There was an article about the Solstice in the Toronto Star on Saturday and I thought that I would share it here with you. Every week they review a different used car and this week it's the Solstice. Here's the link to the story on the Wheels .ca web site.
http://www.wheels.ca/SecondHand/article/792798________________________________________________________
Sports car came too late to save PontiacDec 08, 2010
It’s a miniscule slice of the automotive market — less than one per cent of sales — yet car companies seem to be obsessed with two-seat roadsters.
Blame the Mazda Miata MX-5.
The world’s best-selling sports car casts a luminous halo over the Hiroshima-based automaker, infusing its products with enough Miata DNA to breathe new life into what was essentially a lackluster import.
Perhaps hoping lightning would strike again, General Motors chairman Bob Lutz challenged stylists to dream up a two-seater concept for Pontiac, forgetting that the Excitement Division used to make one. It was called the Fiero.
“Keep it simple, pure and beautiful, and it will be easy to love,” Lutz told his minions. They came back with what would become the Solstice for the paltry development cost of $250 million — the price of a good marketing campaign.
Debuting for 2006, its Kappa rear-drive platform consisted of hydro-formed frame rails and an enclosed central tunnel — not unlike that of the Corvette — that housed the transmission and driveshaft.
There was lots of sports-car goodness, including rack-and-pinion steering, aluminum knuckles, forged aluminum unequal-length control arms with Bilstein monotube shocks, disc-brake rotors all around and 18-inch alloy wheels standard.
True to form, it had room for just two occupants. The cabin was reasonably spacious, but owners noted the plastic dash felt a little too discount warehouse and lacked any useful storage nooks.
“Interior materials are okay, but not up to the same standards as the MX-5,” wrote one owner, knowingly.
The Solstice featured a manual-folding soft top with a heated glass rear window. To cut costs, many parts migrated from other GM models: the instruments came from the Chevy Cobalt, the heater controls from the Hummer H3, and tail markers from the GMC Envoy.
The sole engine at the outset was a 177-hp, DOHC 2.4 L four cylinder, an enlarged version of the 2.2 L motor that powered millions of Cavaliers. A sturdy chain spun the twin cams, rather than a replaceable belt.
A close-ratio five-speed manual transmission — borrowed from the Colorado pickup truck — was standard, reworked with shorter throws. A five-speed automatic, lifted from the Cadillac CTS, was optional.
The Solstice GXP arrived for 2007 complete with a rip-snorting, 260-hp turbocharged 2.0 L four, the first GM engine to adopt direct injection. The Saturn Sky made its debut in 2007, too, with revised styling that would do double-duty in Europe as the Opel GT.
A two-passenger Solstice coupe with removable roof panel joined the lineup for 2009, but alas, it was too late to turn GM’s fortunes around. The General shuttered its Wilmington, Del., plant in July 2009 after it deep-sixed the Pontiac brand and failed to sell off Saturn.
ON THE ROAD
The base-model Solstice was a reasonably capable sports car, although its econobox engine was hardly a tire shredder. Zero to 96 km/h came up in 7.2 seconds — almost a full second slower than the revamped 2006 Miata.
It shone on the skid pad, however, where the Solstice’s near-50/50 weight distribution and steamroller tires were responsible for 0.88 g of lateral acceleration (grip). Braking was also exceptional, requiring 50 metres to scrub off a speed of 112 km/h.
“You spend all your driving time looking for roads with curves,” one driver posted.
The turbo GXP made up for any slothfulness inherent in the naturally aspirated engine. It sprinted to highway velocity in 5.6 seconds with the manual transmission and — get this — just 5.2 seconds with the five-speed automatic. Journos credited the smooth-shifting slushbox with keeping the turbo on the boil.
The big-displacement four was not the most fuel-efficient motor around. Some owners griped about fuel consumption that resembled that of a V6, although they likely weren’t driving with a balloon foot.
WHAT OWNERS REPORTED
Fun is the name of the game in this segment and the Solstice/Sky delivers it in spades. Don’t look for practicality here — the trunk is a small joke — but if you crave a weekend toy, it’s a fetching companion.
Mechanical hiccups are few and far between, owners report, though truthfully, a Solstice probably doesn’t lead the same grueling life as a run-of-the-mill Cobalt.
Reported problems with the convertible top include not sealing properly to the car body, rattling in the trunk when stowed, water leaks at the rear window, and difficulty raising or lowering the top.
Fluid may leak from the rear differential, requiring the original vent cap to be replaced with a vent hose. Other complaints include a noisy air conditioner, clutch chatter and sundry squeaks and rattles.
As is often the case with sports cars, the car’s (minor) deficiencies get overlooked, thanks to a curvy body and engaging performance.
It’s a shame the Solstice came to shine so late in Pontiac’s twilight years
2006-09 PONTIAC SOLSTICE
WHAT’S BEST: Surprisingly adept handler, off-the-shelf machinery, serious turbo
WHAT’S WORST: Cheapo plastics inside, microscopic trunk, no spare tire
TYPICAL GTA PRICES: 2006 - $16,500; 2008 - $20,000
