2007 Pontiac Solstice Reviews and Ratings

For 2007, Pontiac introduces the Solstice GXP, an answer to a previous gripe: not enough power. Engine output increases substantially to a class-competitive 260 horsepower, thanks to a high-tech turbocharged four-cylinder engine. The GXP package lifts Solstice out of the good-clean-fun category, launching it toward genuinely thrilling.

While the base price looks attractive, the base model is basic. The windows are hand cranked, there's no air conditioning, no ABS and the bare minimum of occupant safety features. Add the options most buyers want and the price will get closer to $25,000, and that's what you'll likely find at the Pontiac dealership. It comes with a five-speed manual transmission and a 177-hp four-cylinder engine.

The GXP is notably better than the base model, even for drivers inclined to think that they don't need the extra power. This model actually delivers slightly better mileage according to the EPA, and the $5,000 price premium includes features most buyers want anyway, like power windows, cruise control, ABS and electronic stability control. The net cost of the high-output engine and other performance-enhancing equipment is about $2,500, and we think it's worth every dime. The GXP engine uses the latest materials and control technology, and it is GM's first in North America with fuel-saving gasoline direct injection.

Even in base trim, we found the Solstice fun, easy to drive, and an absolute head-turner, particularly in the new screaming yellow paint Pontiac calls Mean. The cockpit is comfortable, and the optional Stabilitrak traction electronics will make even sports-car novices feel comfortable behind the wheel. In addition, GM's new 100,000-mile powertrain warranty should add an element of owner security.

We'd say the Solstice could make a fine daily driver in many locales, except that is has no place to put things (except a passenger). The lack of storage space and idiosyncrasies with the convertible top could get old quickly as a sole source of transportation. The lack of luggage space makes the Solstice a poor choice for long trips or airport runs.

Yet cars like this aren't purely about transportation. In many ways, the Solstice is a match for the Mazda MX-5 and Honda S2000, at a competitive price. Like these pure sports cars, the Solstice uses rear-wheel drive. Measured by key objective performance benchmarks, the GXP can be compared with much more expensive, long-time roadster class stalwarts such as the Porsche Boxster and Audi TT. In practice, however, the Solstice doesn't offer the handling precision of these other sports cars nor does it match their refinement, interior quality and general tightness. Model Lineup
What's New for 2007: The higher-powered Solstice GXP expands the lineup to two models, introducing a high-tech turbocharged engine that increases power nearly 50 percent over the base engine. The GXP also sports more features and additional performance and safety hardware. Both models now include power height adjustment for the driver's seat.

The Solstice ($21,515) is powered by a 177-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a standard five-speed manual transmission. It comes standard with hand-cranked windows, manually adjusted outside mirrors and manual door locks. Its AM/FM stereo has six speakers, a CD and an auxiliary jack for MP3 players and other audio devices. The glass rear window has a defogger, and the urethane-clad steering wheel has a tilt adjustment. The shift knob wears leather, but seats and door panels are covered in cloth. The Convenience Package ($465) adds cruise control, an information center, and fog lamps. The Preferred Package ($625) includes power windows, door locks and body-colored outside mirrors. Together, these two packages bring the base Solstice up to snuff with the GXP, minus the cool engine.

The Solstice GXP ($26,515) gets a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine generating 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, matched to a five-speed manual transmission. The GXP comes with more standard safety features, including ABS, GM's Stabilitrak skid-management system and a limited-slip differential. The GXP also gets power windows and mirrors, cruise control, remote keyless entry, fog lamps and polished aluminum wheels.

A five-speed automatic transmission ($875) and air conditioning ($969) are optional on both models.

Leather upholstery is available for both the base model ($690) and GXP ($525) as part of the Premium Package.

Audio upgrades include a CD that can play MP3 coded discs ($195), as opposed to a plug-in MP3 player (that capability is standard). Next up is a high-watt Monsoon system with subwoofer ($395), which requires the MP3 upgrade. There also is an in-dash six-CD changer ($495), which includes the MP3 capability. Both Solstice models also offer XM Satellite Radio ($199) with a three-month trial subscription. Other options include OnStar Safe & Sound ($695) with a one-year subscription, polished wheels for the base model ($545), chrome wheels, sport metallic pedals ($150), floor mats ($60) and a smoker package with lighter and ash tray ($40).

The base Solstice can be ordered with the limited-slip rear differential ($195) and a rock-hard suspension ($1,095) for club racing.

The Solstice is equipped with the minimum passive safety features required by federal regulation, which means seat belts and dual front airbags. Anti-lock brakes ($400) and Stabilitrak ($485) are optional on the base model. Walkaround
What's New for 2007: The Solstice GXP can be distinguished by its black honeycomb grilles and small chin spoiler in front. It also features expanded brake-cooling ducts around the fog lamps, polished dual exhaust tips and standard polished aluminum wheels. Both Solstice models are available in a new screaming yellow paint, which, in keeping with Pontiac's theme of naming colors after emotions, is called Mean.

The Solstice is seemingly an amalgamation of classic sports-car design cues, but it doesn't look the least bit derivative. It may not break new ground, but it sweetly, respectfully blends elements of sports cars that have gone before. The result is an eye-pleasing, delightfully proportioned, almost sensuous package.

There's not a straight line, flat surface or right angle on the body of this car. Indeed, the only part formed by the traditional method of stamping a piece of sheet metal is the small panel behind the front wheel well. The rest are created with a process called hydroforming, which uses extreme water pressure to press sheet metal into a mold. Hydroforming increases rigidity without adding weight, which in turn results in a stiffer platform, the key to sharp handling, reduced vibration and a smooth ride.

The Solstice's convertible top is a triumph, stylistically. Yes, this car looks best with the top down, but even top-up the profile shows a nice aero look. The trick to the roof's slick look is a couple of Ferrari Dino-like sail panels, or buttresses, book-ending the vertical rear window. These sails have a downside, however.

They add complexity to opening the trunk or raising and lowering the top, which tucks under the rear-hinged trunk lid covering the entire back part of the car. Click the remote or a button in the cockpit and three latches pop loose: one in the center for the trunk lid, the other two outboard beneath the roof sails. When it works correctly, the sails pop up and the trunk opens of its own volition. However, sometimes you have to push the sails up and lift the trunk lid. To close the trunk, you reverse the process, remembering to re-latch both sails.

The entire process takes less than a minute, but it can be cumbersome just to drop a bag into the trunk. To be absolutely sure the trunk lid closes, with no warning light on in dash, you have to stand behind the car and put hands as close as possible to the far corners, then slam. Then you have to walk from side to side and make sure both roof sails are attached. When they're not properly planted in their attachments, they can look wrinkled and awkward.

The same process applies to opening and closing the top. There's a single release lever inside the car in the center of the windshield frame. Unlatch it to pop the trunk lid and you can heft the top back and drop it into the trunk from the driver's seat, but you still have to get out to close the trunk. It's not conducive to opening the roof at a stoplight if the urge strikes, or closing it quickly when the rain starts. Interior
OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation is available on the 2007 Solstice. Consider it a fully functional off-location navigation system, as opposed to a conventional onboard one. Turn-by-Turn allows subscribers to talk to a live advisor, who in turn sends complete step-by-step directions to the vehicle through the OnStar system. These audio directions automatically play through the vehicle's stereo as needed, triggered by OnStar's global positioning system (GPS) capabilities and ultimately leading the Solstice to its destination. OnStar calculates the route and relays it to the car, rather than leaving the calculations to an onboard computer and displaying them as directions or a map.

Doors on the Pontiac Solstice are long, so climbing in and out is relatively easy, even though it's a long way down. Driver and passenger sit hunkered down in this roadster, with shoulders below the tops of the doors, Corvette-style. Some will love the feeling; others may feel discombobulated by the difficulty of seeing the front end of the car. The new power height adjustment for the driver's seat can help.

The Solstice seats are supportive, with a one-piece back and integrated headrests. For people space, Solstice compares well with competitors like the Mazda MX-5, and the seats can accommodate fairly tall frames. The optional leather in a Solstice GXP we drove was well tailored, with GXP embroidered on the seatbacks.

Most materials are generally good quality, particularly the leather, soft plastic and trim plastic. However, the hard plastic on the doors and dash looks and feels too much like hard plastic.

The three-spoke steering wheel could be thicker, but the optional leather-wrapped wheel feels great. Cruise-control buttons and audio controls buttons are embedded in the spokes. The dash design is simple, handsome and effective. The panel sweeps up from the center console, over the gauges and into the door panel. The gauges sit at the bottom of deep tubes, and while they're nicely shielded from reflection, they could be better aimed toward the driver's sight line. Four circular vents move plenty of air.

The three climate-control knobs are big and easy to find. The square stereo face plate stands out oddly from the nice flowing curves everywhere else in the car. The volume and tuning knobs are large and covered with the same soft, grippy material as those for the climate controls, making them easy to adjust. A row of buttons sits to the right of these gauges for hazard lights, traction electronics, fog lamps and dash lights, right where fingers stretch from the right hand when properly wrapped around the steering wheel.

The window switches are awkward to reach. With forearm flat on the driver's door arm rest, and the left hand resting at the door pull, the window switches sit somewhere under the wrist. It's difficult to slide the arm back to reach them (or the mirror adjustor), because the elbow is blocked by the seatback bolster. The driver must contort his or her left arm to try to get fingers on the switches.

Storage space is lacking in this car, and that might be the biggest single strike against the Solstice as a daily driver. If you think this is simply life with two-seat roadsters, then have a look at some of the competition and you'll realize otherwise.

The Solstice has a decent-sized glovebox, though smaller than average. It also has a bin behind the front seats on the rear bulkhead; it will accommodate some CDs, but you can't get into it while driving and the cheap plastic latch is easily broken. Likewise, the cupholders, which pull out from under the bin on the bulkhead, are as good as useless for the driver. Beyond the glove box and the bin, there are little pockets (more like rails) molded into the door jams. These will fit a pen or a CD stood on end, but you'll have to move the CD before you get out. There's really no room behind the seats. Accessories from the dealer or the aftermarket could come to the rescue, but otherwise there's no place to stash a phone, a pair of glasses, or a wallet.

The trunk offers little help. Doubling as storage for the convertible top, it provides 5.4 cubic feet of space with the top up, and just 2.1 cubic feet of space with the top down. Those numbers don't truly tell the tale, however. The elephant in the trunk is the gas tank. Finding no other place to put it (and still stay within the development timeline and budget set for the car), Solstice engineers plopped the gas tank in the middle of the trunk. The result is a huge box sitting on the trunk floor that leaves barely enough room around the edges for small, soft-sided, duffel-bag-type luggage. While storage space in other small roadsters may not look significantly greater by the numbers, the practical, usable space in most is significantly better.

There's no room for a spare tire either. As with the MX-5, the Solstice comes with an emergency inflator strapped to the back wall of the trunk; in other words, air up that flat tire and continue. Or call a tow truck. Driving Impressions
The Pontiac Solstice delivers just about everything we'd want in driving a small roadster, starting with good reflexes, predictable handling, virtually no windshield-frame flexing and an impressive wad of usable horsepower and torque. One of the notable things about Solstice is its solid, flex-free chassis.

With the 2007 Solstice GXP, the lineup offers some real performance. Power in the Solstice GXP comes from a turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 260 horsepower. It also delivers an impressive 260 pound-feet of acceleration-producing torque as low as 2,500 rpm.

Yet with direct injection and other technologies, the more powerful GXP delivers better fuel economy than the base engine. The GXP gets an EPA-estimated 22/31 mpg City/Highway compared with 20/28 mpg for the base Solstice.

If you haven't tried a turbocharged engine in years, you'll be amazed at how evenly this one generates power. There is virtually no turbo lag (pause between flooring the gas pedal and surge from the engine). Indeed, the GXP rolls out its power in such a smooth, linear fashion that some might be waiting for an obvious peak or kick.

There really isn't one, but in fairly short order the driver comes to appreciate the grunt available over a wide range of engine speeds. Driving at a good clip is easier in the GXP, and acceleration is less dependant on gear selection. The GXP can rocket out of corners even if the driver selects a higher gear than he or she normally might. And in a straight line, it's quick. With an over-the-counter accelerometer, we timed a 0-60 mph run in less than six seconds, without resorting to aggressive, high-rev starts. By our estimation, the Solstice GXP is as quick as any car in its price range, and quicker than more expensive benchmarks like the Porsche Boxster. Moreover, the GXP's gear ratios require a shift into third just before 60, adding fractions of a second to the time. In other words, it's quicker than published 0-60 times suggest.

The shifter has nice, short throws, with no doubt as to which gear is sought or selected. Yet it takes quite a bit of effort to move between gears. This makes the gearchange feel a bit notchy, until the driver realizes that it's better to just shove the lever into the next slot rather than trying to finesse.

The shifter feel, and the plentiful torque combined with the hunkered-down driving position, contribute to a general feeling that the GXP is more muscular, more brutish, than the MX-5 and other small roadsters.

The GXP isn't tail happy, as you might expect in a fairly light, high-powered, rear-wheel-drive car. Pushed hard, the Solstice GXP understeers. With the traction electronics engaged, it resists any tendency for the rear wheels to slide.

The biggest driving shortcoming compared to more established competition is the steering. The GXP responds promptly to inputs on the steering wheel, though with less enthusiasm than an MX-5. Near the center, the steering feels wooden. And the steering response isn't linear, meaning that it takes some practice to be sure how much the car will turn with a given input on the wheel. This gives the Solstice more of a cruiser feel that doesn't encourage hard driving the way an MX-5 does.

There are other identifiable traits in the GXP package that don't match up to class benchmarks. The brakes stop the car right now, with good pedal feel at first. But the harder and longer you use them, the more the pedal softens and its travel increases. In other words, hard driving can bring on brake fade. Also, the clutch engages abruptly, to the point that it's easy to stall the car during casual starts at low revs.

That said, the Solstice GXP makes a fine high-speed cruiser. It tracks straight and true at interstate speeds-plus and the ride is not disruptively bouncy. With the optional premium acoustic headliner, the top is well insulated and conversation is easy. We found the seats felt comfortable after two hours at the wheel. Summary
The Pontiac Solstice looks great, puts wind in your hair and is fun to drive. The base model starts around $22,000, but air conditioning, power windows, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control are extra-cost options. The GXP adds those features along with a turbocharged engine. A lack of storage and cargo space and the cumbersome top make the Solstice a poor choice as an only car. But it's a hoot to drive, particularly on clear days, and it turns heads fast and often. Those may be the two most important reasons to buy a small roadster. It does this at a reasonable price, with objective performance that matches that of cars costing considerably more.

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Northern California's Central Valley and Sierra Foothills; with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles.