When Pontiac started using the phrase “We build excitement,” I highly suspect that it was never intended to be used in conjunction with this pair from 1980.
Read it carefully (below): That 41 percent increase in mileage was the “highway” increase, and it was based on available powertrains (with an asterisk) versus the 1979 model. That asterisk refers to the “GM-built engines produced by various divisions.” And nowhere does it say how that 41 percent was achieved.
But we now know that Pontiac removed the V-6 and V-8 engines that were available in ‘79, and replaced them with a standard 151-cu.in. (2.5-liter) straight-four making – hold your breath – 86hp (this was a Pontiac engine); the optional 173-cu.in. (2.8-liter) V-6, supplied by Chevrolet, made 115hp. but with a curb weight of (mostly) less than 2,600 pounds, perhaps someone, somewhere, found some level of excitement.
