 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / July 2007Solstice is huge
I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't help either. It's a good looking car in itself but I thought this was suppost to be a Miata competitor...? Top sucks too. :P -- > I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the > work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't > help either. It's a good looking car in itself but I thought this was > suppost to be a Miata competitor...? Top sucks too. :P What amazed me was that they could make a car that much larger than an MX-5 and still not have a usable trunk. I know from experience that I can put two cases of Yeungling longnecks, an oversized notebook case, a tool bag, and my dirty laundry in my '06 with the top up or down and still have a bit of space left over. I'm not sure that you could fit anything except the laundry in a Solstice with the top down.  SignatureJohn McGaw [Knoxville, TN, USA] http://johnmcgaw.com >> I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the >> work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >still have a bit of space left over. I'm not sure that you could fit >anything except the laundry in a Solstice with the top down. It is really larger than an NC MX-5? I still have not seen one, but I do not remember the magazine pictures being that different. Leon SignatureLeon van Dommelen :) Bess, the Miata :) Bozo, the Miata :) rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata The only thing better than a white Miata is two white Miatas >>> I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the >>> work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > Leon It certainly _felt_ much bigger and heavier. But I must admit that during my test drive last year my thoughts tended toward the "can a transmission really be so mismatched to its vehicle?" and "should a small sports car feel so heavy?" so that the size impression may be inaccurate. SignatureJohn McGaw [Knoxville, TN, USA] http://johnmcgaw.com >>>> I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in >>>> the work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > small sports car feel so heavy?" so that the size impression may be > inaccurate. Didn't GM source that tranny from one of their light trucks? If so, yes, a transmission can really be so mismatched to the vehicle. Signaturetooloud Remove nothing to reply >>>>> I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in >>>>> the work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Didn't GM source that tranny from one of their light trucks? If so, yes, a > transmission can really be so mismatched to the vehicle. But my old Nissan Fairlady SPL-311 (Datsun roadster) had both the engine and transmission from the domestic Japanese Nissan Miler pickup and it didn't shift badly and the ratios seemed just right. Unless bringing both the engine _and_ tranny over was the secret... It definitely seemed to me as though the Solstice tranny was really, well, _wrong_. SignatureJohn McGaw [Knoxville, TN, USA] http://johnmcgaw.com > I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the > work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't > help either. It's a good looking car in itself but I thought this was > suppost to be a Miata competitor...? Top sucks too. :P I happened upon a black Solstice a while ago and just had to position my black Miata next to it for a photo op: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8782048@N08/571625000/ Neither car was very clean...this was in the middle of winter. -- Ken Lyons '97 Brilliant Black/'90 Classic Red Inside the Beltway [Remove the first two digits to reply] > I happened upon a black Solstice a while ago and just had to position my > black Miata next to it for a photo op: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/8782048@N08/571625000/ My God that's ugly. The Solstice, that is, not the Miata. (First time I've heard of the Solstice - living across the pond we don't have it here). Eric >> I happened upon a black Solstice a while ago and just had to >> position my black Miata next to it for a photo op: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > time I've heard of the Solstice - living across the pond we don't > have it here). There are two of them, the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Skye. They're very similar but some think the Saturn looks better. http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/sky/overview.jsp SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html > There are two of them, the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Skye. > > They're very similar but some think the Saturn looks better. > > http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/sky/overview.jsp Definitely - that looks more like it. Nice-looking car, both in terms of appearance and spec. Eric >> There are two of them, the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Skye. >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Definitely - that looks more like it. Nice-looking car, both in terms of > appearance and spec. I saw one last night close up. It could be worse, but I think it's got too many details -- espcecially the front end. It's also got the "a.s in the air" look that seems to be common recently. As with all newer convertibles, the doors come up to your ears. I presume thats for side-impact safety, but it really ruins the feeling of being in a convertible. It's just not the same if you can rest your arm on the door... SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! I need to discuss at BUY-BACK PROVISIONS visi.com with at least six studio SLEAZEBALLS!! >>> There are two of them, the Pontiac Solstice and the Saturn Skye. >>> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > really ruins the feeling of being in a convertible. It's just > not the same if you can rest your arm on the door... What's worse would have to be the visibility from the driver's seat. Take a look at Ken's picture and notice how low the top is at the A-pillar and window intersection--when you see someone driving one of these with the top up, it's like you can't even see anything above their mouth. Not to mention that the tops seem remarkably wrinkled in the rear when they're in the "up" position--I'll bet it's related to the goofy cowl behind the seats and also the fact that lowering/raising the top seems rather difficult to do. Signaturetooloud Remove nothing to reply > the seats and also the fact that lowering/raising the top seems rather > difficult to do. My friend's wife has had her Solstice for 6 months now. The lowering of the top is an origami adventure. The hard plastic toy factory interior already rattles. I usually go to Costco with my 97M, while she can barley fit two Tic Tacs in her trunk. (No pun intended.) > My friend's wife has had her Solstice for 6 months now. The lowering > of the top is an origami adventure. Ha! > The hard plastic toy factory interior already rattles. It would not be a Pontiac if it had a nice interior. Designing tacky and poorly-made interiors are both a prerequisite when making these vehicles. > I usually go to Costco with my 97M, while she can barley fit two Tic > Tacs in her trunk. (No pun intended.) It still gets some credit for having a roof line that is below my neck. Pat > My friend's wife has had her Solstice for 6 months now. The > lowering > of the top is an origami adventure. The hard plastic toy factory > interior already rattles. > I usually go to Costco with my 97M, while she can barley fit two Tic > Tacs in her trunk. (No pun intended.) Hahahaha! A friend of mine named his first Miata "Tic Tac"! Iva & Vixen 2004 Classic Red No more winkin' Miata >> I happened upon a black Solstice a while ago and just had to position my >> black Miata next to it for a photo op: >> http://www.flickr.com/photos/8782048@N08/571625000/ > > My God that's ugly. The Solstice, that is, not the Miata. (First time I've > heard of the Solstice - living across the pond we don't have it here). Yes, we do. On the continent it's an Opel GT. I presume it's a Vauxhall Whatsitsname in the UK. Doesn't make it considerably prettier though. Although you get a bunch of HP for your money, and NC's aren't exactly cheap. cu .\\arc >>> I happened upon a black Solstice a while ago and just had to position my >>> black Miata next to it for a photo op: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Yes, we do. On the continent it's an Opel GT. I presume it's a Vauxhall > Whatsitsname in the UK. If it's an Opel on the continent it would be a Vauxhall here, yes, but I still haven't seen it on the roads here. I've also just had a look at the website (www.vauxhall.co.uk ) and can't find it there; the closest thing might be the AstraTwinTop but it doesn't look the same, in particular the front doesn't seem to have that enormous grille. Or perhaps the Tigra, but the site is rubbish and I can't seem to find any decent photos. Or perhaps I'm just grumpy and impatient. Eric > If it's an Opel on the continent it would be a Vauxhall here, yes, but I > still haven't seen it on the roads here. I've also just had a look at the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > the site is rubbish and I can't seem to find any decent photos. Or perhaps > I'm just grumpy and impatient. I know the Opel GT is being sold here in Denmark. I have seen one and it's sort of okay but it's not an MX-5 :-) Supposedly it drives nice but not as precise as an MX-5 plus the roof is said to be a real pain to put up/down. The registration figures for May has just been published and in the fun part of the market they look like this: 4 Aston Martins 4 Ferraries 1 Lotus 6 Porsches 5 MX-5's 3 Opel GT's In total 13,744 cars was registered in May and the top five looks like this: 530 Peugeot 107 ( http://tinyurl.com/2tpupr ) 477 Suzuki Swift ( http://tinyurl.com/2qmch3 ) 466 Peugeot 207 ( http://tinyurl.com/2nn2vv ) 456 Toyota Avensis ( http://tinyurl.com/36d839 ) 448 Ford Focus (http://tinyurl.com/2t7mwe) There are no US cars in the top 20. We have just have a reform in car taxes which may have boosted the sales of the really small cars so the list is a little different than usual but the overall picture is not much different. Price wise the Peugot 107 is aprox. 20,000 US, a basic Boxster is aprox. 170,000 US, the Opel GT is aprox. 110,000 US and an basic MX-5 is around 75,000 US. Kind regards Bruno >> If it's an Opel on the continent it would be a Vauxhall here, yes, >> but I still haven't seen it on the roads here. I've also just had a [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > There are no US cars in the top 20. Wouldn't the Focus be considered a US vehicle? I'm sure you have the much better "world car" version (similar to our Mazda 3), though. <snip> Signaturetooloud Remove nothing to reply > Wouldn't the Focus be considered a US vehicle? I'm sure you have the much > better "world car" version (similar to our Mazda 3), though. I am pretty sure the Focus is made in the UK but with the car industry who knows really. I mean in some ways you could argue the MX-5 is a US car or that fx. the Lotus Exige is danish car since the frame was made in Denmark (not sure if it's still the case but Hydro Aluminum did the glue thing to begin with). Also I think Lotus is using a Toyota engine which in a way is Japanese except they have factories in Ireland... I think the only US Ford's we get over here is the Cougar because the other ones seem to small Ka/Puma/Fiesta or to European Focus/Mondeo/Transit. Still who knows - I did not even know the Mazda 3 was sold in the US. Kind regards Bruno > I am pretty sure the Focus is made in the UK but with the car > industry who knows really. I mean in some ways you could argue > the MX-5 is a US car That'd be a tough argument since the MX-5 is manufactured in Japan with very little US content. OTOH, the Mazda-6 (as sold in the US), is more than 60% North-American content -- including the engine and drive-train. > or that fx. the Lotus Exige is danish car since the frame was > made in Denmark (not sure if it's still the case but Hydro [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > European Focus/Mondeo/Transit. Still who knows - I did not > even know the Mazda 3 was sold in the US. Yup, The Mazda-3 is shipped to the US from Japan just like the MX-5. SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! Clear the laundromat!! at This whirl-o-matic just had visi.com a nuclear meltdown!! > > In total 13,744 cars was registered in May and the top five looks > > like this: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > 456 Toyota Avensis ( http://tinyurl.com/36d839 ) > > 448 Ford Focus (http://tinyurl.com/2t7mwe) > > There are no US cars in the top 20. > Wouldn't the Focus be considered a US vehicle? No, European Fords are considered German (or maybe a bit British) cars. I think the design/R&D is mostly done in Germany, although production might be spread out in various countries. I don't know the amount of work done in Britain. Since a German car has automatically a better reputation than a British one, it is likely that Ford doesn't stress the British contribuition. > I'm sure you have the much > better "world car" version (similar to our Mazda 3), though. Engines, interior materials and suspension setup are most probably different. Signaturehttp://www.mat.uc.pt/~rps/ .pt is Portugal| `Whom the gods love die young'-Menander (342-292 BC) Europe | Villeneuve 50-82, Toivonen 56-86, Senna 60-94 > 530 Peugeot 107 ( http://tinyurl.com/2tpupr ) > 477 Suzuki Swift ( http://tinyurl.com/2qmch3 ) [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Kind regards > Bruno Wow, that Peugeot sells for next to nothing! How do they do that and is it worth a damn? Chris 99BBB > Wow, that Peugeot sells for next to nothing! How do they do that and is it > worth a damn? It's actually a Toyota/Peugeot/Citroen car (Aygo/107/C1) so I guess they make a lot of them plus it's somewhat basic other than that I can't say. It seems like a nice small car, in US terms very small, which is good for getting around the city. Kind regards Bruno >>> My God that's ugly. The Solstice, that is, not the Miata. (First time >>> I've [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > the site is rubbish and I can't seem to find any decent photos. Or perhaps > I'm just grumpy and impatient. This is the Opel: http://www.linternaute.com/auto/salons-mondial/mondial-geneve/06/nouveautes/imag es/1-GT-Opel.JPG I couldn't find the corresponding Vauxhall either, but then maybe they didn't want to convert it into RHD and will not offer it. cu .\\arc I sat in a Solstice the other day and it felt like I was in an antique bathtub. The beltline is so high I couldn't even put my left elbow up on the door. It certainly feels like a much bigger car, and I believe it is not only larger, but heavier. SignatureBoreal 2001 LS 6 speed Silver/tan, Sport Suspension w/hard rear sway bar > I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the > work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't > help either. It's a good looking car in itself but I thought this was > suppost to be a Miata competitor...? Top sucks too. :P > I sat in a Solstice the other day and it felt like I was in an > antique bathtub. The beltline is so high I couldn't even put my > left elbow up on the door. It certainly feels like a much bigger > car, and I believe it is not only larger, but heavier. Solstice: Wheelbase = 95.1" Length = 157.2" Width = 71.3" Height = 51.2" Weight = 2860lbs Miata: Wheelbase = 91.7" Length = 157.3" Width = 67.7" Height = 49" Weight = 2474lbs That's from Pontiac's website, Mazda's website and Miata.net (for the weight, I couldn't find it on the Mazda site?) The abouve should eliminate guesses, I hope? SignatureXS11E, Killing all posts from Google Groups The Usenet Improvement Project: http://blinkynet.net/comp/uip5.html > > I sat in a Solstice the other day and it felt like I was in an > > antique bathtub. The beltline is so high I couldn't even put my [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > weight, I couldn't find it on the Mazda site?) The abouve should > eliminate guesses, I hope? It's amazing how similar they are in size on paper and how bloated the Pontiac looks in person... -- >> > I sat in a Solstice the other day and it felt like I was in an >> > antique bathtub. The beltline is so high I couldn't even put my [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] >It's amazing how similar they are in size on paper and how bloated the >Pontiac looks in person... But so would the NC look very big in person compared to your NB. There is no doubt Bess is my SUV Miata. Leon SignatureLeon van Dommelen :) Bess, the Miata :) Bozo, the Miata :) rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata The only thing better than a white Miata is two white Miatas >>> > I sat in a Solstice the other day and it felt like I was in an >>> > antique bathtub. The beltline is so high I couldn't even put my [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] >But so would the NC look very big in person compared to your NB. >There is no doubt Bess is my SUV Miata. Though I do not believe the door line is any higher. No difficulty putting my elbow on the door. :) Leon >Leon SignatureLeon van Dommelen :) Bess, the Miata :) Bozo, the Miata :) rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata The only thing better than a white Miata is two white Miatas > But so would the NC look very big in person compared to your NB. > There is no doubt Bess is my SUV Miata. > > Leon It must just kill you to have to decide between the raw and familiar feel of your '96 versus the (somewhat) new and refined ride of your '06. My sympathies.... ;-) Pat >> But so would the NC look very big in person compared to your NB. >> There is no doubt Bess is my SUV Miata. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >My sympathies.... ;-) I suffer in silence. We dual Miata owners are though, having to wash two cars. Fortunately, you do not see dirt that well on a white Miata. Leon :)) >Pat SignatureLeon van Dommelen :) Bess, the Miata :) Bozo, the Miata :) rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata The only thing better than a white Miata is two white Miatas > I have not seen one of these up close until today when one was in the > work parking lot. It's huge compared to my NB. The 18" wheels didn't > help either. It's a good looking car in itself but I thought this was > suppost to be a Miata competitor...? Top sucks too. :P Here are two comparisons of the Miata and Solstice by the Drift King. They both did very well. The MX5 had a better time in the slalom and the Solstice did better on the track. He did seem to favor the MX5 for the fun to drive factor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRARVVmpzTw&mode=related&search= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_d5-K109DQ |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.