Chevrolet Cavalier

Chevrolet Cavalier

Manufacturer	Chevrolet
Parent company	General Motors
Production	1982–2005
Predecessor	Chevrolet Monza
Successor	Chevrolet Cobalt (For United States and Canada) Chevrolet Optra (For Mexico)
Class	Compact
Layout	FF layout
Platform	J-body

First generation

Production	1982–1987
Assembly	Lordstown, Ohio Lansing, Michigan Janesville, Wisconsin Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico South Gate, California (1982 only) Kansas City, Missouri
Body style(s)	2-door convertible 2-door coupe 3-door hatchback 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Engine(s)	1.8 L I4 2.0 L I4 2.8 L V6
Transmission(s)	4-speed manual 5-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	101.2 in (2570 mm)
Length	Sedan: 174.5 in (4432 mm) Coupe: 173.5 in (4407 mm) Wagon: 177.9 in (4519 mm)
Width	Sedan & Coupe: 66.0 in (1676 mm) Wagon: 66.3 in (1684 mm)
Height	Sedan & Coupe: 52.0 in (1321 mm) Wagon: 54.2 in (1377 mm)
Fuel capacity	13.6 US gal
Related	Buick Skyhawk Cadillac Cimarron Oldsmobile Firenza Pontiac Sunbird Vauxhall Cavalier

Second generation

Production	1988-1994
Assembly	Lordstown, Ohio Lansing, Michigan Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico
Body style(s)	2-door convertible 2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Engine(s)	2.2 L I4 2.8 L V6 3.1 L V6
Transmission(s)	5-speed manual 3-speed automatic
Wheelbase	1988-89: 101.2 in (2570 mm) 1990-94: 101.3 in (2573 mm)
Length	1988-89: 178.6 in (4536 mm) 1988-89 Wagon: 178.8 in (4542 mm) 1990-94: 182.3 in (4630 mm) 1990-94 Wagon: 181.1 in (4600 mm)
Width	66.3 in (1684 mm) 1988-89 Sedan/Coupe/Wagon: 66.0 in (1676 mm)
Height	1988-1991 Coupe & 1990-91 Convertible: 52.0 in (1321 mm) 1988-1991 Sedan: 53.6 in (1361 mm) 1988-89 & 1992-94 Convertible: 52.2 in (1326 mm) 1988-89 Wagon: 54.3 in (1379 mm) 1990-91 Wagon: 54.1 in (1374 mm) 1992-94 Wagon: 53.8 in (1367 mm) 1992-94 Coupe: 51.9 in (1318 mm) 1992-94 Sedan: 53.5 in (1359 mm)
Curb weight	2359 lb (1070 kg) (coupe) 2363 lb (1072 kg) (sedan) 2271 lb (1030 kg) (RS coupe) 2414 lb (1095 kg) (RS sedan) 2558 lb (1160 kg) (Z24 coupe) 2665 lb (1209 kg) (Z24 convertible)
Fuel capacity	15.2-18 US gal
Related	Buick Skyhawk Cadillac Cimarron Oldsmobile Firenza Pontiac Sunbird Vauxhall Cavalier

Third generation

Also called	Toyota Cavalier
Production	1995–2005
Assembly	Lordstown, Ohio Lansing, Michigan Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico
Body style(s)	2-door convertible 2-door coupe 4-door sedan
Engine(s)	2.2 L I4 2.3 L I4 2.4 L I4
Transmission(s)	5-speed manual 3-speed automatic 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase	104.1 in (2644 mm)
Length	1995-97: 180.3 in (4580 mm) 1998-2002: 180.7 in (4590 mm) 2003-05: 180.9 in (4595 mm)
Width	2-Door: 68.7 in (1745 mm) 4-Door: 67.9 in (1725 mm)
Height	1995-97 Coupe: 53.2 in (1351 mm) 1995-97 Sedan: 54.8 in (1392 mm) 1995-97 Convertible: 53.9 in (1369 mm) 1998-2005 Coupe: 53.0 in (1346 mm) 1998-99 Convertible: 54.1 in (1374 mm) 1998-2005 Sedan: 54.7 in (1389 mm) 2000-02 Convertible: 53.7 in (1364 mm)
Curb weight	2562 lb (1162 kg) - 2784 lb (1263 kg)
Fuel capacity	15.2-18 US gal
Related	Pontiac Sunfire

The Chevrolet Cavalier was Chevrolet's version of the compact GM J platform. The book American Automobile 1983-1993 notes that the Cavalier was aimed at quality imports such as the Honda Accord. It was one of the most popular cars in the United States and Canada from its introduction in early 1981 as a 1982 model. Even in the 2000s, it was GM's best selling car and trailed only the Ford Taurus, Toyota Camry, and Honda's Accord and Civic in total sales.

The Cavalier was a compact Chevrolet produced from 1982 to 2005. The Cavalier is widely cited as the most successful of Chevrolet's long line of cars aimed at combatting the influx of compact imported vehicles, starting with the Corvair, Vega, Monza and the Chevette, with the Cavalier leading up to current Cobalt. The Chevrolet Vega defined the subcompact class, before being replaced by both the Monza and the Chevette. After the exit of the Vega, the Monza and Chevette would do little to expand Chevrolet's share of small cars, but the arrival of the front-wheel-drive Cavalier would change this.

It was not the only J-car to use the Cavalier name; it was also used in the United Kingdom on the Vauxhall-badged version of the Opel Ascona C, and indeed the badge had been used by Vauxhall since 1976. The J-cars were offered by all five US divisions of General Motors, as well as GM in Britain, Germany and Australia.

Before the Pontiac brand was officially introduced in Mexico in 1992, Cavaliers sold in there featured Pontiac Sunbird body panels, as opposed to US Cavalier panels. From 1993 on, the sibling marques were both offered.

Predecessors

The Cavalier replaced the Monza, which was available as a 2-door coupe, a 3-door hatchback and a 3-door wagon (using the same body as the discontinued Vega wagon, the model it replaced). The inexpensive Chevette was retained even as sales declined, and was formally replaced by even smaller captive imports. Both platforms had conventional rear-drive layouts which suffered in comparison with more efficient front wheel drive offerings such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. Ford and Chrysler also introduced new front drive compacts. The largely successful mission of capturing the bulk of domestic compact sales would fall on the Cavalier's 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan and 4-door station wagon, the relatively short-lived Accord-like 3-door hatchback (which replaced the stylish Monza 2+2 Sport 3-door hatchback) and, in later years, a 2-door convertible. The small Cavalier even helped fill in lagging sales of the mid-size Citation (a Nova replacement).

Criticisms

Even at its launch, the Cavalier received wide criticism from the automotive press, who maintained that it was inferior in almost every respect to competitive vehicles from Japanese automakers. 1988 marked the first major restyle, although the size and shape remained the same and few body panels changed. The visual changes did little to change the criticisms that the car was underpowered (except the Z24 edition), unattractive and, still inferior in quality to Japanese imports.

A major redesign in 1995 corrected many faults that had plagued the earlier cars, but despite the introduction of dramatically improved build quality and noticeable improvements in noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), the basic conundrum remained: it was inferior to competing products from Toyota and other Japanese makers. Nevertheless, the third generation car enjoyed strong sales, despite being widely criticized by automotive journalists for its aging platform, interior design and quality control.

The Cavalier had poor crash test ratings, most notably the high risk of pelvic injury in the third generation model (according to the NHTSA). The 1995-2005 model received a rating of "Poor" from the IIHS .

The Cavalier retired in 2005 as an affordable compact comparable to, but usually sold for less than, the Honda Civic.

Production

Most Cavaliers were built at Lordstown Assembly, although they have also been produced in South Gate, California (1982 model year only), Lansing Car Assembly (1996-1998 coupes), Lansing Craft Centre (1996-2000 convertibles), Janesville Assembly, Ramos Arizpe, and Leeds Assembly.

United States sales figures

58,904 - 1982
218,587 - 1983
462,611 - 1984 (Best-seller)
383,752 - 1985 (Best-seller)
432,101 - 1986
346,254 - 1987
322,939 - 1988
376,626 - 1989
310,501 - 1990
326,847 - 1991
225,633 - 1992
251,590 - 1993
254,426 - 1994
151,669 - 1995
261,686 - 1996
315,136 - 1997
238,861 - 1998
272,000 (est) - 1999
5,210,123 ~ total known to 1999

Sources: Edmunds.com (1992-98), Autoworld.com (1999 estimate)

Generations

First generation (1982-1987)

Second generation (1988-1994)
- Phase 1 (1988-1990)
- Phase 2 (1991-1994)

Third generation (1995-2005)
- Phase 1 (1995-1999)
- Phase 2 (2000-2002)
- Phase 3 (2003-2005)

Engines used

1.8 L inline-4 OHV
2.0 L inline-4 OHV
2.2 L inline-4 OHV
2.2 L inline-4 OHV "2200 SFI"
2.2 L inline-4 DOHC "Ecotec"
2.3 L inline-4 DOHC (1995 Z24 only)
2.4 L inline-4 DOHC (Z24)
2.8 L MPFI (available in American Z24 models from 1986 to 1989, and in Mexican models until 1994)
3.1 L V6 MPFI (Available in Z24, RS(Rally Sport) and Wagon models from 1990 to 1994)

Years used

1990-1994 3.1 L MPFI (191 in³) V6
1992-1997 GM inline-4 OHV 2.2 L (134 in³) I4 120 hp (89 kW) LN2
1995 Quad-4 2.3 L (138 in³) I4 145 hp (108 kW) LD2
1998-2002 2.2 L GM inline-4 OHV "2200 SFI" 115 hp (86 kW) LN2
1996-2002 LD9 2.4 L (146 in³) I4 150 hp (112 kW)
2002-2005 Ecotec L61 2.2 L (134 in³) I4 140 hp (104 kW)
2002 (LS Sport Model only) 2.2 Ecotec (152in) Inline 4 140 hp (104 kW)

Models and trim levels

Pumpkin Carve Autocross, 25 October 2003, at the Cumberland Greater Regional Airport was used for a 1.6 mile airport course run in Wiley Ford, West Virginia

Cadet - coupe, sedan or wagon
Base - coupe, sedan, or wagon
VL (Value Leader) - a as coupe, sedan or wagon
Type-10 - coupe, convertible and hatchback
RS (Rally Sport) - coupe, sedan, convertible, and wagon
Z24 - hatchback (1986-1987), coupe, convertible, and sedan (2002)
LS - coupe, sedan and convertible
LS Sport - coupe or sedan

1988-1991 Cavalier convertible

1991-1994 Cavalier coupe

1991-1994 Cavalier wagon

2000-2002 Cavalier coupe

Concepts

General Motors has produced a handful of concept cars based on the J platform which were first seen at the 2001 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) auto show. These include the Cavalier 220 Sport Turbo Coupe, the Cavalier 263 Super Sport, the Cavalier Z24R, the Cavalier Maui 155, the Cavalier 425 A/FX drag car, the Cavalier Technic Z24 and the Pontiac Sunfire HO (High Output) 2.4. These concept cars were produced by GM to show off the flexibility and performance of the J platform and to show that Cavaliers and Sunfires have greater potential than just hauling groceries. The concept cars at the 2001 SEMA show boasted supercharged engines, customized interiors, aggressive exterior styling, and high end audio/video systems.

Toyota Cavalier

1996 Toyota Cavalier coupé (Japanese export model with amber rear turn signals)

As part of a wider effort to avoid additional restrictions on exports to the US, the third generation model was briefly sold in Japan by Toyota under an agreement with GM, badged as the Toyota Cavalier. Aside from the fact that it was right hand drive, the Toyota Cavalier also featured a leather-wrapped shift knob and steering wheel, wider front fenders, amber turn signals for Japanese regulations, power folding rear mirrors, side turn signal repeater lights on the front fenders, and carpeting on the inside of the trunk lid. Interior seats were often flecked with color. The rear seat was folding. The Toyota Cavalier was entirely produced by GM in the USA and sold from 1995 - 2000.

A fair number of these vehicles are re-exported as Japanese used cars, most notably to New Zealand.