This car is one of those that I wouldn't wish on anybody. I'll start out with the good points because those will be quick. The car has a great air conditioner. It was a warm 95 degrees out... and the air conditioner was blowing extremely cold. Was very refreshing with the top down for open air motoring.

Now to the bad stuff... this car is absolutely dreadful. The looks, well... that's opinion based. I couldn't stand the way it looked ... it actually annoys me to look at this car. The front looks strange the back looks just as strange. The hood and trunk open in clamshell fashion revealing very very little free space.

This car gives new meaning to the words "pack light." Except for the center compartment that divides the two seats, there is abolutely no room to hold anything in this car. The trunk is consumed by the entire manual retractable hardtop. The engine bay is stuffed with a small underpowered (I'll get to that in a bit) engine. The passenger compartment is the void of all elements you are used to. No nooks, no crannies, no cupholders, no place to store you cellphone. I ended up storing mine in the dash rings that housed the speedometer and tachometers.

The performance of the car is absolutely dreadful. It's good for absolutely nothing except sitting in traffic with that wonderful A/C I mentioned earlier. The engine is anemic to say it lightly. Winding it out under full throttle makes you wonder if the engine is powered by two hamsters on a wheel. To get to sixty miles per hour requires a shift to third gear resulting in horrible acceleration times. Merging onto the highway is downright scary, especially when highwas speeds of the oncoming traffic are in excess of eighty miles per hour. The guages on the dash are far from accurate. Rev matches on the dash were often accomplished before the tachometer has a chance to properly respond. Steering of the car is very good, very firm... but without any power to actually push this car to it's traction limits, it is wasted.

The seating configuation leaves little to be adjusted. The seats only more foreward and backward and there is not a reclining function available. The seats did not move far enough back to comforatbly fit. I often found my knees rubbing on the steering wheel during gear changes and rev matching downshifts. The doorsills are high, giving you the feeling as if you are sitting in a bathtub. The hood is never ending and feels like you are driving a corvette because it goes on forever. The rear, well it's not as long, but it is high. Good thing is if this car had power, you would know it because you literally sit on the back wheels.

Hope this review is helpful to whoever those are looking...

Go GM!

I'm guessing that this car is not a threat to the Miata.

The Sky, even worse than the Solstice (room wise, IIRC), looks cleaner (again subjective), but with a similar underpower rough motor.

We shall see if FI helps the Sky/Solstice.

I'm guessing that this car is not a threat to the Miata

Not even... this is a poser car, you sit in it and pose. The Miata is a true sports car. One of the last few in my opinion that you can actually drive hard and enjoy without worrying about crossing the triple digit limit or worry about being sent to jail when you want to have a little fun.

Back in ealry May I saw this car and just loved the look of it. Went down to the local Pontiac Dealer and took a test drive...... It had not pep at all. felt like I was driving a 66 bug.

NO Trunk, no interior room, no fun....

For the price, the Miata blows it away!

The roof/trunk design on that car is the worst ergonomics I have ever seen.
1. unlatch top
2. unlatch top from trunk
3. open trunk
4. drop top
5. close trunk

Reverse to close top.

Please, this shouldn't be a 5 minute event, Lord help anyone if it starts to rain while the top is down. Then, the fact that the gas tank takes up all the trunk space is just rediculous. I crossed the Solstice and the Sky off my list without even driving them based on this design.

It also costs more than the Miata. How anyone can buy that care over the suprior Miata is beyond me. GM, if you are going to try and dethrone a legend, please, design something better.

It also costs more than the Miata. How anyone can buy that care over the suprior Miata is beyond me. GM, if you are going to try and dethrone a legend, please, design something better.I really want to like the Solitice/Sky. But I can't. The Miata is superior in every way.

As usual, GM is late to the party. 17 years too late. :rolleyes

To be fair, the Miata is probably the most underrated car of our time.

When has pontiac manufactured a quality car in the last 30 years?

Not even... this is a poser car, you sit in it and pose.

Other than straight line, have you pushed the Solstice around turns? :dunno

I took one out in Las Vegas at a GM sponsored thing called "The Test Drive" at the Sahara. They have a little roadcourse set up, more like an autocross, but no cones and speeds are similar to autox speeds.

That thing is definitely underpowered, but you can control that car with throttle, steering wheel and brake easily. It's a blast to drive-pretty tossable.

I kinda like cars that can do other things too, not just straight line-otherwise, I'd get some hopped up Camaro. To me a fun car is more than just straight line power. But that's just me.

Other than straight line, have you pushed the Solstice around turns? :dunno

Yup... drove it around a little favorite piece of road I have which consists of some slow and fast corners. Wasn't impressed with it... I think it was the only cars that I was flat out through the corners without worry. Not enough power to break the rear free...

Yup... drove it around a little favorite piece of road I have which consists of some slow and fast corners. Wasn't impressed with it... I think it was the only cars that I was flat out through the corners without worry. Not enough power to break the rear free...

Oh without a doubt. It's like driving an E30 318is. Tossable, but you don't have to worry about losing control from too much power. Just enough to steer it with throttle on some turns depending on how you have your turn set up.

I'd like to see what the new FI car will be like.

By the way, at the Test Drive, I had driven the Solstice right after driven a C6, CTS-V and GTO, so the power deficiency was extra noticable.

I think the base solstice and sky are somewhat of a chick car.

the GXP and Redline are definately going to be better every way around. Hopefully you can get a chance to drive one of those when they hit the streets, because the power difference will be HUGE, especially with 260tq with a flat torque curve.

The Solstice and Sky are NOT a daily driver for most, but they are built for top down corner carving fun. I think for the price ($20k up to around $30k for a fully loaded GXP/RL) it is a nice little roadster. But be realistic when you buy a roadster you aren't buying it for practicality.

P.S. the Sky and Solstice have virtually the SAME cargo capacity.

Chick car? The only people I see driving them are retired 70+ guys who grow nostalgic over the Mustangs they drove back in the 60's, but can't quite afford to keep running anymore.

And yeah, the engine is a joke. If they put a V6 in, on the other hand...it'd be a badly-designed, good-handling, cheap-feeling car that could also get you into trouble.

Other than straight line, have you pushed the Solstice around turns? :dunno

I took one out in Las Vegas at a GM sponsored thing called "The Test Drive" at the Sahara. They have a little roadcourse set up, more like an autocross, but no cones and speeds are similar to autox speeds.

That thing is definitely underpowered, but you can control that car with throttle, steering wheel and brake easily. It's a blast to drive-pretty tossable.

I kinda like cars that can do other things too, not just straight line-otherwise, I'd get some hopped up Camaro. To me a fun car is more than just straight line power. But that's just me.

I think the underpowered issue should change since they are putting the turbocharged version derived supercharged ecotec 2.0 engine from the cobalt SS. It will make 260hp. I guess about 100hp gain.

Or one could just build a ls7 based solstice like gm did. Has stage 3 cam in the car too making like 575hp.

The roof/trunk design on that car is the worst ergonomics I have ever seen.
1. unlatch top
2. unlatch top from trunk
3. open trunk
4. drop top
5. close trunk

Reverse to close top.

Please, this shouldn't be a 5 minute event, Lord help anyone if it starts to rain while the top is down.

Sounds like the same way it is on the E30 verts, at least I know it is on mine, or it sounds like it is. Not that bad, only takes me about 50-60 seconds if I jump out and drop it. Could take 1:30 if I did it slow, so maybe it's not the same.

To be fair, the Miata is probably the most underrated car of our time.

Everyone who knows anything about cars knows the thing's serious business. Everyone who doesn't says "LOL GAY MEN DRIVE MIATAS."

When has pontiac manufactured a quality car in the last 30 years?

Three words: Firebird, Trans Am.

Reviving an ancient thread btw.