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The Geo Storm was a Compact Car manufactured by Isuzu and sold in the United States by General Motors from 1990 through 1993 as part of GM's Geo line of inexpensive automobiles. The Storm was intended to be a budget car with the look and feel of a sports car. The Geo Storm was a Rebadged version of the sporty Isuzu Impulse minus some of that car's more expensive features. (The car was sold in Canada as the Asuna Sunfire, in Japan as the PA Nero, in Australia as the Holden Piazza, and in other regions as the Isuzu Piazza.) The storm lacked the Impulse's Lotus -tuned suspension as well as the Impulse's optional Turbocharger and All-wheel Drive transmission. Although they were essentially the same car, sales of the Storm were much stronger than those of the Impulse—indeed, the Storm sold better than most small GM cars of that era. Slow sales of the Isuzu version doomed the Storm as both cars were discontinued in 1993. VERSIONS The most common body style for the Storm was a three-door Hatchback . The 1990 and 1991 hatchbacks were produced in two trim packages, but all Storms shared front disk and rear drum brakes and had an anti-sway bar to tighten the front suspension. The base model was priced at $10,390, and the ''GSi'' was $11,650 . USD The base model's engine that produced 130 hp (97 kW) and had a 9.8:1 compression ratio. The ''GSi'' package also included driving lights, a spoiler, a rear anti-sway bar, and a transmission with a gear ratio that was slightly better for acceleration than the base model's transmission. After 1991, customers had the option of purchasing a two-door Station Wagon body style. The base price of the station wagon was $11,450, and it was never offered with the stronger ''GSi'' engine. Oddly, the Geo hatchback was marketed as a " Coupé " and the station wagon's marketing name was "hatchback". In 1992, the Storm was restyled to have a smoother front fascia without the pop-up headlight covers on earlier models. The 1992–93 base models retained the same engine, features, and price that were on the earlier car. The GSi version from these years cost considerably more ($13,645–14,560) but this price included a larger 1.8 L 140 hp (104 kW) engine. PERFORMANCE Modern Sport Compact s have faster acceleration and better handling, but the performance figures for the Storm were quite respectable for an economical compact car from that era. '' AutoWeek '''s 1990 review of the storm was titled "Slick, Quick And Inexpensive", and described the car as "a good performer" that "handles better than the average new car." When '' Road & Track '' compared ten sport compact cars they said the Storm had "the highest skidpad rating (0.85 ''g''), sticks like pine tar to the Autocross course, is second-quickest through the slalom and stops shorter from 80 mph than many highly respected sports cars". Skid pad test figures ranged from 0.81 ''g'' to 0.85 ''g'', meeting or exceeding those of the Mazda RX-7 convertible. '' Sport Compact Car '' listed the storm as number three in their "Top Ten of 1992". '' Hot Rod Magazine '''s Jeff Smith drove a geo storm that was set up for SCCA Super Production racing and declared it to be "every bit as demanding and fun" as racing a Trans-Am series car. Two different Geo Storm Celebrity Races were held in 1991, the first on July 13 in Des Moines, Iowa , and the second on August 24 in Denver , Colorado . Although they are not the most common type of race cars, modified Storms are still occasionally used to compete in Road Racing , Drag Racing and Autocross . One of the 2003 entries in the Grassroots Motorsports Challenge was a Storm GSi. REVIEWS The Storm sold well and was popular with owners, despite getting lukewarm reviews from automotive magazines. The body styling was "mildly controversial". Kevin Smith of '' Car And Driver '' used phrases like "Planet Zarkon" and "space-capsulish" to describe the body, which he listed as one of the best and worst features of the Storm. ''AutoWeek'' said that college-aged people tended to "shower the Storm with attention", but that Baby Boomers tended to "think that at best, the Storm is unusual looking, at worst, odd." The shape of the body was not the only thing automotive journalists criticized. The engine was described as a "buzzbomb" or "just plain noisy". A few reviewers disliked the suspension, saying the storm has "above average body lean and needs more rebound control". Some complained about the small cargo area, visibility and the abscence of headroom for backseat passengers. Other aspects of the Storm were more popular with magazine test drivers. Many praised the wide power band of the engine. ''AutoWeek'' said, "It revs quickly and easily. Running up to the 7600 rpm deadline can be a delight." '' Automobile '' magazine liked the handling, saying, "It's a delight to negotiate twisty...roads with its firm yet compliant suspension." STILL ON THE ROAD It has been over a decade since Geo Storms were produced, but they can still be found in the used car market where their primary selling points tend to be low cost and reliability, features that make them ideal cars for student commuters. ''Hot Rod'' magazine's Jeff Smith said, "The storm is also exceptionally durable and easy to maintain." Owner surveys show that people who have Storms tend to be very enthusiastic about their cars. There is a small group of owners who modify Storms to increase their performance, despite the fact that they have fewer aftermarket parts than other types of compact cars. YEAR TO YEAR CHANGES :1991: A "hatchback" model was added, other than that, the storm carried on unchanged. :1992: The Storm got a new headlight cluster, tail light, and front clip. The GSI version also got a new spoiler and a larger DOHC engine which offered 10 extra hp. :1993: The hatchback was dropped, and the hp rating of the base model dropped from 95 to 90 which would be the Storm's final season. REFERENCES |
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