The boulevard cruiser of broken dreams

[pliablemoose]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=120013

Reality check
When considering the Solstice's still-provocative looks, the more powerful engine and improved track performance, a GXP driver might finally have something to rub in the noses of MX-5 Miata drivers. If your expectations for fun involve sunny days, excursions for ice cream and the occasional weekend getaway, then the GXP is your car. Not only does the 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP continue to get attention everywhere it goes, it has the horsepower to back up its sexiness. The Pontiac GXP can be your dream come true.

But if you're a hard-core driving enthusiast, the turbo Solstice just doesn't have the stuff of which our dreams are made. It lacks both the light-effort response and the refined performance of a mature, well-rounded sports car. If you're more interested in sports car substance over pure style, your choice is still the Mazda MX-5, or perhaps even the Mazdaspeed MX-5 that's sure to come.

[MadMonkey]

a GXP driver might finally have something to rub in the noses of MX-5 Miata drivers

And what would that be?

[black roadster]

icepenguin66 reply in 3...2...

[MiataMike]

The combination of heavy steering, imprecise shift action and fading brakes led us into trouble in one decreasing-radius corner. Wide Goodyear Eagle tires and the GXP's standard stability control kept us on our intended line, but it was a little lesson that while this car has some serious capability, it's not a very handy package.

And here it really gets slammed.

Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton says:

In terms of sports car driving — wherein steering, brakes, suspension, clutch and engine all have something useful to say — my brother's 1967 Austin Healey has a better vocabulary. I haven't stalled a car in years, but managed to flame out in the Solstice, twice. The engine always sounds like it's always 200 rpm away from self-destruction. The shift action feels artificially heavy. The chassis provides admirable levels of tire grip, but doesn't communicate one bit of information through the steering or body motions. The brakes are equally capable, yet lifeless.

In the end, the GXP hasn't got a soul. I'd gladly give up performance and even pay more for the opportunity to experience a tiny bit more inspiration and enthusiasm.