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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Chucks Solstice - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
By Charles Johnson - January 30 - 2:43 pmThis is one outstanding car with fantastic handling. Currently getting 28 MPG on the road with around 20 MPG in town with an average of 24.5 MPG overall. I have found out that the car runs better using 93 octane gasoline. Have a total of 900 miles after 3 weeks of driving. Seats are very comfortable but as reported the trunk has limited space. With top up I am able to get 3 large duffel type bags and one large soft sided hanging bag, enough for my wife and I to have a long weekend. With top down, there is enough space for 2 small duffel bags. I am using the car as a daily driver and regardless of weather it handles great.
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A great little car! - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
By LuvMySol - December 28 - 3:33 pmI just purchased my GXP after waiting over one year on my dealers wait list. I never thought I could ever feel this way about a car, but I am in love with my Solstice! It is everything I had been expecting it to be and more! This is the first time in my life that something that I had been anticipating with so much excitement turned out much, much better than in my wildest dreams. My wife, who never gave much thought about car, just loves this car too! The Solstices looks are awesome, and its mechanics seem equal. It is hard for me to believe that this is an American designed and built car, but it is! No trunk? Who cares!
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Soltice is Superb - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
By Roadster 4 50 years - November 18 - 12:36 pmVehicle is everything I expected. Driving position is perfect, There are no comfort cupholder or storage issues for us that critics write about. There is plenty of storage room for creative people. This is "A ROADSTER" not an SUV. Handling is better than cars costing double and triple- and I own such cars. Instrumentation is excellent and engine maintenance the easiest on any car Ive ever owned, and I still own 18 vehicles, 7 of which are classic vintage British Sports and GT cars. I recommend this car to Anyone interested in fun . It has Flash WITH substance and delivers great smooth and quick (for its class) automatic performance at a reasonable price.
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Had to have one - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
By Rwilson - September 26 - 4:50 pmGot the 08 after seeing it on the road.Did my research first. Back cup holder OK with me. The driver side holder needs improvement. Plastic looks fragile. Airbag light too obvious on dash. Auto trans. works for me, shifts great. Chrome grille would class it up. Would like a removable luggage rack for the back. Could have included door pockets but would sacrifice width. Perhaps a netting to hold odd and ends. Mirrors a little too small. Good sound system with 6 deck CD. My mistake was getting it for my wife. I dont like to beg. Put the SUV away until winter.
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Had the car since summer - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
By Boomster - August 30 - 5:06 amHavent had any issues with the car at all. It drives like a dream, and its just as fun to drive as a Corvette. Hugs the road and you feel like you have total control. Probably why its won so many professional drifting events in the past. Nothing like the top being down. Great stereo system if you have the Monsoon upgrade. The subwoofer really shakes the passenger, lol Great pick up and go for the regular trim style. Would love to drive the GXP to see the difference. But it should make most people happy with its power. I can definitely pass most cars with ease if I need to.
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What a Car Pontiac Got it Right!! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
By Aaron - August 28 - 2:46 pmFor the money you could not get a better roadster than the Solstice. This car rides like a dream handles like a race car. I gotta say Pontiac has done it right with this car. I agree with other drivers when I say Chrome grill would be nice and moving the window controls up closer to the dash would be good other than that dont change a thing on this car..........mark my words this car will be a classic......
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Lack of Storage Space? Bunk! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
By John Bruning - June 22 - 4:53 pmWeve got 3,800 miles on our 08 GXP. It has gone through deserts, an Idaho sand storm, crossed mountains in flash- flood conditions and has shined in every situation. Two rebuttals on criticism: 1.) Some critics say the manual tranny is rough and hard to shift. When broken in at about 3K, it becomes butter-smooth. 2.) No storage space. Bull. You just need to know how to pack. I just took our GXP on a road trip to support a SWAT teams training operation. In the GXP, I had a large camera bag, tripod, large duffel with a weeks change of clothes, gun bag, laptop bag, and ten blank-firing pistols, rifles and a shotgun. Plenty of room for all! Treat yourself: buy a GXP!
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Fun & Great Toy - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
By newragtopowner - May 3 - 5:46 pmWhat a fun car to drive! I dont understand how the "expert" reviewers can rate the Sky higher than the Solstice. They are virtually the same car. This is a roadster & therefore should not be considered a roomy car. It would be great if the top were powered instead of manual but its not difficult to put up & down. I would stop the car to put up & down anyway.
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It was worth the wait..... - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
By Wright - April 19 - 5:00 amI saw this car when it was introduced in 2002 at the Detroit Auto Show. I knew I had to have one! It is everything I imagined and more!
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Greatncar - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
By ehc - April 2 - 9:36 amIve had no problems with my Solstice. The transmission is the only drawback -- stiff to shift and poor choices in gear ratios.
