Pontiac Solstice still one of most-fun-to-drive

Special to the Star-Telegram

Yes, Pontiac is being axed by General Motors, but that doesn’t mean we have to stop liking some of the cool vehicles offered under this legendary brand.

And it also doesn’t mean that there’s any reason not to buy a Pontiac before they go away for good – especially one of my favorites, the Solstice roadster.

This is one of the best-looking and most-fun-to-drive cars I’ve been given the opportunity to test.

For those of you who might have doubts about buying a brand that’s going away, don’t worry about it. GM will continue to support these cars for a long time, and you won’t have problems getting parts or service.

My tester was the Solstice GXP roadster, the upgraded performance model, which starts at $29,485, plus $670 freight. (Pontiac also offers a coupe version of the Solstice for 2009, including a GXP version, with a removable roof panel, but the convertible probably still is the most fun.)

This is a curvy, seductive two-seater that brings out the kid in us. The base roadster starts at $24,275, and for those who don’t care about having the ability to put the top down, there is the base coupe model for $26,255. The GXP coupe starts at $30,375.

The base models come with a normally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 173 horsepower and 167 foot-pounds of torque.

A five-speed manual transmission is standard, or you can cut down on some of the fun of this car and instead opt for a five-speed automatic that costs $925. A car like this really is built for manual shifting, though.

But to get that old Pontiac excitement, there is the GXP model, which boasts a turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine with 260 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque.

The Solstice comes with rear-wheel drive, power rack-and-pinion steering, and optional four-wheel independent sport-tuned suspension.

My first experience with the GXP included a drive on a closed track, which allowed me to see what it was really made of, and believe me, this baby can move — it’s quick and agile around tight corners, and loves to be revved up before shifting gears.

Out on the road, the ride is surprisingly smooth, and you just can’t beat feeling the wind in your hair and the sun on your face while you zip around on the highway with the top down and the radio blasting.

The cloth convertible top must be raised and lowered manually, and while it is not a very complicated procedure, it’s still a bit time-consuming. An automatic top would have been much more driver-friendly, but of course, that would have raised the price, as well.

With the top up, the wind noise was fairly substantial, something that could be avoided with the coupe, I suppose. The noise wasn’t too bad on city streets, but at highway speeds, it definitely became noticeable.

Inside the Solstice, as with its sibling, the Saturn Sky, there isn’t a whole lot of room to move around, but it is a two-seater, so that’s to be expected. The whole point of this car is carefree fun in the sun. Still, there are plenty of great interior features to keep you happy and comfortable while you’re out on the town.

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