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Coupes & Convertibles Pontiac Solstice Pontiac Solstice vs 2006 Mazda MX-5 Miata
376 messages, Last post on Jan 17, 2008 at 3:20 PM
You are in the Pontiac Solstice Forum. Your Host is claires
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Replying to: aviboy97 (May 09, 2006 9:51 am) THE SOLSTICE LINE Body style Convertible Drive wheels Rear Trim lines Engine & transmissions 2,4-liter 4 (177 hp); 5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic Base price $19915 Pontiac Solstice HIGHS I Handling, headlights, styling. LOWS I 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 every day The Solstice and its near-twin, the Saturn Sky are new vehicles, so reliability is unknown. THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE The Solstice handles well with controlled body lean. But it is some 400 pounds heavier than the 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 stifle 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 whlle driving. There is no place inside to put a map or cell phone where the driver can reach them. You have to get out of the car and open the trunk to fold or erect the top. Opening the trunk requires releasing the roof buttresses, Likewise, closing the trunk requires going to both sides of the car to release the buttresses. SAFETY NOTES There is no spare tire, but there is a repair kit. Sidewall and other major tire damage require roadside assistance. Integral head restraints are tall enough for safety. Driving with kids. It’s not recommended that children ride in roadsters, but a sensing system will shut off the air bag when a child is seated in the passenger seat. There are no LATCH anchors, but child seats should be secure in the passenger seat. OUT OF REACH The flimsy cup holders in the bulkhead are too far back for the driver to easily qrab an item placed in them. There is also no front storaqe area for items such as maps, wallets, or cell phones. SCANT STORAGE SPACE With the Solstice’s top up, the poorly shaped trunk held a few slim backpacks but none of our soft-sided luqqaqe
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Looks like Mazda as a whole is pretty much at the bottom May 11, 2006 Results from the 2005 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey for new vehicles. Score is the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles. BRAND SCORE Lexus 81 Jaguar 88 BMW 95 Buick 100 Cadillac 104 Mercedes-Benz 104 Toyota 105 Audi 106 Infiniti 109 HUMMER 110 Hyundai 110 Honda 112 GMC 113 Lincoln 113 Acura 116 INDUSTRY AVERAGE 118 Jeep 120 Mercury 120 Nissan 120 Chrysler 121 Chevrolet 127 Ford 127 Mitsubishi 129 Pontiac 129 Dodge 130 MINI 130 Scion 134 Saab 136 Saturn 136 Subaru 138 Kia 140 Volvo 140 Porsche 147 Volkswagen 147 Land Rover 149 Mazda 149 Suzuki 151 Source: J.D. Power and Associates its all a personal choice....do your research, visit, drive, and decide......cheers |
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Replying to: pao (May 11, 2006 7:34 am) May 11, 2006 Results from the 2005 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey for new vehicles. What does "initial quality" mean anyway?? Does it mean "this car looks great NOW, but it won't 3 years from now"?? Mazda as a company put's out a higher quality vehicle then a Pontiac. This is obvious once you sit in one. Also, Mazda has a much better reputation for reliability. I just don't get it.  J.D. Powers also rated the 2005 Chevy Malibu "most reliable" it it's class as well as the Cadillac SRX "best in class"....interesting J.D. Powers also rated 3 GM production plants as the the best. What the heck does that have to do with anything? Does that mean? They are clean? Happy workers? New robot's to build their vehicles? I've always thought J.D Powers was on GM's bank roll. Just my thought, I have no proof to back it up. I do not hold J.D. Powers to any high standard. Just as many do not listen to CR. |
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Replying to: pao (May 11, 2006 4:16 am) I just wanted to mention the latest CR article, since this is a Solstice Vs MX-5 forum. You have to give GM credit where credit is due, they did built a very popular, hard to get vehicle. I happen to agree with you about not driving the car everyday. Most people drive the MX-5, as well as the Solstice, as a second vehicle, or fair weather car. There are some that drive it everyday. If you think about it, there is no perfect car, even though CR seem's to think Toyota/Lexus are perfect.
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Replying to: aviboy97 (May 11, 2006 9:53 am) I also found my answer to what "initial quality" means. It is the car rated in the first 90 days of ownership. 90 days?? You would think quality would have to take a bit longer then 90 days to show. Perhaps 2-5 years maybe? Just my opinion.
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If we look deeper and single out the Miata, which is the topic of this thread....the result will show that the Miata is one of the most reliable cars built today...not just vs. roadsters but compared to all cars.
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Replying to: audia8q (May 11, 2006 1:36 pm) |
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Replying to: aviboy97 (May 11, 2006 10:01 am) we were aware of the sol's "shortcomings" but that did not sway our decision after we compared the two...7 months and 8300 miles into our ownership....we are still very happy with the solstice.. and it is our fair weather car.....backed by an 04 Chevy Malibu Maxx...which has been trashed at times with reviews..but ours as 67K on it two years old..and not one problem....along with our 96 Ford Bronco..with 167k and still going strong.... any car will and can offer up it share of problems, regardless of make, model or price...and the forum here and elsewhere provides a voice for those that have those problems and probably are in the minority....the silent majority are happy with their cars and enjoy them for what they are....cars...... cheers all
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Replying to: pao (May 12, 2006 3:51 am) |
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Replying to: aviboy97 (May 11, 2006 10:20 am) I think initial quality has to do with how well a car looks like it's been put together, and purposely excludes durability. Gaps, loose items, maybe unergonomic design features. Stuff that sucks right off the production line - so I'd say it measures design more than what quality of materials was used. The Mazda3 had a lot of complaints on initial quality because the A/C was weaker than some people wanted. Cupholders have hurt German cars' scores. |
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