2005 PONTIAC Solstice 2.0L Turbo 5MT RWD (260 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Pretty much a reworked 50’s Firebird, the Pontiac Solstice had a muscular bold design with a powerful engine under the hood.

Fitted with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder powerplant, the Solstice had 177 ponies under the hood. The Solstice was not an extremely fast car, but it was quick.

The powerplant was mated with a manual or an automatic transmission.

The Solstice was based on the GM’s Kappa platform, together with the Saturn Sky, Opel GT, Saturn Curve and Chervolet Nomad. Some parts were shared with other vehicles, such as the steering wheel borrowed from the Pontiac G5 and the backup lights from the Chevrolet Nomad.

As expected from a roadster, interior space and cargo area were not the Solstice’s strong points, neither it offered a trailer.

Some of the downsides were the soft top which was not very easy to lower, as well as the poor quality materials used throughout the cabin. However, the roadster’s price was pretty low for a car in the class, thus quality was a compromise.

Available in a single version, standard equipment included 18-inch alloys, a manually operator top, a 6-speaker audio system and a rear glass defogger.

Stand-alone options included air-conditioning, power windows, power doors, leather upholstery, an upgraded audio system, cruise control and the OnStart telematics.

The fun and stylish Solstice offered satisfying performance for the price and was a strong competitor to Mazda.