Booth & LaDuke Motors

• Introduction  »
• Interior / Walk Around  »
• Driving Impressions  »
• Summary

Walk Around

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

2007 Pontiac Solstice

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 deal

Go to Driving Impressions