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:

• 

  love it - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Rebecca Miller - May 8 - 12:13 am

  Love my new Solstice It is wonderful little a car with comfort & great gas mileage

• 

  Ridiculously good for the money - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Tim - April 23 - 11:53 am

  This car blows away some cars in the same class that cost $20,000 more. This car could easily sell for way more and would still be a good deal. For a two door roadster this car is by far the best looking styling I have seen in years. It makes other two door cars look girly in comparison.

• 

  this is one sexy little car - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By gxpowner - April 19 - 5:33 pm

  i have hardly any regrets in buying this little jewel. there are some little quirks that i will address just because they are aggravating. the engineer that thought to put the radio power knob in the center of the radio where your hand hits it every time u shift into third gear must surely be proud. same goes for the mute/power button radio controls on the steering wheel. their placement turns the radio or sound completely off when hit.side mirrors r way too small. but...this is a head turning car that turns heads...they r just trying to figure out what the colored streak is that just went zooming by....lol

• 

  My American English Roadster - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Klaus VB - April 10 - 9:21 pm

  I have long wished for an affordable English Roadster - 2 seats, impractical, zoomy, fun car. Most of those have left the realm of affordability. So after test driving 5 times, I took a chance on this car. No regrets at all. I love how it drives, I love how zoomy it is. There are so few out there that you dont see many on the road and people think it is WAY more expensive a sports car than it actually is. Heads turn wherever I go and people approach me at the gas station to talk about it. Since it is my fun car, I do not worry much about the storage capacity (there is almost none). If you are looking for something to cruise in, run about on a beautiful day or drive to work (and then daydream about leaving for the day) than this is your car. ON THE OTHER HAND - I wish GM had put a little nicer fit and finish in the interior. The hard plastics are a bummer and the leather isnt great. The top is a little wonky to get up and down, but when stowed the car looks fantastic. I have had the car for over a year now and have only had to change the oil.

• 

  I just got it - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Buzz - March 30 - 1:00 pm

  I have had mine only 1 week now, so some of the above questions couldnt be 10s only cause I havent owned it long enough to test the gas mileage. But I plan to do so. Loving this car in automatic transmission. I bought it with 8500 miles on it fully loaded for a steal. Mine is an eye catching agressive Victory Red, driving it reminds me of the Pontiac Fiero I once owned. This car far exceeds that car. Maybe next years vacation will be me and my Solstice making the run from Boston to Phoenix.

• 

  Fun on the cheap - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Dave Reed - March 28 - 11:20 am

  Great Styling, low cost sport car. Fun, but unrefined. Noisy Ride

• 

  Finally! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Steve - March 7 - 2:26 pm

  Ive been in love with this car months before the first 06 ever hit the road. It was the day before I was to pick up a pre-owned 2008 G6 GT I had just purchased when I was told I just received a pretty substantial pay raise. That was it, it was finally my time!! 4 days later I was driving home my Brazen colored Solstice. I love this car. This car is sexy as hell and IMO blows the Sky away in the looks department. Its a blast to drive and never fails to turn heads. My only regret is I purchased it with only a couple of months of driving days left before it gets put up for the winter. Thats ok - between employee pricing and end of season blowout they knocked $5k off the MSRP - what a steal!

• 

  Good Looking and HOT!! - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Impe1595 - February 28 - 5:46 am

  For me, it is two things, the styling and the engine. This car is beautiful and fast. I dont care that there is not much storage space, or that the top is not so easy to operate, that the cup holders are a joke, that the instruments are hard to see - I dont care! Because even though I will never drive it more than about 7/10s, when I step on it it goes, and it goes fast; and I love the look of the sloping front fenders from inside, and big tires and exhaust pipes from outside. Im 65 and Ive had many cars; I never thought that I would have anything to rival the beauty of my 71 E-Type Coupe, but this Solstice does come close. I smile every time I go into the garage.

• 

  Great car with some small irritations - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By G. Kline - February 4 - 10:50 am

  Ive had a base model for over 2 years now. Im very happy with the performance, handling, and gas mileage. The car is beautiful and Ive got some great and interesting compliments on it. It is great fun and I love it, but there are some bad points. As several others have said, the interior design is lacking. No storage space, bad cup holders, the temperature control is one of the worst Ive seen (should have been more like my 2000 Firebird). I dont know why people complain about reliability. I have over 60,000 miles already (fun to drive, daily driver)and have had little to no problems. Too bad Pontiac folded, GM needs to keep producing these some how.

• 

  Fun, crowed pleaser car. - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Solstice - February 1 - 1:43 pm

  This is a fun car to drive and gets plenty of attention on the road. Top is a bite of a challenge to fit in trunk when new. Glad to hear they have a better engine option now. The car looks like it can go.... but is slow with the base engine.