It’s freezing wintertime lollapalooza outside for most non-vacationing Canadians-- but researching and shopping out a sexy, new-to-you springtime convertible can warm the blood as well as a thermos full of superheated hot-chocolate.
It’s hardly convertible weather these days, but two of the hottest rag-tops hitting the used scene should be appearing in local classified ads this spring. The Pontiac Solstice, and its badge-engineered twin, the Saturn Sky, have both been axed courtesy of GM’s financial segue into modern times. That means both of these once-promising little roadsters are now full, card-carrying members of the used car market.
Here’s the scoop: Pontiac Solstice launched for the 2006 model year followed by the Saturn Sky in 2007. Beyond different cosmetics, both shared the same platform, two-seat body, engines, gearboxes and chassis components. Said engines, gearboxes and chassis components included a four-wheel independent suspension, rear-wheel drive, automatic or manual transmissions and front-mounted choice of four-cylinder engines.
Said engines consisted of a 2.4 litre ECOTEC unit with 177 horsepower, or a two-litre ECOTEC turbo mill with 260. Models with the latter engine were called the Pontiac Solstice ‘GXP’ or Saturn Sky ‘Redline’. They delivered very pleasing performance and plenty of sauce for such activities as passing transport trucks, drag racing Mustangs at stoplights and autographing the parking lot with tire stripes when leaving work on Friday afternoon. Note that the turbo engine requires premium fuel and will burn it more quickly. It’ll also likely make the Sky or Solstice you’re considering more pricey to insure.
Owner complaints of the Sky / Solstice twins include near-nil storage space in the trunk or cabin and tight entry and exit. Retracting the manually-operated roof was a more time-consuming procedure than, say, a Mazda MX-5, and interior trim materials were nothing to write home about, either.
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| 2007 Saturn Sky (Photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com) |
It’s hardly convertible weather these days, but two of the hottest rag-tops hitting the used scene should be appearing in local classified ads this spring. The Pontiac Solstice, and its badge-engineered twin, the Saturn Sky, have both been axed courtesy of GM’s financial segue into modern times. That means both of these once-promising little roadsters are now full, card-carrying members of the used car market.
Here’s the scoop: Pontiac Solstice launched for the 2006 model year followed by the Saturn Sky in 2007. Beyond different cosmetics, both shared the same platform, two-seat body, engines, gearboxes and chassis components. Said engines, gearboxes and chassis components included a four-wheel independent suspension, rear-wheel drive, automatic or manual transmissions and front-mounted choice of four-cylinder engines.
Said engines consisted of a 2.4 litre ECOTEC unit with 177 horsepower, or a two-litre ECOTEC turbo mill with 260. Models with the latter engine were called the Pontiac Solstice ‘GXP’ or Saturn Sky ‘Redline’. They delivered very pleasing performance and plenty of sauce for such activities as passing transport trucks, drag racing Mustangs at stoplights and autographing the parking lot with tire stripes when leaving work on Friday afternoon. Note that the turbo engine requires premium fuel and will burn it more quickly. It’ll also likely make the Sky or Solstice you’re considering more pricey to insure.
Owner complaints of the Sky / Solstice twins include near-nil storage space in the trunk or cabin and tight entry and exit. Retracting the manually-operated roof was a more time-consuming procedure than, say, a Mazda MX-5, and interior trim materials were nothing to write home about, either.
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| 2007 Pontiac Solstice (Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com) |