Pontiac Solstice GXP review: a proper turbo roadster with a trunk that holds almost nothing
3.3/5motorssouq Editorial Team
Buy a Solstice GXP in Bahrain only if you already know exactly what you are getting into: a genuinely quick, genuinely engaging roadster built by a brand GM killed, sharing its Kappa platform with the equally dead Saturn Sky, with a soft-top roof mechanism and a famously tiny trunk that becomes even smaller once the top is folded into it. It is a weekend car for someone who enjoys sourcing their own parts, not a first classic-car purchase.
Pros
- 260 hp turbo Ecotec in a car weighing barely 1,360 kg is genuinely quick
- Flat torque from 2,500 rpm gives real mid-range punch
- Rear-wheel drive and a proper roadster driving position
- Distinctive styling that stands out at any Bahrain weekend car meet
Cons
- Trunk space is famously tiny and shrinks further with the top folded
- Shares its Kappa platform with the equally dead Saturn Sky — no surviving parent brand
- Body panels and soft-top parts must be sourced from overseas
- Strictly a two-seat, no-luggage weekend car
GM built the Solstice and its Saturn Sky twin on the Kappa platform specifically to prove the company could still make a proper affordable rear-wheel-drive roadster, and on the road it largely delivers. The GXP's turbocharged 2.0-litre Ecotec — the same LNF engine used in the Cobalt SS and HHR SS — makes 260 hp and a flat 260 lb-ft of torque from just 2,500 rpm, which gives the car real mid-range shove rather than the peaky, wait-for-boost character some contemporary turbo fours had.
The trunk problem is real
Every Solstice review, then and now, has to mention the trunk, because it genuinely matters: the car was designed around the folding soft-top mechanism first and cargo space second, leaving barely enough room behind the seats for a small overnight bag when the roof is up, and almost nothing once it is folded down into its compartment. This is a two-person, no-luggage car by design, which limits it in Bahrain to weekend driving rather than any kind of daily or touring use.
Owning an orphan of an orphan
Pontiac died in 2010 and Saturn died the same year, which means the Solstice's Kappa platform has no surviving parent brand anywhere in the world. The Ecotec engine family is common enough across other GM products that engine internals are not the problem; body panels, soft-top mechanisms and Solstice-specific trim are the genuine risk, and Bahrain has no local stock of any of it. Buy from a seller who can show real maintenance history, and budget for parts to come from overseas when something breaks.