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The Solstice has been hailed and praised by all who have covered it – partly because its a sign that Lutz led GM is starting to ‘get it’, partly because magazines like a good headline.

But in this must-read description of the Solstice in motion, 4car’s Ben Whitworth tells it like it really is.

Here’s an excerpt:

Despite possessing all the ingredients for a tasty roadster – front engine, rear drive, even weight distribution and wishbone suspension – the Solstice feels baggy, inert and squidgy… the engine hates revving… sounds coarse and loud, like a large industrial drier trying to digest a handful of ball bearings… Throw the Pontiac into a corner and the nose gets all nervous; the back end gets squidgy and squirms; and, instead of weighting up progressively, the steering goes all light and lifeless…as it is, the Pontiac Solstice is a huge disappointment.

UPDATE: Just hours after we originally posted, we recieved this impression from a friend and fellow professional driver who has been on the waiting list.

It was ok, but only ok. It had pep, but the power did not seem to come on til 6k rpm. It felt ponderous. Big, and heavy, but tight. Handling seemed fast. Kinda cheap materials. Needs more low end power. I liked it but did not love it – am rather neutral on the car. I do hope GM sell all they can build, and it is better then they would have done pre-Lutz (not that I give him all the credit).

(He decided to pass).

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 4th, 2005 at 11:30 pm and is filed under , errata.