Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertibles, Sports/GTs
Pontiac Solstice GXP sees light of day in L.A.
The turbocharged GXP version of the Pontiac Solstice has finally been unveiled in all of its Banana Yellow glory, according to our man on the floor, Stuart.
A few more details have emerged about the GXP’s 260-hp, 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec engine. For starters, it features a dual-scroll turbo with a lightweight turbine to reduce lag (it can accommodate up to 20psi of boost), an air-to-air intercooling system to chill the engine’s inhale and variable valve timing on both the intake and exhaust. Direct-injection technology is also included, a first for GM in North America.
The engine was developed by GM Powertrain in both the U.S. and Europe and it stands as the company’s highest specific output engine ever at 2.1 hp per cubic inch of displacement.
Here are some more highlights of the 2.0T Ecotec:
- Steel crankshaft
- Forged connecting rods
- Forged oil-galley pistons
- Jet-spray piston cooling
- 9.2:1 compression ratio
- Aluminum cylinder head with sodium-filled exhaust valves
- High-pressure engine-driven fuel pump
- Variable pressure fuel rail
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
egs 4:21PM (1/05/2006)
still waiting on the coupe.
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Chris 4:21PM (1/05/2006)
Bah. An S2000 can put out almost that much BHP without any forced induction. Granted, it doesn't have any torque, but telling my life ain't grand, grabbing 2nd at 8900 RPM. Solstice GXP? Yawn.
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Burger 4:37PM (1/05/2006)
Sorry but I don't care how high my engine revs when I'm looking at the tailights of another car. This thing starts at about $25k and can compete with cars that are in the 30-35k range. Very well done. I wonder if GM will come out with performance parts like it did for the Cobalt to really get things cooking.
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Pontiac Solstice GXP 11:14PM (1/05/2006)
Finally! We've been waiting for those for a while as it has been long rumored!
http://www.solsticeforums.com/
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Christopher 1:24AM (1/06/2006)
You're upset because you bought an S2K, dust off your skirt and admit the solstice will beat up on you in a straight line. Honda has been sitting on the S2K name for way too long without significant improvements! Why? Because they don't do forced induction just VVT, they're now "forced" (every pun intended) to make that leap into it. Put it this way, I know my stocky STi will take an S2K everyday of the week (even on hot summer days here in Vegas). Personall, I'd think twice about lining up with one of these GXP's. If you think you could take one in your 2.2 liter S2K, let me know, I'd like to watch! Civic Si you say? Eh...pass.
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Thameth 2:31AM (1/06/2006)
Funny how you guys keep mentioning that you'll show your taillights to an S2000 "in a straight line". Cause you know it'll just leave you once you make the first left onto the road course.....
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Car-la 7:14AM (1/06/2006)
Looks great, should go well, the only thing that remains to be seen is if it also handles better than standard versions. So far, the rviews of the Solstice I've read were not too convincing of this car's abilities.
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Chris 3:19PM (1/06/2006)
#6/Thameth - right on. Couldn't agree more. It's so typically American to only care about how fast a car can go in a straight line. I'd rather have a car that can take a curve at twice its recommended speed than have a car that can do 0-60 in the sub 5 second range.
#5/Christopher - wrong on so many counts.
First of all, Honda doesn't just do VVT, it does VTEC - Valve Timing AND Lift Control. It's a brilliant system. Honda doesn't NEED Forced Induction. They're making 80+ BHP per litre in nearly all their engines without it. Honda could have put a larger engine in the S2K (giving the more torque), but they wanted to focus on the handling of the vehicle, which meant saving weight. Thus the 2.0 (and later 2.2) litre 4 banger. The small size of the engine also meant it could be mounted further back (front-mid) to give the car a perfect 50/50 weight distribution and a low polar moment of interia.
I didn't say I owned an S2K, and even if I did, I wouldn't be embarrassed. Nor do I have a problem admiting that this particular version of the Solstice will be the S2K off the line - in fact I admitted in my original post the S2K's inherent weakness due to a lack of torque.
To then compare your stock-ish STI (300BHP/300ft-lbs torque) to a car with lesser stats is just callow. You have symmetrical AWD and a brilliant rally-inspired engine/drivetrain. You dump the clutch at 4000RPM and of course you'll smoke pretty much anything, even with a 500+ lbs disavantage against either the Solstice or the S2K.
The S2K was built with handling in mind. In that respect, it is damn near perfect. I love driving it everytime I get in and press that red START button. Always a new thrill. The Solstice just doesn't do it for me.
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Bryce 4:31PM (1/08/2006)
The S2000 and STi are both A-Stock in SCCA Solo II, it's a valid comparison. The STi is under-represented in AS at National Tour events but when the good scoobie drivers show up they tend to win. The S2000 is an overpriced joke of a roadster.
The Solstice already has what it takes to win autocross in C-Stock (see the Feb issue of GRM). If GM can manage not to screw it up, the GXP will own A-Stock and make a lot of more expensive cars look bad in a straight line.
And I'm starting to save my pennies...
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Bernard 10:11AM (1/27/2006)
Good effort by Gm. Mr.Lutz is doing his magic there. If you really want to have fun, drop your solstice off at Mallett cars,[http://www.mallettcars.com/news-5-26-05-v8solstice.htm] and they'll drop a 400+ hp LS2 in for you :)
bernard
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deluke 9:11AM (2/04/2006)
The Solstice is the best looking sports car out there, the GXP or regular solstice. There is no competition in looks and with the GXP it will make it even more fun.
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Rod 4:33PM (3/07/2006)
The soltice is a good looking car. Don't think it is going to blow the doors off of may other roadsters. I personally like the more agressive style of the SKY. I would love to run into one at a track day with my S2K. I just don't think the handling is going to be there with this car. It's a good looking car and seems to be well put together but it is also a parts bin car. There is a reason it is one of the cheapest roadsters on the market. I would like to drive one to see how it performs. If you want to go fast in a straight line get a V-8!!!!
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mark long 9:56PM (3/08/2006)
For $10,000 less, I'd take the solstice over the s2000 anyday!Thats what wrong with americans today, they think it hip driving foreign cars while all their money is being shipped over seas and feeding the japanese! Wise up and drive the american car again and see what you're missing instead of living and driving a perception!
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mark long 9:56PM (3/08/2006)
For $10,000 less, I'd take the solstice over the s2000 anyday!Thats what wrong with americans today, they think it hip driving foreign cars while all their money is being shipped over seas and feeding the japanese! Wise up and drive the american car again and see what you're missing instead of living and driving a perception!
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Nathan 1:11AM (3/14/2006)
I've owned both the S2k AND the STi and STi will BLOW the doors off of a stock S2k anyday! As for me though, I've got my deposit in on a Sky Redline because for my $27K plus the $8K to equal the S2k, I'm going to have a handling straight-line monster that's waaaaay sexier than anything else on the road?Penny for penny you can't beat the out-of-the-box performance of the GXP or Redline "partsbin" cars of GM...
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Bruce Dixon 12:24AM (3/26/2006)
Ok, now I've got to step in. Every one of you guys would be eating my road chips in a staight line or a curvy road. I currently drive a 1993 RX7 3rd Gen. That being said, the Solstice GXP has intriqued me enough to trade in the RX7 for one of them. The solstice has nearly the same body lines as the RX7. With the added ponies on the GXP model it may compete fairly well with it. On the contrary to some of the remarks, all the reviews I've read on the std model Solstice praise its handling while slamming the powertrain. The GXP comes with a handling package that I would expect to add even more praise to the handling aspects.
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XL37 7:29AM (3/30/2006)
The STi is by no means stock. It is actually a pimped Subaru Impreza, like an EVO is a pimped Lancer. If Honda took a 2.0L Civic, turbocharged it and gave it 300BHP it wouldn't be stock... The S2000 is a pure car, made for a certain group of people. By comparing a 260 BHP turbocharged engine to a 250 BHP N/A engine is not fair. Even if it has the ability to compete much "bigger" cars...
Pontiac has done a great job with this engine, even though I personally dislike the looks of the car.
For those who like the SKY Saturn, this same engine will be on the 2007 Opel GT which will actually be a SKY with a GXP engine.
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douglas 9:02PM (3/31/2006)
solstice???? u kidding me your a bum, lets get thinggs straight i have a honda s2000 u wanna talk about a car that has power for 2.0 liters . honda takes time and doesnt shortcut the engine by putting a turbo on it. a turbo is a cheap way of horsepower, yet effective. now you wanna talk trash with a turbo on your ride. well, ok your turbo with your car is 250 hp i can get a rev hard turbo package qwith 7 PSI and have well voer 360 hp. now who talking shit so before you go barking up a tree know yuor shit and oh eyah half the ameican cars are built in palces like hmm do your research , mexico, canada, also the new GTO australia so you tell em jackass are you buying american?? until you know your story dont write a paragraph. maybe if you spent more time researching on how to make something better to compete you rather put it down. remember s2k with 7 psi clsoe to 360 or 70 hp, solstice 250 hp , so technically our output is much higher at lower psi. so you cant bea t a honda deal with the facts punk
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Bruce Dixon 1:44AM (4/01/2006)
Hey #18. Man what is your problem? So you got an s2k and you got your little ego hurt? Grow up and grow a brain. The s2k is a nice car but don't get your panties in a wad about it. Looks nice and has good Honda build quality but the torque on those things does suck. What is it, 160 lbs-ft of torque at 6900 rpms? Jeese, even the *standard* model solstice has more than that. Sounds like you gotta wind it out like a 2 stroke dirt bike in order to develop any power. I'd trade it in for a Miata if you don't like the solstice.
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joe 9:21PM (4/03/2006)
hey guys talk to the gxp owners at http://www.solsticegxpowners.com
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