Introducing the Pontiac Solstice

The Pontiac Solstice is the latest craze coming out of Detroit. However, it has been hard to find one on the streets as all of the 2006 production is already sold out. I have started to see a few on the roads in recent weeks, but they are still a scarce find. The Solstice is entering into a market that has been dominated by foreign makes for the past 15+ years: the rear wheel drive, two-seater, lightweight convertible. This niche market has been dominated by the Nissan 350Z, Honda S2000 and since the early 1990′s, the Mazda Miata.

First introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show, the Solstice was a hit from the start. Many enthusiasts were clamoring for General Motors to build this vehicle and to build it quick. GM has delivered on both of those requests, completing the Solstice for retail sale in less than 3 years. Production began on the first 1,000 cars in the summer of 2005. The Solstice is the first car to be built on GM’s all new Kappa rear-wheel drive platform.

The fast production was accomplished by robbing the parts bin to build this car. Many parts are shared with other GM vehicles. For instance, the fog lights are shared with the Pontiac Grand Prix, the back-up lights are from the GMC Envoy, the heating and air conditioning controls are from the Hummer H3, the transmission from a Chevy Colorado and the rear axle from a Cadillac CTS. By incorporating these parts into the Solstice, the design team was able to focus more time and money on the heart of the Solstice: the drive train, suspension and exterior.

The Solstice is powered by GM’s 2.4L Ecotec four cylinder engine, which delivers 177 horsepower and 166 foot pounds of torque. The four cylinder is efficient for the Solstice but it will not deliver spectacular straight line performance numbers. With 0-60 times just a shade under 7 seconds and quarter mile performance in the mid 15′s, it is quick and nimble which is what it is designed to be. For those after mind-blowing speed, there are aftermarket companies installing GM V8′s in these cars delivering up to 400 horsepower. This produces much improved straight line performance considering the Solstice only weighs around 3000 pounds with the V8. Quarter mile performance with the V8 is in the mid to high 12 seconds, with 0-60 times in the mid 4 second range… pretty amazing!

Almost the entire underbody and body panels are shaped using hydroforming. Hydroforming is when high-pressure fluid is used to push steel into shapes that are simply not possible with traditional steel stamping processes. It is used in this instance to keep the body shape as close to the prototype as possible. It is not practical for high-volume models as it takes far longer than traditional means. The Solstice, along with the Corvette, are the only GM cars sporting an entirely hydroformed chassis.

The suspension is fully independent and uses Bilstein coil-over mono-tube shocks at all corners. Anti-roll bars in the front and rear enhance the handling of the Solstice. The standard tires are 245/45R18 Goodyear Eagle RSA’s, mounted on 18 inch aluminum alloy wheels. The stopping power is provided by large four-wheel disc brakes.

And the kicker of the whole deal is that the Solstice starts at only $19,995, including the destination charge. This can be slightly misleading as this base model does not include air conditioning or anti-lock brakes, two options most everyone will opt for. Those two options push the price to around $21,500. Good luck finding one in 2006 though, as all are sold out and dealers are also charging above sticker for them.

For those desiring better performance, stay tuned in 2007 as the Solstice GXP is set to appear. The GXP will be powered by a 2.0L Ecotec 4 cylinder, GM’s first turbocharged Ecotec in the US. The turbocharged 2.0L delivers 260 horsepower and 260 foot pounds of torque, a vast improvement over the naturally aspirated 2.4L Ecotec. Also the GXP will have unique front and rear fascias, a high polish dual outlet exhaust, Stabilitrak vehicle stability system, a 3.73 rear gear ratio and a GXP specific gauge cluster and seat stitching. Pricing on the GXP has not yet been released.