I'd pass on the Solstice based solely on Consumer Reports review. It's too new to base it on any other factor(s) without biased content (Road & Track, Motor Trend, et.al.)
Pontiac Solstice
Highs: Handling, headlights, styling.
Lows: Noisy engine, gear ratios, controls and displays, top operation, luggage space, visibility.
The Pontiac Solstice has sleek looks but is disappointing as a sports car. It handles well and has a firm, but reasonable ride. Despite quick acceleration times at the track, poorly chosen gear ratios and an unpleasant sounding engine that doesn't like to rev affect drivability. Notable wind noise, a cumbersome folding top, poor top-up visibility, and scant interior and trunk storage space make it a hard car to live with everyday.
THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE
The Solstice handles well with controlled body lean. But it's some 400 pounds heavier than one of its direct competitors, the Mazda Miata, and not nearly as nimble. The steering has appropriate weight, but could be quicker. The Solstice posted a good speed in our avoidance maneuver, but tended to oversteer. Stability control is not offered. The Solstice's ride is firm but not punishing. Pronounced wind noise and engine thrash drown out any road noise. It takes a lot of coaxing to get the 177-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine to perform. The five-speed transmission has large gaps between gears that stifles performance. The Solstice returned 23 mpg overall on regular fuel. Braking performance was very good overall. The halogen low-beam and high-beam headlights both illuminate a very good distance ahead.
INSIDE THE CABIN
The stylized interior has expanses of hard plastics and flimsy details. The wide center console and the door rob the driver of leg room. The steering wheel tilts but does not telescope. And it blocks the view of the speedometer, tachometer, and fuel gauge for some drivers. The top and the humps on the rear deck lid block rear visibility, and the top blocks the view to the sides in front. Short drivers have trouble seeing out from the low seats, which are unsupportive on long trips. You have to duck under the top to enter. Most major controls are easy to use. But door locks, power window controls, and the seat recline knob are difficult or impossible to reach while driving. There is no place inside to put a map or cell phone where the driver can reach them. The Solstice's poorly shaped trunk will hold only a few slim backpacks with the top up but none of our soft-sided luggage. You have to get out of the car and open the trunk to fold or erect the top. The trunk has to be slammed hard to close.
SAFETY NOTES
Required front air bags and three-point seatbelts protect the occupants in the Solstice. Like most coupes, the upper anchor of the seatbelts does not adjust, but the belts are equipped with pretensioners to reduce slack in the belt in the event of a crash. A Passenger Sensing System is designed to automatically turn off the front air bag on that side if it senses that a child is seated there or if the seat is unoccupied. The Solstice lacks a manually-operated switch that ensures the air bags are disabled, however. Integral head restraints on the seats are tall enough to reduce rearward head travel and whiplash injury in a rear impact. Daytime running lights are standard. Driving with kids: Though roadsters are never considered the best choice for safely transporting children, child seats should prove secure when installed using the seatbelts. Unfortunately, the passenger seat lacks both a top tether anchor and LATCH anchors as an alternative for installation. A sensing system should automatically disable the front air bags if it detects a child seated there; the Solstice lacks the manual air bag shutoff found in many two-seaters.
RELIABILITY
We do not have data to predict reliability, this model is new.
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