Overview & Reviews

For decades, the affordable roadster segment consisted solely of cars hailing from England or Japan. General Motors changed that overnight with the Pontiac Solstice (and its Saturn Sky twin), which was built right here in America. The Solstice brought some genuine excitement to the Pontiac brand with its gorgeous styling and available turbocharged power. It was briefly available as a targa-topped coupe, too.

The Pontiac Solstice began its life as a concept vehicle at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. After it received rave reviews and plenty of public interest, Pontiac decided to fast-track the creation of a production model. When the Solstice debuted for the 2006 model year, the concept's styling was nearly intact, with big alloy wheels, fluid lines and a smooth, retro-style front end that gave the car a very distinctive look.

But GM's financial woes in 2009 required the elimination of Pontiac, and with that the Solstice was relegated to the past. That's a shame, because with another generation of refinement, the Solstice could have really been something. A used Solstice is a mixed bag, equal parts seductive sheet metal, hit-or-miss driving dynamics and disappointing reliability and quality.

Most Recent Pontiac Solstice

Produced from 2006-'09, the Pontiac Solstice convertible stuck with the classic roadster formula, featuring a front-mounted four-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive, a four-wheel independent suspension, a near 50/50 front/rear weight balance and a manually operated convertible soft top. The coupe, which was produced for 2009 only, was identical save for its targa roof -- think T-tops without the bar in the middle.

Underneath the hood of base models was a 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Although the engine featured an aluminum block, dual overhead camshafts and variable valve timing, it didn't feel much like a sports car engine. Tall transmission gearing and a lack of responsiveness resulted in a slow-to-rev nature, and the soundtrack near redline was far from the glorious wail roadster aficionados expect.

A better choice, resources permitting, was the Pontiac Solstice GXP (sold from 2007-'09). This version provided dramatically improved acceleration thanks to a powerful turbocharged direct-injection 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The GXP also had a sport-tuned suspension, stronger brakes and high-performance tires.

In reviews, we found that while both versions were entertaining in terms of handling, they couldn't match the precision of the benchmark Mazda Miata (or, for the GXP, the Honda S2000). Inside, Pontiac chose to go with markedly cheap materials, and the ownership experience was further dampened by three other unfortunate qualities: a fussy multistep top operation process for convertibles (complemented by awful rearward visibility for coupes), a dearth of interior storage space for things like cell phones and wallets, and a small trunk that was unusable in either model.

The Pontiac Solstice received some notable tweaks during its run. For 2008, OnStar, an acoustic headliner for the soft top and a trip computer became standard equipment for both the base and GXP versions. Also for '08, a Club Sport package with firmer suspension tuning and silver-painted wheels became available. In addition to the arrival of the coupe, 2009 marked the advent of the soft-top Solstice Street Edition, which included upgraded standard features and a sport suspension. Also in '09, ABS, stability control and a limited-slip rear differential were made standard across the board, and Bluetooth connectivity was newly available.

User Reviews:

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  ITS A SPORTSCAR NOT A LUXURY FAMILY CAR - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By hurricane43 - September 19 - 12:31 pm

  This is a sportscar made for fun not a luxuary car designed for ultimate comfort and convenience. If you want to really get out and enjoy driving a fun car and turn heads this is the car to have. It is reminicent of the 53 corvette with the front end design. It is a blast to drive and has performed very well in the 2 years my wife has had it. I bought it for her approx. 2 years ago and it had 18,000 miles on it and now has 36,000 miles and the only service has been oil changes and replaced tail light bulb(warranty covered that) and replaced a plastic clip on the top that enabled it to close all the way. We both love this car and enjoy getting out with the top down and hitting the road.

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  6 years and 100,000 miles - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By David256 - September 19 - 5:30 am

  I bought my 06 Solstice in 2008, when it had about 15K miles. Upon delivery the top fastening hook was damaged, and the rear end was bad (differential too noisy to be OK). The water pump has a small leak, too. A dealership replaced the rear end as a warrantied item, and I fixed the top. Nearly 85K miles later, the water pump seal was finally passing enough coolant to warrant replacing the pump. I got the car out of the shop Saturday, and today marked 100K miles on the odometer. Overall this car has been a very good car, very satisfying to drive, and has never stranded me.

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  2008 Solstice - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By happy owner - August 22 - 8:00 am

  This is a great car! The handling is great, no front end wandering, takes corners like they are not there. The fit and finish are teriffic, I worked in the auto industry for 30+ years and know about fit and finish. Have always driven GM and had two bad cars when GM had the quality issues, but those are gone and the product is now excellant. The styling looks good - we have had comments of "Cool car, Good wheels, Love your car" from teens and adults. You can ride with the top down at highway speed and carry on a conversation, and we do not have the opt. wind screen. With the top up wind noise is non-existent, just the soft rumble of the exhaust. A pleasure to drive!

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  First Impressions- short ownership - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Don Adams - August 16 - 1:36 am

  We have only owned vehicle for a very short time, but extremely impressed with ride quality for such a small, short wheelbased vehicle. Having owned GM full size & luxury Models all my life , this is a pleasant surprise-- Handling and cornering are equally impressive- vehicle feels like its on rails during sharp, quick cornering. Overall visibility and ease of manual top operation are great. My wife absolutely loves this car and is making it her daily driver.

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  Simply Put...FUN!!! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Claudia - August 4 - 7:46 am

  It was hard waiting the 13 weeks to get my Deep Blue Baby, but the wait was worth it. I have the most fun driving with the top down...and I dont mind traffic (sometimes) since it gives others the chance to check her out. Love the attention she garners. Hope they keep the production numbers down so that I own something more unique ... and keeps the value up. Just wish there was a door lock button inside the car... that would make much easier access to unlock the passenger door instead of stretching over or fumbling for the remote. Other than that, everything else about the car is an absolute THRILL!!!

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  Head Turner - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Fullthrottle - July 29 - 5:06 am

  An exceptional vehicle. Beautiful design(best GM has put together in a while)and always gets the looks. Simple with clean lines. Has that classic roadster feel. The car has plenty of pick up and power, always wants to go. (oh that turbo) So easy to spin those tires. Has pretty solid handling. Storage could be an issue for some. Interior is like a cockpit. Clean in design. Cup holder placing is in an odd spot(I dont use the 2 on the back wall. Stereo has great sound, love the mp3 adapter. Seats on the GXP are great, road trips have been really comfortable(Pack light).

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  Some of your judgement is bogus - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By jim - July 12 - 12:00 pm

  Like the 50s great English cars. As a average driver it is an excellent car in 90 % of my usage. I dont need cornering or any sort of road feed back, I do that with my eyes and feel. I love this machine. I have 7180 miles and still having fun.

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  Solstice - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Dale Devol - July 12 - 12:26 am

  Have been driving for the past 11 months and love it. Really turns heads when you drive down the road, top up or down! Handles beautifully but not happy with shift from 2nd to third. Only wish I had waited until the turbo came out.

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  Initial impressions - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Mikesan - July 7 - 9:46 am

  Just brought it home. At 6 tall and 184 lbs its a bit tight in the driver seat, but there is plenty of headroom with the top up. Engine is a bit buzzy and the shifter vibrates when in gear but shifts smoothly. Drove it conservatively for the 250 mile trip home and got 29 mpg! Handles like a go kart. Stopped for gas and two women came up and talked to me about the car. The first insisted that it was a Porsche. Talk about a chick magnet!!

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  Im in love - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By pegboy - June 27 - 11:33 pm

  My father told me to buy an S2000 and my brother said Miata, so I bought my Solstice. I have never enjoyed driving anything as much as I enjoy taking the top down and cruising in this. It is beautiful, sporty, roomy enough for what I wanted, and most deservingly a head-turner. As for the car critics not enough room, interior needs better styling, needs more power and handling, dont get me started. If it were up to the major critical magazines and publications we would all be driving BMWs and Mercedes anyway. For less than 22K out the door, with rebates and employee pricing, I am fully satisfied and laughing at the Z4s and Kompressors. I think Im gonna buy my wife the coupe. The top needs no improvement. I timed myself with no help other than my buddy pushing start on the stop watch. 10 seconds to lower the top, 8 to put it back up. Tell me your automatic put-the-car-in-park tops can do that.