2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP is fun little ragtop

• By STEVE WHEELER
• Advocate WHEELS editor
• Published: Mar 13, 2009 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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On beautiful spring days unlike today, how much fun would it be to put the top down on your convertible and scoot around town with the wind blowing your hair into a tangled mess?

If you’re in the sporty turbocharged 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP, the answer would be “lots.”

You can always comb your hair out, and a short haircut is an option too. 

Powered by a 260-horsepower turbocharged engine, the Solstice GXP is the answer for drivers who want a fun roadster experience at a more affordable price. The Solstice GXP provides an awful lot of good looks and performance for its base price of $28,460.

Pontiac says the Solstice is the best-selling roadster in the United States, and the company has expanded the product line this year to include a new coupe model. The new coupe is equipped with a removable roof, which makes it possible to enjoy the same open-air experience offered in the roadster.

Don’t invite all your friends for your open-air road trip, however. The Solstice is built for two — and only two. And there’s not room for much more than a picnic basket in the horseshoe-shaped trunk, especially when the top is folded down. Also, Shaquille O’Neal might not be worried about mussing his hair, but he’d have a pretty tough time squeezing himself down inside this two-seater.

Once I settled my 6-foot frame into the driver’s bucket seat, the Solstice GXP rear-wheel drive delivered with confidence and agility. Standard this year are anti-lock brakes and StabiliTrak stability control.

The Solstice can nimbly maneuver through city traffic and sprint easily with larger, heavier vehicles on the road. It is a small car — I found myself looking up at Camrys — but it fiercely holds onto the road. With four-wheel independent suspension, the Solstice has great handling and gets five out of five stars in rollover protection.

The coupe and the roadster come in base and GXP models, and both come standard with 18-inch polished aluminum wheels that look great on the car. Mileage estimates are 19 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mph on the highway with the 5-speed automatic transmission in the GXP. 

Standard equipment for the base and GXP models includes a two-way power driver seat height adjuster, sport bucket seats with storage behind, AM/FM/CD with six speakers, iPod, XM Satellite Radio, OnStar and a driver’s information center.

The dash is simple with three main gauges in front of the driver: speedometer, tachometer and fuel level. Curiously, there is only one drink holder on board, and it’s pretty well hidden on passenger’s side of the center console.

Raising and lowering the top requires the driver to exit the vehicle, but the process worked smoothly and took only a few seconds: open the trunk, turn the single latch inside the vehicle, fold the top back into the trunk and slam the lid.

My test Solstice GXP roadster was equipped with about $4,000 worth of options, bringing the bottom line to a shade more than $33,000.