Drove a Solstice GXP yesterday...
It's not too bad, but a boulevard cruiser like that really should have softer suspension and an automatic transmission.
The Good:
The engine is definitely punchy, and turbo lag virtually nonexistant.
Damn, that thing looks good - like a show car, IMHO.
Exterior fit and finish was impressive. I didn't see any flaws, even on a black car. Panel gaps were tight and even all around.
The structure was tight, solid, and rattle free.
The top is nicely made - it even has a padded headliner! Cruising down the road with the top up, it's nice and quiet.
The Bad:
The engine's punch ends abruptly with a hard fuel cutoff at redline, which is a piddly 6500 rpm. This renders first gear almost useless.
While the interior styling is clean and slick, the materials are god awful. The dash and door panels are made of hard, shiny plastic. Also, some of the panel gaps are way off.
Said interior also has zero storage. The biggest faux pas is that the stereo has an aux input for an MP3 player, but no place to put it!
Also, the "trunk" has almost no space, and with the top down, it has even less.
The ride is jiggly, the steering is numb, the brakes are too heavy, the clutch is too light, and I couldn't see out the back with the top up.
All in all, it was a fun car in a straight line, but that's about it. It's definitely made for old men and cougars who are more concerned about looking cool than having fun behind the wheel.
But hey, as long as the owner's happy (he is) then that's all that matters, I guess...
