MetalFortress
Master Don Juan
There's been a lot of hype about this car. It's a roadster that, as far as I remember, is designed by Pininfarina. I'm a lot porter at a GMC/Pontiac dealership so I get first dibs on quite a few cars. We got in two new Solstices, one today, and one yesterday, and sold both of them today. The first one, the first Solstice we ever got in, was bought by Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band's lead guitarist, Roger Bartlett. Anyways, let's get down to basics.
This car has good driving characteristics. Seats are comfortable. The leg room is slightly cramped for someone who is 6 feet or above, and I am 6'1. It was liveable, though, and despite having less leg room than a Miata, it was wider so my knee wasn't smashed in between the wheel and the door.
The sound of the engine when you drive is the best of any four-cylinder car I've driven. Period. It sounds very manly and aggressive, unlike the goofy Miata (second gen) sound that resembles a farting midget. The engine has much higher displacement which is why it sounds deeper. The engine is not the most powerful 4 cylinder around, but it has plenty of power and torque. It feels a lot more powerful than the Miata. However, it is much less powerful than the Honda S2000, the BMW Z3 and the Porsche Boxster (which, to be fair, it far undercuts as far as price goes).
The trunkspace is diminished by the presence of the gas tank taking up room, because it's located in the rear of the car like the Pontiac GTO. You have no space if you are driving with the top down, but it's adequate if you drive top-up.
The shifter has a heavier, more manly feel than the Mazda Miata's shifter. It's enjoyable. The steering is tight and heavy, and is similar to the new BMWs, but most of all to the new Pontiac G6 (side note: if you drove a 2005 G6 and hated the steering, it's not like that. GM fixed the electronic steering system for 2006 and it's now very awesome). When you are driving slowly or stopped (like in parking lots) the steering is very light, but it's delightfully heavy when you are on the road.
The fuel economy is a minus. 20/29 city/highway is the rating here. In other words, it's rated barely any better than the 2005 Corvette, yet the car is lighter than a G6 (which has 23/34 as the rating for the 4-cylinder version) and has a 4 banger. 5 speed transmission is a big factor. It should have been a 6-speed.
Comfort is a plus. The seats themselves fit anybody, even though the car lacks leg room.
Interior has quite a bit of leather and plastic. The plastic is too hard for my tastes, but the leather is in a good place on the door to rest your arm on.
Handling is a plus. The car had quite flat cornering, although due to rain today, I didn't dare put it through any real tests. I'm not looking to wreck the car and get fired.
Sound system sounded great. I think it was a Monsoon system (same kind that goes in the G6's), but don't quote me on that.
The price was 25 grand for a fully loaded, leather, stickshift version. Currently there's an 8,500 dollar dealer markup.
Would I buy one for 25 grand? Yep. Would I buy one for almost 34 grand? Hell no.
Overall, very nice car. I give it an 8 out of 10.
This car has good driving characteristics. Seats are comfortable. The leg room is slightly cramped for someone who is 6 feet or above, and I am 6'1. It was liveable, though, and despite having less leg room than a Miata, it was wider so my knee wasn't smashed in between the wheel and the door.
The sound of the engine when you drive is the best of any four-cylinder car I've driven. Period. It sounds very manly and aggressive, unlike the goofy Miata (second gen) sound that resembles a farting midget. The engine has much higher displacement which is why it sounds deeper. The engine is not the most powerful 4 cylinder around, but it has plenty of power and torque. It feels a lot more powerful than the Miata. However, it is much less powerful than the Honda S2000, the BMW Z3 and the Porsche Boxster (which, to be fair, it far undercuts as far as price goes).
The trunkspace is diminished by the presence of the gas tank taking up room, because it's located in the rear of the car like the Pontiac GTO. You have no space if you are driving with the top down, but it's adequate if you drive top-up.
The shifter has a heavier, more manly feel than the Mazda Miata's shifter. It's enjoyable. The steering is tight and heavy, and is similar to the new BMWs, but most of all to the new Pontiac G6 (side note: if you drove a 2005 G6 and hated the steering, it's not like that. GM fixed the electronic steering system for 2006 and it's now very awesome). When you are driving slowly or stopped (like in parking lots) the steering is very light, but it's delightfully heavy when you are on the road.
The fuel economy is a minus. 20/29 city/highway is the rating here. In other words, it's rated barely any better than the 2005 Corvette, yet the car is lighter than a G6 (which has 23/34 as the rating for the 4-cylinder version) and has a 4 banger. 5 speed transmission is a big factor. It should have been a 6-speed.
Comfort is a plus. The seats themselves fit anybody, even though the car lacks leg room.
Interior has quite a bit of leather and plastic. The plastic is too hard for my tastes, but the leather is in a good place on the door to rest your arm on.
Handling is a plus. The car had quite flat cornering, although due to rain today, I didn't dare put it through any real tests. I'm not looking to wreck the car and get fired.
Sound system sounded great. I think it was a Monsoon system (same kind that goes in the G6's), but don't quote me on that.
The price was 25 grand for a fully loaded, leather, stickshift version. Currently there's an 8,500 dollar dealer markup.
Would I buy one for 25 grand? Yep. Would I buy one for almost 34 grand? Hell no.
Overall, very nice car. I give it an 8 out of 10.
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