Pontiac Solstice
Skin deep |
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By Richard J. Newman
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Nits: To keep the base price under $20,000, Pontiac built a bare-bones model that comes without power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, and some other features that are all but universal these days.
G forces: Find the curviest road you can, and have a ball. The Solstice is so small and grabby that it corners more tightly than physics should allow. The engine isn't particularly zesty, though, and just when you're in the mood for some true sporty driving, it disappoints. The ride is rough but no complaints there–that's what you get in a roadster.
Gizmology: The dashboard controls feel cheap, but they're laid out cleanly and are easy to use. One surprise, given the corner cutting elsewhere in the Solstice, is a clever cupholder that pops out of the dash on the passenger side. The convertible top, by contrast, left me feeling grumpy, since it's a lot of work to stow in the trunk. The Mazda Miata's top, in comparison, stows with a couple easy maneuvers that don't even require you to get out of the car.
Kidmarks: There's no back seat, but the kids will beg for a ride anyway.
Hot or not: Hot. It's cute and imposing all at once.
Pain at the pump: Modest. Mileage rankings range from 20 mpg/city to 28 mpg/highway. The Solstice ranks 388 out of 477 on U.S. News's muscle-per-gallon index. (Higher is better.)
Crash course: Not crash-tested by the government or by private testing organizations.
Price points: Base price is $19,995. Price as tested: $24,310. (All prices include delivery fees.)
More info: www.pontiac.com
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Model year tested: 2006
Pontiac finally has a car with knockout looks. Too bad the rest of the vehicle doesn't meet the same standard.
The Solstice is such a showstopping design that buyers placed several thousand orders for the car before it even materialized in showrooms this fall. It's not a bad car to fall in love with at first sight: The Solstice is cute and curvaceous in the front, with a brawny rear end that makes it more masculine looking than competitors like the Mazda Miata and the Honda S2000. There's also a resemblance to the Porsche Boxster, which brought numerous upward thumbs as I cruised the streets near New York City. And at a base price of about $20,000, what's the harm in ordering one after ogling it just a few times on the Internet?
Any impulse buyers who persuaded themselves to hold out for a test drive, however, are probably thankful that they did. The Solstice isn't a dog. But the interior experience and the mechanical performance of the car don't match its stunning looks. First, the 177-horsepower engine doesn't feel as perky as its power rating would suggest for such a small car. Acceleration is good but not exhilarating. Handling is a high point, thanks to huge 18-inch tires, wheels at the edge of the chassis, and a belly that practically surfs on the pavement. But beyond that, there are a lot of loose ends. The Solstice is as noisy with the roof up as other convertibles are topless. Stowing the top is a complicated exercise that requires getting out of the car. And the Solstice fails the critical golf-bag test: There is virtually no space in the so-called trunk.
OK, so I'm being a ninny. These are just the trade-offs you deal with when you live for the wind in your hair, right? Well, then, here are a few other gripes. The knob for reclining the seat is crammed so far down into the floor that I literally had to stop the car, open the door, and step out in order to adjust the seat. There's no button for unlocking the doors; you have to reach around and pull up on the lock every time, which gets annoying. And some of the interior workmanship seems so rushed that I wondered if the car got hustled off the assembly line a stop or two too early. Yes, this is a great-looking car at a great price. But this one is skin deep, baby.
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