Shown as a concept car at the Detroit Auto Show in 2002, the Pontiac Solstice was, without doubt, the star of the show. It generated a huge amount of interest right at the time when General Motors was starting to fade under the attack of offshore automakers.
By superhuman effort, GM bucked the naysayers, bringing this car to market in just two and a half years. They did it despite not even having a chassis and bringing out a simple roadster at a time when other makers had rejected the idea as not being viable.
Available initially as a 177 hp roadster with delicious looks, Solstice got the attitude to match in 2007 with the 260 hp Solstice GXP.
From the blunt, twin-nostril grille, the form is almost liquid as it flows over the cowl past the door then arching up and over the rear haunches before coming together to the bobbed rear valance. There are no bumpers, spoilers and rub strips to spoil the shape.
The Solstice looks bigger than the Mazda Miata, but it's almost identical in every dimension. Credit the standard 18-inch wheels for creating this optical illusion.
You have to hand it to Pontiac for retaining the look of the Solstice concept car right down to the arched headrest cowling. This is one pretty shape and GM has chosen to do it justice.
The interior is minimalist but comprehensive. The instrument panel sweeps across and then sharply down in the centre like an inverted "L". Gauges and controls are simple to understand and use. However, in full sunlight, the electronic readout on the lower centre stack gets blotted out.
The seats are snug, but very supportive, with an adequate amount of travel. Those over six-feet, four-inches will have to make some compromises, especially with the top up.
The top itself is manual and is simple enough to work. You use a button inside the glovebox or on the remote to pop the rear panel that opens clamshell-like. The top is on a scissor frame and swings up into place and can be attached with one clamp to the windshield. Lastly pop two pins on the buttresses of the top into the rear deck and you're in business.
Previously there was just the one engine for this rear-drive roadster, the Ecotec 2.4-litre, twincam inline four-cylinder as found in the Pontiac Pursuit economy car. Producing 177 hp and 166 lb/ft of torque, it is a punchy unit with very usable torque. The big difference for 2007 between the standard Solstice and the GXP is a turbocharged version of the 2.0-litre Ecotec four-cylinder with almost double the power of the standard car at 260 hp and 260 lb/ft of torque. Where the 2.4-litre car makes maximum torque at 4,800 rpm, the GXP does so at just 2,500 rpm, meaning you get a lot more power sooner.
The turbo is GM's highest specific output engine ever at 130 hp (97 kW) per litre or 2.1 hp per cubic inch of displacement. The result is acceleration from 0-100km/h in less than 5.5 seconds.
Standard transmission is a five-speed manual or an optional five-speed automatic.
The Solstice chassis is hydroformed and already quite stiff, but what the GXP does is add coil springs over Bilstein shocks to the four-wheel, short/long arm suspension members. With 50/50 front/rear weight ratio, the car is thus neutrally balanced.
The GXP also gets a standard limited slip rear differential and GM's precise StabiliTrak pitch and yaw control, the same as used in the 505 hp Corvette Z06. All four brakes are discs with ABS that I like to think stands for the ability to brake and steer rather than anti-lock braking.
For the driver, this all translates into an already crisp handling product that now has the power to utilize the potential. Seated well down and in the car, the driver is at the nexus of the four wheels. The wheels have a very wide track coupled to a short wheelbase that results in the tire patches making a square on the ground.
With big, 18-inch tires, the grip in the standard Solstice was already beyond good, but with the 260 hp turbo and performance tires, you can really dig in. Where this combination proves its worth, is not off the line - although it really scoots - but in high-speed, sweeping corners. You can take bends going uphill to the left or right without lifting. The traction of the tires and the limited slip allow all the power to go to the road and not scrub off as normal limits of adhesion are reached.
In GM testing, the nearly identical Saturn Sky Red Line hit 0.90g on the skid pad which is right up there with Porsche and Corvette Z06.
Of course much of this increase in the GXP Solstice handling over the base model is due to the performance equipment like Stabilitrak and the Bilstein suspension.
But most of all, the marriage of the turbo and the handling inspire confidence, an intangible that makes good cars into great cars.
I have driven the GXP with the automatic and I preferred the manual. Both GXPs are identical in terms of power, chassis and suspension, but I found the manual allowed a lot more of the power band to be used if only because I always find high power-to-weight vehicles are more flexible to use with a stick shift.
My advice is to get the manual. If you don't know how to use one, learn, because this car begs to be enjoyed for spirited motoring.
As always with something this good, there inevitably is something not so good, and in the case of the Solstice GXP, it's the trunk, or lack thereof. When GM took the Solstice concept car and had to legalize it, compromises had to be made. In the case of the Solstice and Sky, the gasoline tank has to be placed in the trunk in order to clear the drive shaft and because of safety legislation. GM swears you can fit in a set of golf clubs. With the top down, that space literally disappears. Ergo, you buy a Solstice for the fun of driving, not for hauling things.
Gasoline consumption is pretty good for a turbo and it does run on regular. Fuel numbers for the manual are 10.8/7.0L/100 km city/highway and 11.2/7.5L/100 km city/highway for the automatic.
My test GXP came with a starting price of $35,105 but had a number of options like air at $1,200 and leather seating at $1,115 for a total of $39,345 not including the $1,045 shipping fee for a grand total of $40,390.
But whether you opt for the standard Solstice or the GXP, you're going to have a car that more than stands out in any crowd.
PONTIAC SOLSTICE GXP 2007 AT A GLANCE
BODY STYLE: Two-seat roadster.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive.
ENGINE: 2.0-litre turbocharged DOHC inline four-cylinder (260 hp, 260 lb/ft).
FUEL ECONOMY: five-speed manual as tested: 10.8L/100 km city, 7.0L/100 km highway.
PRICE: $35,105, as tested, $40,390.
WEB: gmcanada.com