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:

• 

  Top Down Fun! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By BP - September 14 - 7:20 pm

  Fun is the name of the game. You spend all your driving time looking for roads with curves. Of course "Top Down" is the way to go. The interior suffers from a lack of nooks and crannies to put stuff but it is driver fiendly as far as visibility and reach goes. Dont expect off the line screams but the wieght distribution gives you G- force thrills. Have fun!

• 

  Best new sportscar in years - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By kramer - September 6 - 8:20 pm

  This is the very best new sportscar available in years! Surpasses all others for the money.

• 

  2007 Pontiac Solstice - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Kenneth R - August 31 - 1:33 pm

  This is an enjoyable car to drive, it hugs the road with ease, besides the excellent design features its also comfortable. At 240 pounds and 61", and 56 y/o I slide in and out of this compact with ease. The 2.4 liter engine is a little loud but it does have excellent acceleration. I have had an issue once with the differential leaking fluid, the dealer replaced it with any problems, the service department stated that this has been a problem and the new differential should correct the problem. At times I smell fuel, but Im unsure if its coming from my vehicle or from other cars on the road. Curious if anyone else have had these problems?

• 

  Fun to drive - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Barbara Chapman - August 25 - 12:23 am

  This is a really fun car to drive. It handles great. I also love the cute design of the exterior.

• 

  A Fun Car - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Frank Siebke - August 12 - 5:03 pm

  I drive to the extreme and my Solstice makes that driving fun. It maneuvers great in traffic. It has the pick-up I need when moving into traffic and handles like a true roadster. There is some wind noise, but that makes it a roadster, I want to hear and feel the space around me. It is just a fun car to drive, and I love the looks I get when we are on the road.

• 

  Chrome Tire Rims - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Jill Yingling - August 4 - 2:06 am

  My Car is 3 1/2 years old, and I do love it. I have 14,000 miles on it now. However the tire rims are chrome plated. I just found out that my front right chrome rim has shredded inside making the interior of the rim like shredded razor blades ruining my tires. It has ruined two front tires which cost about $325.00 each. I would recommend not getting the chrome tires and I am calling Pontiac GM on Monday and I hope they replace the tire rims and check my other three tires for the same problems. My first flat tire I almost had a serious vechicle accident. The entire tire shredded. The dealership would not tell me the reason why this happened. This is a serious danger to Soltice Drivers.

• 

  solstice fever - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By lester - July 24 - 5:16 am

  This car is absolutely incredible. i traded in my bmw z4 for this and i couldnt be happier with the decision. when the turbo kicks in, hold on to your shorts.

• 

  Another Roadster at Our House - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Steve & MaryBeth - July 17 - 11:20 pm

  This car replaced a 2001 MR2 Spyder which repalced a Miata this is MBs car and she hasnt stopped smiling yet. Our first drive was to Mid-Ohio Races. There was a very nice surprise awaiting us. GM had a Pontiac corral there that we were invited to join. I own other sports cars,Porshce and a Corvette but we have never seen so much enthusiasm and passion for any car as the people that own the Solstice. This was exciting and very refreshing. We are looking forward to many fun miles with this car.

• 

  Fun - priced at unbelievable price - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Teresa - July 10 - 7:53 pm

  looked for a fun convertible - fair weather car! the price was right the looks are classic sporty - loads of fun to drive satelite radio to boot! would recommend to purchase this vehicle

• 

  most fun to drive in years - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By m brock - June 28 - 3:13 pm

  I waited almost a full year, and the wait was well worth it. A great car to drive. Not real practical, but great looks, design, a real roadster. There are some quality issues, poor design of trunkspace, window bottons, some skeekiness with the top down, and wind noise from the windows driving on the highway, but i dont even care. I take my blue solstice for a sat am drive every week, to open her up and enjoy driving and shifting gears. I am now even starting to rev past 4000 rpms, to push the car , and it purrs like a car that cost over $40,000. my only complaint is that the dealer raised the msrp, even though i had a contract priced agreed to last year. Everyone will enjoy this car!!!