There was a time, not that long ago, when GM sold not one but four Mazda MX-5 Miata competitors, two of which were available in the United States.
We’re talking about the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, with the latter also spawning the virtually identical Opel GT for Europe and the Daewoo G2X for South Korea. Sure, they were essentially the same car with different badges and brand-specific styling, but looking at GM’s current lineup it’s pretty clear those days are long gone.
Arguably the most exciting and attractive model of the bunch was the Pontiac Solstice, which featured distinct styling from its three siblings. It was also the first to hit the market in mid-2005 as a 2006 model.
See Also: Saturn Sky Customized by Bulgarian Design House Vilner
Back then, GM only offered the Pontiac Solstice with a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 177 HP (180 PS), but for the 2007 model year a turbocharged 2.0-liter unit was added. Marketed as the Solstice GXP, it was the one to have. The engine made 260 HP (264 PS), enabling a 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint of under 5.5 seconds – a 1.5-second improvement over the 2.4-liter model.
A manual transmission was standard, but it only offered five gears at a time when six-speed gearboxes were already common. The alternative was a five-speed automatic but no true enthusiast would want that on a rear-wheel-drive roadster.
If you want to learn almost everything about the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Doug DeMuro’s video below is a good start, though we would have loved it if he focused more on driving impressions than the roadster’s quirks and features. Still, the YouTuber makes the really bold claim that the Solstice GXP is better than its much more famous rival, the Mazda Miata NC. Watch the video to learn why.