forward automatically when the backrest is pulled forward. Currently, the backrest along with a lever below the seat must both be jimmied before gaining access to the rear. The back seat area does poses two molded cup holders once one contorts his or her way into the rear. With the convertible top up, our Trans Am had noticeably large blind spots making changing lanes or backing up a little more humbling; a trait in most convertibles however. However, the hard-top Formula's blind spots were not as bad as some other sporty coupes we have recently driven.
Exterior: Low-to-the-ground styling, long 45-degree angled hatchback, curved fenders and large, 16-inch, five-spoke bright silver aluminum wheels create an aggressive look. The back end includes a new honeycomb taillamps design with rounded backup lights. Fog lights come standard. The temporary spare tire houses in the hatchback in a compartment next to the right fender. The retractable radio antenna is also located on the right rear fender. Base coupes feature a fixed antenna in this region. Firebird's rear spoiler is positioned low enough so not to block rear view mirror perception. Some muscle coupes position rear spoilers too high, a visual annoyance especially at night when trying to monitor traffic situations behind the car. Retractable front headlights pop up when activated. The left side fuel tank door doesn't lock, but the cap is tethered to the vehicle. Chrome 16-inch five-spoke aluminum wheels are optional in all three trim levels while 17-inch high-polished five-spoke cast aluminum wheels are options in Formula and Trans Am trim levels. Exterior color choices include Arctic While, Bright Silver Metalic, Red-Orange Metalic, Black, Gold Sport Metallic, Blue-Green Chameleon, Navy-Blue Metallic, Bright Red, Bright Purple Metallic and Bright Green Metallic.
Interior: Like most of Pontiac's sporty offerings, the instrument cluster illuminates at night with bright red backlighting. A single molded cup holder along with a flip-top storage bin and hand-operated parking brake situates between the front bucket seats. Three large, horizontal, easy-to-find dials control fan speed, temperature and blower direction are located below the stereo system. Cruise control and windshield wiper are found on the turn signal stalk. Headlight controls are dashboard mounted, left of the steering wheel. Large dashboard stereo preset buttons look good, but a majority of the time, it's more convenient using steering wheel-mounted radio buttons. Our Trans Am's convertible top unlatched easily, and retracted easily with the push of a button. A second electrical plug for cellular phones and other devices is found next to the cigarette lighter. The hatchback region behind the rear seat has limited storage room.
Dimensions: Wheelbase: 101.1 inches Length: 193.4 inches (Formula) Length: 193.8 inches (Trans Am) Width: 74.5 inches Height: 52.0 inches Curb weight: 3,455 pounds (Formula) Curb weight: 3,605 pounds (Trans Am)
Fuel economy: Gas prices are down to a dollar a gallon in some suburbs. That's good news for sports car and sport utility owners since these vehicles tend to consume mass quantities of fuel. Despite increased horsepower, manual transmissioned V-8 engines actually get slightly better mileage than last year's offering. Mileage figures check in at 17 miles per gallon city and 26 m.p.g. highway when coupled with the six-speed manual transmission. With automatic transmission, V-8 figures check in at 18 m.p.g. city and 24 m.p.g highway. The tank holds 15.5 gallons of fuel. Regular unleaded is fine for the V-6 engine but the recommended choice for Formula and Trans Am V-8 engines is the 91 octane variety.
Target market: Median age of Firebird buyers is 37. Trans Am owners have a household income of $78,000, slightly higher than the $65,000 household income of Firebird coupe drivers. More than 47 percent are married. Breakdown of male and female buyers also depends on what model is chosen. Seventy-five percent of Trans Am buyers are male (25 percent female) while 47 percent of Firebird coupe purchasers are male (53 percent female).
Final Thoughts: Both Firebird and its Camaro twin offer decent value in the hot-looking, muscle coupe segment. Base V-6 Firebirds decently equipped start in the $18,500 neighborhood, appealing to younger buyers looking for snazzy transportation who can't quite afford the $28,000 starting price of a Mitsubishi 3000GT and other expensive competitors. The ride was not as harsh as I expected. Being situated low to the ground with a powerful V-8, both our test-drive Firebirds absorbed bumps quite well while still providing a decent feel for the road. With limited storage and rear-seat room, Firebird is not your run-of-the-mill family coupe. But it does offer impressive power and a good bang for your buck. But with an aging population and changing tastes, sports coupes have lost some of their once thunderous appeal. Changing times caused Ford to recently discontinue its sporty Probe coupe while strong sport utility sales have stolen away sales from other flashy, two-door coupes. |