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Introduction
Pontiac Solstice - 2006 First Drive: Turns out that The General won’t need The Donald to make the 2006 Pontiac Solstice a star.
Which is not to say that the rumored eight-figure product placement on The Apprentice was for nothing, as it introduced perhaps the most exciting vehicle to come from GM in a long while to young professionals. The first GM vehicle to fully bear the design imprint of GM vice-chairman and car-czar Bob Lutz, the Solstice did indeed catch the eye of viewers, generating 1,000 orders in 41 minutes for a first-edition version and enough buzz to ultimately sell out the first half-year’s entire production run of 10,000. Of course, Lutz – the former Chrysler Corporation executive hired by GM in 2001 to bring back the excitement to GM’s lackluster fleet of models – knew all along it would be like this, ever since that January day when he stood in front of a skeptical media and introduced the 2006 Pontiac Solstice at the 2004 North American International Auto Show.
We’re not skeptical anymore. Not with 177 horsepower from a four-cylinder engine, a starting price of $19,995 and a design that turned heads all over New England during our three-day drive. With styling as appealing, and exotic, as a pricier Lotus Elise or Porsche Boxster, we were instant stars wherever we traveled, followed by heads that snapped and hearts that swooned. From young to old, from entrepreneur to farmer, the Solstice attracted attention like s’mores on a summer night. But forget captivated crowds, chocolate-and marshmallow-covered lips, and even your favorite tunes – we wanted to stay out all night, driving this rear-drive pocket rocket up and down blue highways and back byways, enjoying its exhaust note as our own personal open-air symphony.
Background
Although sports cars represent a mere three percent of car sales in the U.S., it’s an important market – a segment where buyers are often seen as emotional purists that throw the notions of utility, common sense and conservatism to the wind. And, it’s also where automakers position halo cars that draw consumers to showrooms where they might see and sample the less exciting but more practical vehicles that drive sales.
Since 1989, the Mazda Miata has defined the two-seat, entry-level roadster segment, almost exclusively. Originally retailing for just over $14,000 – or about $20,500 in today's dollars – the first-generation Miata attracted a faithful following with its affordability and capable rear-wheel-drive platform. For 2006, the totally updated version, now called the MX-5, starts at $20,995.
Other Japanese manufacturers have dabbled in the rear-drive roadster game, notably Honda with the S2000 and Toyota with the mid-engined MR2 Spyder. But with a starting price over $33,000 for the '05 S2000, the Honda rides in an entirely different price bracket. Toyota has seen limited success with the MR2, and has discontinued production for 2006. As a footnote, Mercury marketed the Capri roadster during the early 1990s, but that feeble front-driver lasted just a few years. So, it’s big news that one of America's most cherished, but struggling, brands is delivering an all-new, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster with more horsepower and torque than a MX-5 Miata, and with a starting price of $1,000 less. GM expects annual sales for the 2006 Pontiac Solstice to reach 20,000 units. We think they’ll sell every one on style alone. The Solstice is on sale now, and a Saturn version, the Sky, arrives in the near future.
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