Geo Prizm

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The Geo Prizm and Chevrolet Prizm were compact cars that were

Production

All Prizms were built at

The Prizm was introduced in February 1989 for GM's then-new Geo brand of import cars, for the 1990 model year.[1] The hatchback version sold through 1991 was a rebadged version of the Toyota Sprinter Cielo, although unlike the Sprinter (and Corolla liftback) it received the same front clip as the sedan. The sporty GSi model of 1990–1992 was notable for its 130 hp (97 kW) twin-cam engine, sport suspension, disc brakes, and 14-inch wheels, which made it as a spiritual successor to the 1988 Chevrolet Nova twin-cam but less of a limited edition, available in both body styles and a full array of colors in contrast to the earlier model's black color and sedan model only. They were the only four-door models offered with the 4A-GE engine in America, no other Toyota models ever offered that combination there. The regular engine offered 102 hp (76 kW).^[1] In addition to the base and the GSi, there was also a better equipped standard-engine LSi model. In addition to more equipment, the LSi also received body colored bumpers.

In 1991, the lettering of the car's name was changed, and the B-pillar and door frames on base models were body-colored instead of black. The Prizm was not sold In Canada, with GM offering a

Second generation (E100)

The Prizm's second generation, and the last under the Geo brand name, debuted in 1992 for the 1993 model year. The Prizm gained more room (resulting in an upgrade to

Third generation (E110)

The Prizm's 1998 redesign coincided with the conversion of all remaining Geo models into Chevrolets, as General Motors made the decision to discontinue the Geo brand entirely after 1997.

The most notable change was the new 1.8-liter engine, which was now all-aluminum, driven by a timing chain (instead of a timing belt), and making more power (with the same fuel economy) than the engines from the Geo era. The new all-aluminum engine known as the 1ZZ-FE powered all Corollas, Sprinters, and Prizms, making this generation lighter than its predecessor. This new engine incorporated laser etched valve guides directly in the block, rather than the old shrink-to-fit valve guides in the preceding Corolla motors (4A-FE & 7A-FE). This prevents oil burning and valve guide failure in the future. Although these efforts theoretically would have decreased oil burn, a flawed piston ring design affected all engines without VVT-i. This poor design caused oil burning in higher mileage examples.^[4]

The Prizm, alongside the Corolla, became the first car in the compact class to offer optional side airbags. All 1998 Prizms without the LSi's optional handling package (containing a front stabilizer bar) were singled out by Consumer Reports for having sloppy emergency handling; Toyota addressed the problem for 1999 by making the handling package standard. For 2000, the engine gained variable valve timing (VVT-i) for a slight increase in power (up to 125 hp). The then-recently introduced VVT-i optimizes cam and valve timing to reduce emissions, and the addition of individual coils for each cylinder helped control spark timing to each individual cylinder.

Due to decreased sales, low popularity, and being in competition with the

The Prizm along with its Geo siblings suffered severe sales loss when the brand denomination changed from Geo to Chevrolet in 1998. The Geo models outsold the rebadged Chevrolets three to one.

Trims & options

• Sedan:
  • base • 1998-2002
  • LSi • 1998-2002

Comparison to Toyota Corolla

In all three generations, the Prizm was virtually the same car as the Toyota Corolla. It has more similarities with other Toyotas during the time period it was produced than it does to other cars from Geo and Chevrolet.

Its distinctions from the Corolla came down to minor cosmetic differences, a GM Delco radio after 1992, the non-availability of a wagon in all three generations, and the availability of a hatchback for the 1989-1991 model years (the Corolla was not offered as a hatchback in North America during those years).

The third generation Prizm also featured a Delphi air conditioning system instead of the Corolla's Denso air conditioning system. The Prizms also used the contemporary Sprinter front end to differentiate them from their Corolla counterparts. The third-generation Prizm headlight, front turn signal, and taillight assemblies were also different, making them notable exceptions in a car that shared almost all of its parts with the Toyota Corolla through each of its model years.

Engines

All Prizms are powered by engines from their contemporary Toyota Corolla models:

• 1990–1992 Geo Prizms are powered by a 4A-FE or optional 4A-GE engine
• 1993–1997 Geo Prizms are powered by a 4A-FE or optional 7A-FE engine
• 1998–2002 Chevrolet Prizms are equipped with Toyota's 1.8
  inline-four engine; 2000–2002 models include VVT-i
  (variable valve timing with intelligence).

• Chevrolet Chevy II / Nova
• Toyota Corolla (E90)
• Toyota Corolla (E100)
• Toyota Corolla (E110)
• NUMMI
• Pontiac Vibe

Bibliography

• Geo Prizm Sales Brochure (1990-1997) by Geo
• Chevrolet Prizm Sales Brochure (1998-2002) by Chevrolet
• 1989 New Car Buying Guide (1989) by Guy Henle & Consumer Reports
• 1990 New Car Buying Guide (1990) by Consumer Reports
• 1993 New Car Buying Guide (1993-1997) by Bill Hartford & Consumer Reports
• 1998 New Car Buying Guide (1998-2002) by Consumer Reports
• Consumer Reports Used Car Buying Guide (1997-2002) by Consumer Reports

References

External links

• Corolland.com