Test drove a Solstice.

[YF19pilot]

You want a useless cup holder you should try in my Honda Integra, it has a cup holder it just doesn't fit a bottle of coke (or shudder pepsi) and if you do manage to wedge a bottle of your fine beverage in there you can't actually use the radio controls and you knock your hand on the bottle everytime you shift to first, third or fifth.

I've got you both beat. My 740 has these slide-out cup holders in the center console (you know, right behind the e-brake and stick). They barely hold a "medium" cup now a days, not to mention, in the way of the e-brake, and always in the way of shifting. So I'm forced to put my cup that might fit on the slide-out bit for the rear-seat passengers, which is well out of reach if you want a quick sip at a stop light.

 

[Vitamin J]

If the Solstice had a Nissan or Toyota badge it wouldnt be getting any complaints. People would just ignore the few* faults.


*The motor

 

[TC]

If the Solstice had a Nissan or Toyota badge it wouldnt be getting any complaints. People would just ignore the few* faults.


*The motor

Honestly, the motor felt fine to me. Acceleration is on level with the much lighter MX5, so that is something. The only real faults with the car is the lack of a boot/trunk (which is byproduct of the slick design) and a few small things in the interior. Namely the door locks. There doesn't seem to be an electric door look button inside the car :???: so you have to reach over your shoulder and pull up the door lock, which is made of a very small piece of cheap plastic. BUT there's always aftermarket crap, billet door locks, etc.

 

[Vitamin J]

Honestly, the motor felt fine to me. Acceleration is on level with the much lighter MX5, so that is something. The only real faults with the car is the lack of a boot/trunk (which is byproduct of the slick design) and a few small things in the interior. Namely the door locks. There doesn't seem to be an electric door look button inside the car :???: so you have to reach over your shoulder and pull up the door lock, which is made of a very small piece of cheap plastic. BUT there's always aftermarket crap, billet door locks, etc.

The motor is just my opinion. I like buzzy, peaky, high revving motors, which is why I find it lazy. But then again, Jay Leno says the Ecotec is the "small-block of the future" so maybe thats good.

Regardless, it's nothing a set of cams and intake/exhaust couldn't fix. I'm really interested in the Turbo model though, hopefully in a few years' time it'll be my next car.

 

[TC]

The motor is just my opinion. I like buzzy, peaky, high revving motors, which is why I find it lazy. But then again, Jay Leno says the Ecotec is the "small-block of the future" so maybe thats good.

Regardless, it's nothing a set of cams and intake/exhaust couldn't fix. I'm really interested in the Turbo model though, hopefully in a few years' time it'll be my next car.

GM has done a lot of crazy stuff with the Ecotec. They've built race motors that produce over 2000hp. It's a very good little motor, so calling it a half-sized small block seems appropriate. Another great thing about the Solstice is you're not limited to 4 cylinder motors. If after a number of years you want to replace the motor, you could drop quite a few different things under that hood. I mean, hell, they've already dropped the 7.0L LS7 motor in the Solstice, without having to modify the firewall, fenders, or hood. It will even keep the same weight distribution and curb weight.

 

[Vitamin J]

^^Yep, or you could go turbo, supercharger, twin charge, N/A. Pretty much anything, the aftermarket for the Ecotec is bigger than the Honda B-series or 4G63.

 

[Hidden_Hunter]

I've got you both beat. My 740 has these slide-out cup holders in the center console (you know, right behind the e-brake and stick). They barely hold a "medium" cup now a days, not to mention, in the way of the e-brake, and always in the way of shifting. So I'm forced to put my cup that might fit on the slide-out bit for the rear-seat passengers, which is well out of reach if you want a quick sip at a stop light.

the integra's cup holder won't hold a medium cup from burger king the lid pops off. I'll take a happy snap of the cup holder when I go to pick up my pizza for dinner.

 

[mojo_786]

Sometimes the reviews that you guys type up are so many times better than what i read in the mags... way to go man...

keep em coming

 

[Top Geek]

Hey, my 240SX doesn't even have a cup-holder! Now that's a true sports car!

 

[patrick10]

the little square things in the middle work fine, ohh and the smaller .5L bottles of water jam up into the thing in the seat that slides it foreward and backwards. perfect for if you are driving hard, it wont go anywhere.

i always have a bottle of water in the car so sometimes i need to get ingenious.

 

[Top Geek]

the little square things in the middle work fine

Well, yes, it does do an alright job, you just have to keep an eye on it. Still, though...

 

[Vitamin J]

Are we seriously having an in-depth conversation about cupholders? Awesome.

 

[NAIDANAC A]

Honestly, the motor felt fine to me. Acceleration is on level with the much lighter MX5, so that is something. The only real faults with the car is the lack of a boot/trunk (which is byproduct of the slick design) and a few small things in the interior. Namely the door locks. There doesn't seem to be an electric door look button inside the car :???: so you have to reach over your shoulder and pull up the door lock, which is made of a very small piece of cheap plastic. BUT there's always aftermarket crap, billet door locks, etc.

Actually the trunk is not that bad...my dad can put a set of clubs in there with the roof up or down, groceries can fit also. The only problem is big bags that do not flex. For example my school bag full of binders and textbooks does not fit, but it would if I removed them all and placed them behind the hump.

 

[Vitamin J]

I think the lack of trunk space on a roadster is meaningless. If it's really that big of a problem, just get a boot lid rack.

 

[Steve Levin]

As a former MR2 owner, I would suggest thinking long and hard about a car with such storage issues. The MR2 was always our second car (my wife had a more practical machine) and while I loved the kart-like style of the little yellow car, the fact that two people with two briefcases could barely fit was always a bit of an issue from time to time.

If I were single and it was my only car I would have felt that pain more acutely.\

Steve

 

[TC]

Actually the trunk is not that bad...my dad can put a set of clubs in there with the roof up or down, groceries can fit also. The only problem is big bags that do not flex. For example my school bag full of binders and textbooks does not fit, but it would if I removed them all and placed them behind the hump.

That's good to hear. It's kind of hard to just look at the truck space and figure out what can and cannot fit. But it is an awkward shaped trunk.

As a former MR2 owner, I would suggest thinking long and hard about a car with such storage issues. The MR2 was always our second car (my wife had a more practical machine) and while I loved the kart-like style of the little yellow car, the fact that two people with two briefcases could barely fit was always a bit of an issue from time to time.

If I were single and it was my only car I would have felt that pain more acutely.\

Steve

Yeah, I've been thinking about it for a while. I just figure that there is no better time to buy such a car then when you're still young, single, and able to enjoy it. The truth is I rarely take my car when going out with friends. I can count the number of times I've had more then 2 people in my current car on one hand. Except for those race occasions when I buy something big, I don't think the Solstice would be a problem.

Luckily, it won't be the only vehicle available to me. I was planning on buying a condo or a house, but prices in Arizona have gone up too far and none of my friends are interested in going in on a house with me. But now it turns out my parents are moving back to Arizona and are going to buy a house, so I'm going to go in on it with them and pay half the mortgage. So they'll both have their vehicles, in case I need a larger car for something.

 

[Vitamin J]

Where in Arizona do you live? I'll be in Phoenix this weekend racing at PIR if you wanna stop by and check it out.

 

[Samir]

The only issue I keep reading about with the Solstice is reliability. Other than that, I hear it's a pretty decent car. The fact that it can be had for $26K US makes it really easy to overlook its flaws. Get the GXP and you've got some serious performance.

I'd still rather take an MX-5 personally, for me sports cars have a roof and roadsters are for cruising. Nothing beats an MX-5 for that.

 

[TC]

Where in Arizona do you live? I'll be in Phoenix this weekend racing at PIR if you wanna stop by and check it out.

I'm in the Ahwatukee Foothills area, only a couple miles away from Firebird Raceway.

PIR? I've never been to PIR, I thought it was just a super speedway. Do they have a infield roadcourse?

 

[TC]

The only issue I keep reading about with the Solstice is reliability. Other than that, I hear it's a pretty decent car. The fact that it can be had for $26K US makes it really easy to overlook its flaws. Get the GXP and you've got some serious performance.

I'd still rather take an MX-5 personally, for me sports cars have a roof and roadsters are for cruising. Nothing beats an MX-5 for that.

The MX5 is also a roadster.