I saw one of these on the way out to Annapolis, Maryland today. Cute car. Not much of a threat with only 177 hp. The driver didn't seem to want to get into it at a stoplight, but I didn't buy my car to race people. Felt good to know I would have taken him if it came to it though.

http://www.pontiac.com/solstice/index.jsp

 

....wait until the version with the supercharged Ecotec (already used in the Cobalt SS) comes along... the magazines have hinted it's on its way, and could be quite a contender.

I called on the Solstice, and anyone who wants one is required to put down a $1000 cash deposit to get on the list. Deliveries start in October, according to the dealer, and cars can be had for MSRP or less (no speculation, probably due to the anticipated volumes).

 

where did you see one? i didn't think they were out on the roads yet --

juddz are they going SC or turbo? from what i read they were testing both, and i thought they said they were using an intercooled turbo setup; ~250 horse.

 

They must have been road testing a prototype...nothing is in the showrooms yet and there is no ads yet...

JIMBOO

 

I don't mean to be ragging on you, but the Solstice is not even in the same league as the Crossfire. It's not much different than taking on a Civic or something. It's really nothing to be proud of beating one in it's current configuration.

 

I wasn't saying I WAS racing him. Said it was a pretty little car that I saw on the road in Annapolis, Maryland.

 

...I thought it was SC, as in the Cobalt, but of course I am sifting through the rumor mill on it much as you are. For certain, the NA car will debut first, and the forced induction car will come a year or so later.

Even the base car is a bargain at $19K, and from my close up look at the North American International Auto Show, it's got quite nice interior materials and fit and finish. In fact, I would say it's significantly better than the usual from GM in the interior department. Pretty nice standard features, too.

I see these little cars around the Detroit area fairly often. Then again, remember that once the body is debuted to the public, Manufacturer plate cars can be driven on the streets by GM engineers. Also, the big three generally sell or lease the first few production cars to their own employees, to catch and fix little glitches during the production ramp-up. They do this so that Joe Consumer gets a perfect car, when he goes into the dealership to purchase one of the first production models. Chrysler calls their program "fast feedback". I have no idea what GM calls theirs. Per my conversation with the dealer, again, you and I will have to wait until October to come in for a test drive.

ben47, Whether or not the Crossfire can waste it in a drag race is totally irrelevant, IMO. Nobody buys these cars to go fast in a straight line. That's what Mustangs are for. But in the twisties, I'll bet this Solstice shines. It might even be more involving and more fun than our Crossfires. Corvette experience has taught GM how to build a good sports car, and nearly all of the magazines that have sampled an early prototype have very high hopes for the production car. I would be a liar if I told you that I wasn't tempted to wait and buy one of these, before I signed on the dotted line for my Crossfire. I suspect it will be a great sports car.

 

I like the looks of it better than the MX5!

 

i saw one on the road 2 weeks ago...

but it did have a michigan manufacture tag on it.

 

The nicer looking model is the Saturn Sky. The Solstice is better than anything else GM has going on (except the Vette) but that's not saying much.

 

what he said... i hope they put forced induction in the sky sometime... i'd probably buy that and use the crossfire as my daily driver...it would be weird to own a saturn though.

 

LOL, I think the same thing, just couldn't buy the sky because it is a saturn. Why did they make the good one a saturn?

 

How much is it? Looks good to me.

 

I would not worry about the "good one" being a Saturn. The way GM marketing seems to work lately, if the car sells it will end up in every division sooner or later! I saw the Saturn at the Denver Auto Show. It was tucked away into a small corner of the convention center on a rotating platform.
It had the best "WOW" appeal of nearly anything at the show. A nice looking car without a doubt.

 

...because Saturn desperately needs a car like this. IMO, Saturn's are cars for people that don't particularly like cars (and want to negotiate on one even less). GM knows this, and wants to make Saturn a brand that people actually desire. The Ion Red Line is still a thumb-sucking Ion, with its dumb center mounted instrument pod, Rubbermaid interior, huge body gaps between plastic fenders (so they can expand in the sun) and a face that doesn't look markedly different than a ten year old shrunken down Cutlass. But hey, if Saturn wants to stop making clueless cars, that's fine with me. Their current lineup isn't even competitive with the bottom feeding Korean brands (such as Kia). That's pretty sad.

 

Guys, think about it. It most likely IS a Saturn. The Cobalt SS is a Saturn.And as for GM learning from the Vette, forget it. They had vettes back when the Fiero came out, but they chose to use Chevette parts to save money.

 

Solstice vs. Sky depends really on the buyer's taste. Some like the Saturn Sky for a more aggressive looks and I like the Pontiac Solstice because of its curves. I'll be debadging the Pontiac logo on it to give it a more polished look.

 

it just has that horribly terrible ugly pontiac grill.

 

...I agree that the twin kidney grille that Pontiac has been using for years on end looks dated, tired, etc. A brand identity is important to maintain, but when the cladding came off the sides of the Pontiacs, didn't they want to abandon the old brand image for something a little cleaner and fresher? I say, give the cars a new look. Do something with the grille that hasn't been done before, because people who buy a Solstice do not need to be reminded of the underachieving Grand Am!

 

Wait until the Saturn Sky comes out! IMO it looks kinda like a smaller version of the XLR, the front in particular. I hope their smart and offer it with the S/C right off the bat as 177 hp in a car that weighs about 2900 lbs is weak at best. The Solstice is a VERY nice looking car and should help GM!