If any of you have read any of my other reviews, you might have gotten the idea that I like musclecars, and Camaros in particular. I've always liked the styling of the Firebird as well, but until recently had never really had any experience with one. But when I did, man, was it ever an experience!
My car of choice was a white '97 Firebird Formula, with T-tops, automatic transmission, power windows and locks, CD player and was nearly mint, with a mere 29k on it. Now, let me fill you in on all the details.
Appearance: SHARP! Even for a design that's (over) 3 years old, I saw more than one person checking out the car. It's a beautiful design, and is still current, and still turns heads. With the beautiful looks comes a complimentary sporting aggression. With the low, pointed nose, to the sculpted side mirrors, to the low profile 5-spoke, 16-inch wheels, right to the tapered tail and the trademark spoiler, just above the sweet 4 chromed round exhaust tips that sounded absolutely wonderful. It makes no secret of it's musclecar heritage.
Interior: Entirely befitting of the exterior, it's sporty on the inside as well. There is alot of plastic used in the interior, but that's not something that particularly bothers me. It's a good quality of plastic, not great, but not too cheap looking either. It's got a large amount of dash, due to the steeply raked windshield, but it flows well. The little round portal-looking air vents are neat, kind of add a little techno touch to the car. The radio is a AM/FM/CD and sounds pretty good, for a factory system. It's also, for the most part, pretty simple to use on the first try. The heating and air conditioning controls are also pretty simple, and have good-sized dials to grab and turn. No tiny switches here!
I loved the cloth buckets. Even though I'd personally prefer leather, I see the advantages of cloth over leather. Even though they're set low, and to the right, (which is no problem for me) they sit well, and they hug your body well. Another important feature; they were comfortable. While being firm, they were not overly so. For those of you who like to know how back seats sit, this is my opinion on that. It was actually not that bad to me, but then again, I'm 5'3". But it is definitely not a place I'd want to spend a large amount of time in. Smaller children, and shorter adults on even shorter rides only would be my recommendation. Legroom is not something that's in abundance, and neither is hiproom in the little narrow buckets, but I was surprised, they sit a lot more comfortable then they look.
I had plenty of foot room in the drivers seat, but it is a little more cramped in the passenger side, with a rather large hump being the culprit.
Ride: I loved the ride. I like the low-to-the-ground relationships these cars have to the road. It makes me feel very connected, and very in control because I feel like I'm keeping in touch with the car, so to speak. The low-profile, high-performance tires don't spoil the ride at all. It's stiff over large bumps and potholes, like almost jarring, but on little road joints and minor road imperfections it's no big deal. It was also surprisingly quiet, or at least alot more quiet than I was expecting it to be, although the deep exhaust note was an ever-present factor, it was not loud enough to be intrusive. On the contrary, it was always inviting me to dip in the throttle, just a little more, so I could hear it sing a little louder. It's an irresistible temptation, I tell you, and an awesome experience. Other than that, wind noise and tire noise were also pretty good, not being too noticeable (especially with the radio on).
Performance: This is defintely something the car has in abundance. As well it should be, with the famous 5.7-liter LT-1 V8 powering it. It makes 285 horsepower (@ 5000rpm) and 325lb-ft. of torque (@ a low 2400rpm). Be prepared though, V8's are never miserly on gas consumption, and you'll pay a premium to have one, but I do say it's worth it! If all you want is the looks, there are Firebirds with a 3.8-liter V6 that are also pretty quick (and alot cheaper) that make about 200 horses (@ 5200rpm) and 225lb-ft. of torque (@ 4000rpm). They also get better gas mileage (obviously) at 19 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway (you'll get 30 mpg if you opt for the 5-speed) versus the auto V8's 17 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway (those are automatic transmission figures.) This car loves to go too, shrieking the rear tires of the line with pure, unadulterated gusto, leaving those poor saps in their Civics and Preludes behind. But, on the other hand, it's a pretty good highway cruiser too, giving a confident feeling, and handling 80 all day long like a champ.
Visibility: For some reason, I had just a bit harder time navigating this thing than I did with a '97 Camaro. On the road, I was fine, no problem, but get me in a semi-full parking lot and it's a totally different story. Low speeds and corners are a bit iffy, because you don't really know where the nose ends and where the tail end of that parked vehicle begins. You can adjust, and over time you get a pretty good idea where things are, but just watch those first couple times.
Another thing; the sideview mirrors are nearly useless. I've heard this complaint before, but never had that much of a problem with the Camaros I've driven. The Firebird is a whole 'nother animal. So while the sculpted side mirrors look good, there's not alot of fuctionality in them. Also, the C-pillar blind spot also seems to be worse than that of the Camaro (due to the side mirrors?) and changing lanes can be tricky.
Safety: It comes with dual airbags and ABS brakes. The coupe scored well on NHTSA front crash tests, earning 5 stars (indicating most injury protection) for both drivers and passengers.
Conclusion: A fabulous car for a single couple, or someone who's out on their own. A joy to own, an absolute blast to drive, and it's good looks make a winning combination.
Also, alot of this information, and more, I got, in part, from www.msn.com which has a Autos feature that's really great on giving out all the important information (warranty, reliability, etc.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17, 995
Condition: Used Model Year: 1997 Model and Options: Formula, power windows/locks/seats, AM/FM/CD, T-tops, Auto.
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