For decades, affordable roadster segment consisted exclusively of vehicles from England or Japan. General Motors has changed that night with the Pontiac Solstice (and its twin Saturn Sky), which was built here in America. Solstice brought genuine excitement to Pontiac brand, with its great design and is available with turbo. He was briefly available as a Targa top coupe, too.
Pontiac Solstice began life as a concept car at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Once received rave reviews and a lot of public interest, Pontiac has decided to accelerate a production model. When the Solstice debuted at the 2006 model year, the design concept was almost intact, with big alloy wheels, fluid lines and sleek, retro-style front end, which gave the car a very distinctive look.
But GM's financial problems in 2009, requires the elimination of Pontiac, and the fact that the solstice of the past. It's a shame, because with another generation of refinement, Solstice can really be something. Use a mixed picture of the solstice, in equal parts seductive sheet metal, hit-or-miss dynamics and disappointing reliability and quality.
Recent Pontiac Solstice
Produced from 2006-'09, the Pontiac Solstice convertible is stuck with the classic roadster formula, showing the front of the four-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension, near 50/50 front / rear weight balance and manually operated convertible soft top. Coupe, which was prepared in 2009 only, was identical except for its Targa roof - I think, T-tops with no bar in the middle.
Under the hood of the base model was a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Although the engine featured aluminum block, dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing, he did not feel the same way as an engine sports car. Tall transmission gears and the lack of response due to the slow nature of the Rev, and the soundtrack near the red was far from glorious wail roadster fans expect.
The best choice, if resources permit, a Pontiac Solstice GXP (sold from 2007-'09). This version is much improved, provided the acceleration due to the powerful turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. GXP also sports suspension, stronger brakes and a high-performance tires.
In this review, we found that while both versions have been entertaining in terms of handling, they can not match up to the test Mazda Miata (or, for the GXP, Honda S2000). Inside, Pontiac has decided to go with a much cheaper materials, and ownership experience even more saddened by the three other unfortunate qualities: a bustling multi-step process for top convertibles (completed terrible rearward visibility for the coupe), the lack of internal space for storing things like cell phones and wallets, and small trunk, which was unusable in any of these models.
Pontiac Solstice has received several notable options during its run. In 2008, OnStar, acoustic headliner for the soft top and a trip computer became standard equipment for the base and GXP versions. In addition, for '08, Club Sport Package with firmer suspension tuning and silver-painted wheels became available. In addition, the arrival of the coupe in 2009 marked the advent of soft-top Solstice Street Edition, which includes updating of standard features and sports suspension. In addition, in '09, ABS, stability control and rear limited-slip differential were standard across the board, and the Bluetooth connection is available again.
Pontiac Solstice began life as a concept car at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Once received rave reviews and a lot of public interest, Pontiac has decided to accelerate a production model. When the Solstice debuted at the 2006 model year, the design concept was almost intact, with big alloy wheels, fluid lines and sleek, retro-style front end, which gave the car a very distinctive look.
But GM's financial problems in 2009, requires the elimination of Pontiac, and the fact that the solstice of the past. It's a shame, because with another generation of refinement, Solstice can really be something. Use a mixed picture of the solstice, in equal parts seductive sheet metal, hit-or-miss dynamics and disappointing reliability and quality.
Recent Pontiac Solstice
Produced from 2006-'09, the Pontiac Solstice convertible is stuck with the classic roadster formula, showing the front of the four-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension, near 50/50 front / rear weight balance and manually operated convertible soft top. Coupe, which was prepared in 2009 only, was identical except for its Targa roof - I think, T-tops with no bar in the middle.
Under the hood of the base model was a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Although the engine featured aluminum block, dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing, he did not feel the same way as an engine sports car. Tall transmission gears and the lack of response due to the slow nature of the Rev, and the soundtrack near the red was far from glorious wail roadster fans expect.
The best choice, if resources permit, a Pontiac Solstice GXP (sold from 2007-'09). This version is much improved, provided the acceleration due to the powerful turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. GXP also sports suspension, stronger brakes and a high-performance tires.
In this review, we found that while both versions have been entertaining in terms of handling, they can not match up to the test Mazda Miata (or, for the GXP, Honda S2000). Inside, Pontiac has decided to go with a much cheaper materials, and ownership experience even more saddened by the three other unfortunate qualities: a bustling multi-step process for top convertibles (completed terrible rearward visibility for the coupe), the lack of internal space for storing things like cell phones and wallets, and small trunk, which was unusable in any of these models.
Pontiac Solstice has received several notable options during its run. In 2008, OnStar, acoustic headliner for the soft top and a trip computer became standard equipment for the base and GXP versions. In addition, for '08, Club Sport Package with firmer suspension tuning and silver-painted wheels became available. In addition, the arrival of the coupe in 2009 marked the advent of soft-top Solstice Street Edition, which includes updating of standard features and sports suspension. In addition, in '09, ABS, stability control and rear limited-slip differential were standard across the board, and the Bluetooth connection is available again.
