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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  The best car since the 65 cobra - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Linda - January 30 - 10:23 am

  I fell in love with the boby style then when i got the car, i fell in love with it even more. It handles great. Stops on a dime and the looks i get from other people is well worth everything. If you havent bought one yet then shame on you, but good for me.

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  Nice, but not perfect... - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By PACMAN - January 30 - 1:26 am

  Great styling, very comfy to drive. But after 5000 miles, dashboard rattling (dealer "cant locate source") and clutch chatters and car almost stalls in first gear. Has since day 1 and three dealers all say..."designed that way...nothing wrong..try easing away from lights very gently". Huh? Its a sports car, for crissake! If I wanted to "ease" away from lights, I would have bought a Prius! On the road, driving verymoderately, the car gets about 25 MPG tops at 60 MPH.

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  Not Fun - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Gene G. - January 29 - 1:46 am

  I drove this car for two years. Continually took it back to dealer for various leaks. Handled terribly compared to my Miata. Poorly and cheaply constructed. After two years I could see this car could not be relied on for the long haul. I sold it and bought a Honda Civic which is solid reliable, much better milage and handled more like a sports car than the Solstice. Good ridance. Stay away from.

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  Very Satisfied - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By KyDave - January 19 - 4:06 am

  After selling a Honda S2000 over year ago I decided to jump back into the vert world. The Solstice really wasnt in the running until I got the $3000 dollar coupon from my GMCard. I paid just over 16.5k for a brand new 08 with the wheel package, Monsoon radio (a must), and a few other goodies. The car stickered at $26,062. An unbelievable deal and Im pleasantly surprised with the ride, handling and even the performance of the 2.4 ltr. The fit and finish is great and the materials arent as cheap as I had expected from a GM product. This may just be the best car deal Ive ever made.

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  Lovin Every Minute of It!!!!! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By LimoBarbie - January 12 - 3:13 pm

  I love this car! 1 sexy machine with a huge "hey BABY" factor. Im 50 and it makes me feel 16 again! Has every option available, wicked fast even with the auto tranny and Ive shown a lot of STUNNED Stangs and BMWs tire smoke and tail lights (got the performance upgrade so its hotter than the reg one) and I had to buy a radar detector because Im a very bad girl!! Loved my Town Car but after driving TCs for a decade I wanted something HOT-smooth sexy curves and the adorable eager-to-run expression on its little buck-toothed face makes me smile every time I see it. A real head-turner that folks swear must be an import and blazing speed to keep this old gal happy! I love him SO MUCH!!!!!!

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  The only Soltice in Acapulco, Mexico - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Joseph Lewis - December 7 - 10:10 am

  I bought my Soltice in Mexico City. It was one of only 5 to be sold at the Pontic Dealership there. I own the only black Soltice imported here. Visually it is probably the most spectacular and popular vehicle in Acapulco today. Other exotic cars pull up to me on the street inquiring as to where they can purchase one. It has good takeoff speed, I find it comfortable to drive. But more than this I find my Soltice to a blast to drive. I bought it two weeks before my 53rd birthday and feel like I did when I owned a 1967 sunbeam tiger back in the days when i was a kid. Thank you Pontiac. I am looking forward to the 2007 Solstice coming up.

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  Best little convertible in the market - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By JV - November 30 - 2:33 pm

  Fun to drive both with the top up and down. The interior design makes it easy to use all aspects of the electronics with minimal effort.

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  Solstice Rocks! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Solticeman42 - November 29 - 8:10 pm

  The soltice is by far in a class by itself sure to become a classic. I have taken it down Califronias highway 1 and people love it! The car is cool with the top up or down. Truly a fun car to drive and the fact that its American Rocks!

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  07 GXP - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By ¿spoom - November 22 - 5:10 pm

  Too early to tell, as I dropped it off at the dealer last week after 11 days because of an intermittent "no starter when you turn the key" problem. Ill test it some more when I get the car back ;) Overall, this is a fun car to drive. The 2.0 turbo took care of the weak performance that kept me from buying the first years model. Handling is on par with cars costing $10k+ more (Ive driven a Crossfire some). Even with cold tires & road on a 11 °F day this thing road like it was on rails-the suspension set-up is perfect,IMHO. I constantly found myself wishing I could reach the seat angle knob while driving but that would take a skinny-armed contortionist.

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  Midnight Blue Solstice - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By DavenJacey - November 4 - 11:20 am

  Great car...no complaints. Its our reset button on weekends. Only gripe is some wind noise around the seals at the windows when traveling over 55. Otherwise, this car is amazing, and it turns heads! No regrets, especially for the price.