The answer to both questions is: It costs too much money.

 

The answer to both questions is: It costs too much money.

I agree they wanted to keep the cost down which was very important to people. Maybe in the future they might see a demand to add another model with more power.

 

All that info is for the concept car and not the production car. The giveaway is the modified Delta chassis. We know of course that they developed a new platform for it -- Kappa. The S/C or T/C engine may still come a yr or two down the line. The modified Delta chassis was only for the show car as at the time GM didn't have a RWD platform that size. From what I heard the car wasn't very road worthy due to all of the changes for the concept. The 240 hp figures were never promised... it was always given as 170 hp from the time it was said that the car would make production. This level (177 hp) is meant to compete with the Miata, and hopefully a S/C engine with better than 200 hp is coming in a couple yrs -- if the initial car does well.

 

I expect future trim levels will give us more power to keep the Solstice competitive and appealing.

 

I expect future trim levels will give us more power to keep the Solstice competitive and appealing.

A performance Sosltice is coming in 2007. It will have a turbocharged 2.0L Ecotec.

 

A concept car isn't a promise of anything, unfortunately. The promises came when Lutz said it'd cost under 20 grand, would be built on kppa, and have a 170 hp Ecotec. It is all these things, so I'd say promises kept. That's not to say it's cool when they tease us with 240 hp... but I'm actually impressed with how GM has handled the Solstice. If only the Lacrosse was so close to the original!

 

A BMW Z4 2.5 is only 184hp. I do not hear any complainting about a Z4
170 HP Solstice will be fine for 95% of the customer market
I want to see the top and trunk

 

I think it was a serious mistake to not give it more power which would have been more important than having it offered at under 20k dollars. Imagine a Honda Accord making a fool of Pontiacs new image car at a stop light! That would be an image breaker for everyone who sees it happen. I fear there are going to numerous 4 door family cars that will be able to outgun the Solstice but that is just by looking at numbers alone. I wanted to see an S/C for 3k - 4k more and for GM to get the price down through economies of scale by packing it in every car. But since the target was the Miata, the car is good enough. I preferred it to be ground breaking. I also don’t understand what the significance of having it come in under 20k dollars is if this car is only going to be for those who have extra money to burn on a toy. If someone can spend 20k on a toy then they can spend 3, 4 or 5 more. Otherwise, I don’t view them as being in the market for a car like this. I’ve also read that there is already an existing S/C that can be applied to this engine so owners could do it aftermarket though I’m not sure how true that is. It’s a great looking vehicle but the power is a little disappointing for those who are not thrilled with a Miata to begin with. The 20k price tag is nice but irrelevant to all those who can’t fit a car like this in a budget although the performance of the car and the image it creates for Pontiac would have been relevant. I expect strong sales but people are no doubt going to ask for more power sooner rather than later.

 

They price it bellow 20K to try to appeal to younger buyers who may not be able to afford a higher amount.It is also because of the miata they not only wanted it to be more powerfull they also wanted it to be a lot less. Which is why that price was important to what GM was trying to accomplish. I agree it would be nice to see more power first. But this seems to be GM's way right now. Look at the G6 first is the V6 and GT next is the GTP. They always have a lower version first before performance. For those who want the extra performance they have to wait another year unfortunently... But for a lot of people that price plays a large part in what they decide. Everyone isnt hardcore performance oriented people. Some people just want a car thats fun to drive, reasonable performance and a decent price. Which the solstice provides all of these.

 

I think it was a serious mistake to not give it more power which would have been more important than having it offered at under 20k dollars.

I totally disagree. And as for the Honda comment - Acura TSX owners with their paltry 160 torque get smashed all the time by cheaper Grand Prix GTP's with 280 torque.

 

I was looking at GM Canada's Pontiac website and decided to check out what they had to say about pricing etc regarding the upcoming Soltice.

Boy was I surprised to find a site which appears hasn't been updated since Soltice was first introduced to the public. Cheeck out the specs:

Modified, supercharged ECOTEC 2.2L 4-cyl (240hp)
6-sp manual
Modified GM Delta platform, front-engine and rear-wheel drive
.
.
.

Now, everyone knows there have been changes, since Soltice is no longer on Delta, but:

1. Can GM still modify the Delta platform to RWD and introduce a small (G4?) sedan and coupe for Pontiac's "Excitement" division?
2. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PROMISED 240HP????? I wouldn't be as dissapointed if the HP rating was the same as the Cobalt SS SC 205hp, but we're left with 177hp?!!?

http://www.gmcanada.com/english/vehicles/2005/pontiac/solstice/sols_specs.html

The original concept was far from any sort of Delta. It was chop cut and they welded a section of the CTS on the back I belive.

Solstice now has its very own chassis called Kappa. Now, you might as "Can a G4 be made off Kappa?" and the answer is yes, it could. There was a 3dr hatch and a 2+2 sports car made off a LWB version last year, Chevy's Nomad and Saturn Curve.


As for its power rating, its been at 170 for some time, with only a N/A 2.4 VVT Ecotec available at this time, but Lutz has opened his mouth, again, and talked about a 200+hp version that will follow shortly.

 

The original concept was far from any sort of Delta. It was chop cut and they welded a section of the CTS on the back I belive.

Solstice now has its very own chassis called Kappa. Now, you might as "Can a G4 be made off Kappa?" and the answer is yes, it could. There was a 3dr hatch and a 2+2 sports car made off a LWB version last year, Chevy's Nomad and Saturn Curve.


As for its power rating, its been at 170 for some time, with only a N/A 2.4 VVT Ecotec available at this time, but Lutz has opened his mouth, again, and talked about a 200+hp version that will follow shortly.

The original solstice concept was on a modified delta chassis, what they did use from the CTS was the differential, driveshaft, and axles. These CTS components were carried over to the production version if I'm not mistaken

 

A BMW Z4 2.5 is only 184hp. I do not hear any complainting about a Z4
170 HP Solstice will be fine for 95% of the customer market
I want to see the top and trunk

I agree. The Solstice will do very well. And bringing the blower next year will keep the fire burning.

I think this is the best car in it's price range for fun.

 

Don't worry about the power... those little roadsters aren't meant to be blazing past everyone, and hit 60 in some 5.5 seconds or less... it's meant to be fun in the corners, light on its feet... and hey, look at the Miata's output (178 for the MAZDASPEED version @ over $26,000, 142 hp for the base model, starting at over $22,000), then look at the Solstices numbers (177 for around $19,000), and tell me why you're complaining?

 

I'm complaining because I really want one but I have to wonder about any sports car in any price range that can't outrun a Honda Accord. Yeah, it'll handle way better, and it looks awesome but come on..ricers with Honda Accords (or soccer moms for that matter) are going to point and laugh--just like I laugh at the aforementioned Z4 2.5.

 

I'm complaining because I really want one but I have to wonder about any sports car in any price range that can't outrun a Honda Accord. Yeah, it'll handle way better, and it looks awesome but come on..ricers with Honda Accords (or soccer moms for that matter) are going to point and laugh--just like I laugh at the aforementioned Z4 2.5.

A roadster isn't exactly a sports car... do people laugh at the Miata? Not really, unless you're tryin to drag race one... same goes for the Solstice...

 

The car doesn't weigh all that much. 170hp will provide more pep then you think.

 

WEll there goes my order. I was looking at the sky more than the solstace because I prefer its looks a little more. When looking at the info published as of now I have noticed that the Sky would not come with the SC engine, so I was thinking of going to the Solstace since I was under the assumption that it was getting the 240 HP version as an option...

So like sooo many GM products in the past such as the early Fieros, it will be underpowered and unimpressive in the acceleration department, sales will be unimpressive... I think we can all expect a quick demise of the car with this type of "thinking"

To me the "Ideal" Solstice/Sky would be a mid 13 to mid 14 second 1/4 mile car... I guess if I wish in one hand and...

John

 

WEll there goes my order. I was looking at the sky more than the solstace because I prefer its looks a little more. When looking at the info published as of now I have noticed that the Sky would not come with the SC engine, so I was thinking of going to the Solstace since I was under the assumption that it was getting the 240 HP version as an option...

So like sooo many GM products in the past such as the early Fieros, it will be underpowered and unimpressive in the acceleration department, sales will be unimpressive... I think we can all expect a quick demise of the car with this type of "thinking"

To me the "Ideal" Solstice/Sky would be a mid 13 to mid 14 second 1/4 mile car... I guess if I wish in one hand and...

John

The solstice/sky combo aren't designed to be barn blazing 1/4 mile cars. They're supposed to be fun cars that you can throw around and have fun driving, not just stomp and go.

 

WEll there goes my order. I was looking at the sky more than the solstace because I prefer its looks a little more. When looking at the info published as of now I have noticed that the Sky would not come with the SC engine, so I was thinking of going to the Solstace since I was under the assumption that it was getting the 240 HP version as an option...

So like sooo many GM products in the past such as the early Fieros, it will be underpowered and unimpressive in the acceleration department, sales will be unimpressive... I think we can all expect a quick demise of the car with this type of "thinking"

To me the "Ideal" Solstice/Sky would be a mid 13 to mid 14 second 1/4 mile car... I guess if I wish in one hand and...

John

Will the 253-hp turbo versions of these be fast enough for you?

 

Will the 253-hp turbo versions of these be fast enough for you?

Sure, if they make it, the rumor mill states that they may not put the turbo or SC in the car .

And yes I want straight line performance too... If I want a cheep convertalbe with no performance I would buy a 90's Murcury Capri.

I want looks and performance. I think it all goes hand in hand.

John

 

Sure, if they make it, the rumor mill states that they may not put the turbo or SC in the car .

And yes I want straight line performance too... If I want a cheep convertalbe with no performance I would buy a 90's Murcury Capri.

I want looks and performance. I think it all goes hand in hand.

John

If you want straight-line performance there's a GTO sitting on a lot just waiting for you, you don't need to wait for a car that's clearly not to your taste. Like I said earlier the solstice is a car that's designed with a more sportlike feel to it. It's not a muscle car, it's a sports car, there is a difference.