Solstice GXP Roadster vs. 350Z Coupe

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usedHONDA

usedHONDA

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If you can't decide between the two, this will decide it for you

*Both of these models are standard and under 30K.

Base MSRP
Solstice: $26,995
350Z: $27,650

Horsepower
Solstice: 277 hp
350Z: 300 hp

MPG
Solstice: 22/31
350Z: 19/25

And now for the most important part.
0-60/Quarter Mile
Solstice:5.5/14.2
350Z: 5.8/14.2

My opinion: go for the solstice GXP.
 
Well, I would agree for the most part, but if you read most tests of the two cars you are also missing out on a few things. The Nissan has a much larger trunk, one that can actually hold things, as compared to the Pontiac. That said, you can also order your Nissan with a softer suspension, making the ladies out there a bit happier...

Granted, I love the Solstice. As of right now, I can't think of many roadsters outside of the MX-5 that are any better for the money, as it is very hard to argue against a 2.0L DI Turbo with that kind of power.

But, even then, the Saturn Sky RedLine (read Opel GT Europe) is a better car. It has a nicer look to it both inside and out, more refinement with the suspension, and would do well with the 5-speed automatic as opposed to the 5-speed Aisin stick.

....Anyway, yes, the Solstice GXP is a much better choise than the 350Z for most people looking for a fun sportscar...
 
Not for most people that do pretty much anything. I looked at the S2000 before I drove my Z, and considering the Solstice's trunk is the same size as/a wee bit smaller than THAT thing, I couldn't imagine even going to school with my books! Seriously.
 
The Z has more storage space, doesn't look like a fugly lima bean, and is better for the winter months.

By all means, I can see what you're getting at, but the Sky Redline would be a better choice for the Z's opponent, seeing as how it would eliminate one of the problems I listed above. ;)
 
Have you ever seen the trunk in the Solstice? It is amazing how bad it is...

TrunkTopUp.jpg


Thats it! Thats all of it! That funny think poping up there? Yeah, thats the fuel cell... Nice place for it, huh?

Granted, it is a sportscar, and you shouldn't have to worry about trunk space, but there are ways to get around having a stupid setup like that. Oh well, atleast you could fit a spare pair of shoes in there, maybe a few articles of clothing... Good for an extremely short weekend trip...
 
THREE FIFTY FREAKING ZEE!!! There is NO CONTEST. You get more for your money with the Z, I'd argue the build quality of the Nissan product far exceeds GM's, the noise the Z makes is superior, looks better, will hold a better resale value, more comfortable for anyone over 5'10" 175lbs, it's a Z car, and last but not least the Z car will undoubtably get you more p*ssy.
 
HOLY CAMOLES, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!

On Topic: It seems that in every way, until the solstice coupe is around, that the Z is the more practical, BUT the solstice seems to be the sportier, and the overall fresher then that of the Z.

Z- 9.5

GXP-9.8
 
I'd go for the 350Z any day of the week, your getting more car for your cash, better space, better looks, it's fast enough, so is the Solstice theres not a big difference between them. The Solstice seems quicker off the line but the 350Z looks faster in gear.
 
The weight (or lack thereo) in the Solstice is WHY it jumps off the line faster...but there is no replacement for displacement in this case. The Z has more grunt at mid and higher RPMs. That and Nissan's VQ35 V6 is just pure sex. Drop $2000 in it and it becomes a whole new ballgame...can't say that with the 4-banger in the Solstice. The Solstice/Sky is a great car, it just isn't a Z car.
 
350Z. Period.

Once you get past the beautiful exterior design of the Solstice (and Sky), it's a crap car. Wobbly handling, Fisher-Price interior, lackluster performance (well, the GXP/Red Line is good for the money). I've been in all three, and while you appreciate walking up to the Solstice, the 350Z is the only one that continues to be an event well after you've started the engine.

And it's the only one that you'll want to come back to.
 
JCE3000GT
I'd argue the build quality of the Nissan product far exceeds GM's...
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Not with the Z, at least when it comes to the interior. Unless you enjoy the sound of rattling interior pieces and love it when the glovebox cover falls off.

JCE3000GT
Nissan's VQ35 V6 is just pure sex. Drop $2000 in it and it becomes a whole new ballgame...can't say that with the 4-banger in the Solstice.
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Nice one, I didn't think of that. 👍 It's easier to tune a naturally-aspirated V6 that doesn't break the 100hp/L barrier than a 135hp/L turbocharged direct-injection 4-cylinder.
 
If you are looking for something that you are going to live with every day then obviously the 350Z is the better choise. It offers more room, has better creature comforts, and you can even turn the dial down from 10 to 7 with the Touring package. But I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you are paying more money for more car by day's end, added to that, the 350Z is still more "common" than a Solstice or Sky here in the US.

The Kappa twins make great weekend sports cars. They are what they are, and they don't make apologies for it. They remind me more of the origional Miata than even the MX-5 of today, taking better consideration of British sportscars of yore... Very spartan in appearance both inside and out. Performance wise, they are impressive for just a few ticks over $20K USD. I mean you aren't going to be comparing the cars to the Corvette or 350Z in most cases, but they are more than enough for most people.

...As for comparing sounds, that just isn't fair. Four cylinder engines rarely, if ever, sound better than a V6, etc. It is just the nature of the design, sounding very mechanical... I generally equate it to a vaccum in a drain pipe...

If I'm one of the few who supports the Kappa model, so be it. It isn't that it is completely better than the 350Z, its more that it makes more "sense" than the Nissan competition. But even then, the MX-5 still trumps all...
 
YSSMAN
...As for comparing sounds, that just isn't fair. Four cylinder engines rarely, if ever, sound better than a V6, etc. It is just the nature of the design, sounding very mechanical... I generally equate it to a vaccum in a drain pipe...
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I couldn't disagree more. V6 engines rarely, if ever, sound better than Vin Diesel hammering ice picks into my ears.

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but still, I don't understand why so many V6's just sound like..."blah." It's confusing, too, because the inline six and flat six designs produce some of the very best noises in the motoring world, while the V6 produces some of the most boring, nasal, wheezy noises. The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are Alfa Romeo's V6s (I have no idea how they pull it off), Nissan's V6s, and the VW VR6 (which is more of a wonky inline-six anyway).

Inline 4 engines, on the other hand, can have quite an attractive growl to them depending on their design and exhaust. To be honest, I like the way many inline 4s sound, as long as the exhaust isn't modified to make them sound like weed whackers or bumblebees. :indiff:
 
Well, I guess it is up to one's own personal choise as to what sounds "good." I would certainly agree that the I6 and F6 sound much better than most V6 designs, a good tune done by any automaker can turn something bad into something good.

Of course the best-case for any V6 is certainly the Nissan VQ, Alfas and Hondas ranking quite high as well. Certainly there are plenty of "hash" V6 engines out there, many of them comming from GM, but they aren't all bad. The 3.8L V6 (especially the S/C models) sounded quite nice, particularly their predecessors in the old G-Body models... More specifically the GN and GNX.

Either way, there isn't a substitute for a good V8 or V12, IMO. They are indeed the "perfect" engines when it comes to sound... While I certainly prefer the low burble of a GM small-block, I certainly can appreciate that beautiful symphony of detonation that emits out of an Aston Martin or Ferrari...
 
Pontiac Solstice vs. the Nissan 350Z...

On personal preference, this is actually a tough call. The 350Z is more powerful (I think) than the Solstice. I sort of like the style of the Solstice more than the 350Z. Some of you may know that I'm not real big on Nissan. Don't hate Nissan, just not really a fan. So it's sort of tough to call on personal preference.

The stats you've given, usedHONDA, are pretty nice, especially the 1/4 mile times. They are both 14 second cars, just that the Solstice gets up to 60 three seconds faster. I think the Solstice seems to be more of a weekend toy and a summer toy than a 350Z. Maybe we can step up the comparison (I hate using "comparo" because I keep thinking of the Camaro instead of "comparison") with skidpad, track times, and stuff like that.

I'd probably go with... actually, I wanted to say the 350Z, but I'm not really sure. This is a toss-up for me. A tough call.
 
YSSMAN
Well, I guess it is up to one's own personal choise as to what sounds "good." I would certainly agree that the I6 and F6 sound much better than most V6 designs, a good tune done by any automaker can turn something bad into something good...

...Either way, there isn't a substitute for a good V8 or V12, IMO. They are indeed the "perfect" engines when it comes to sound... While I certainly prefer the low burble of a GM small-block, I certainly can appreciate that beautiful symphony of detonation that emits out of an Aston Martin or Ferrari...
Click to expand...

To me, the inline-six makes the best noise of any configuration, followed by the flat-six, V10, and V12 in a three-way tie, the inline-five, and the flat-plane V8 (Autozine the difference). After that comes the inline 4, cross-plane V8, Wankel rotary, and any other random configuration in a loosely-organized list of runners-up, with the V6 near the bottom.

YSSMAN
Certainly there are plenty of "hash" V6 engines out there, many of them comming from GM, but they aren't all bad.
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Tell me about it. Although they aren't exactly sportscars (understatement), my parents' Blazer and Oldsmobile make the most dreadful noise. When you mash down the gas pedal, you get nothing but a huff, puff, "whoosh" type of noise, with the slightest hint of a subdued, nasal growl.
 
THe Z's a better Sports coupe, but a horrible roadster. the Solstice is a better roadster, but there's no coupe.
 
Wolfe2x7
I couldn't disagree more. V6 engines rarely, if ever, sound better than Vin Diesel hammering ice picks into my ears.

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but still, I don't understand why so many V6's just sound like..."blah." It's confusing, too, because the inline six and flat six designs produce some of the very best noises in the motoring world, while the V6 produces some of the most boring, nasal, wheezy noises. The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are Alfa Romeo's V6s (I have no idea how they pull it off), Nissan's V6s, and the VW VR6 (which is more of a wonky inline-six anyway).

Inline 4 engines, on the other hand, can have quite an attractive growl to them depending on their design and exhaust. To be honest, I like the way many inline 4s sound, as long as the exhaust isn't modified to make them sound like weed whackers or bumblebees. :indiff:
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My exact thoughts. 👍
 
Jim Prower
THe Z's a better Sports coupe, but a horrible roadster. the Solstice is a better roadster, but there's no coupe.
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That is a great summation of the "problem" here. A 350Z as a roadster didn't turn out as well as many people had hoped, and given that there isn't a coupe version of the Solstice/Sky available yet, that poses a problem as well.

All I have herd is that it is "in the works" from GM on both Kappa models, and they would maintain most of their current looks overall. Chevrolet had considered a 2+2 version, as well as a roadster (two-seater), but nothing has come through yet...
 
Wolfe2x7
I couldn't disagree more. V6 engines rarely, if ever, sound better than Vin Diesel hammering ice picks into my ears.

Okay, so that's an exaggeration, but still, I don't understand why so many V6's just sound like..."blah." It's confusing, too, because the inline six and flat six designs produce some of the very best noises in the motoring world, while the V6 produces some of the most boring, nasal, wheezy noises. The only exceptions I can think of off the top of my head are Alfa Romeo's V6s (I have no idea how they pull it off), Nissan's V6s, and the VW VR6 (which is more of a wonky inline-six anyway).

Inline 4 engines, on the other hand, can have quite an attractive growl to them depending on their design and exhaust. To be honest, I like the way many inline 4s sound, as long as the exhaust isn't modified to make them sound like weed whackers or bumblebees. :indiff:
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The one I4 engine that to me sounds like a dream stock and like you just dropped a nuclear bomb when modded is the SR20DE (including the SR20DET).

Thing is about the 350Z's build quality, even with some owners having interior issues I still think overall Nissan > GM. You got to ask yourself, does the person even take care of the car? Yes, I knew 2 people that had 350Z's with rattling interior trim--but the catch is they drove the hell out of the cars. GM has made steps forward in interior plastic quality...but even if you consider both GM and Nissan to have crap interior plastics at least Nissan's interiors LOOK better.

Solution? My next new car will probably be; CLK430, FX35, or a Ford Fusion V6 SEL...which I will promptly install some Dynomat (http://store.summitracing.com/partd...0455&N=700+400319+4294925230+115&autoview=sku) on every plastic trim piece to prevent ANY rattling and or squeeking. 👍
 
Nissan used a straight-through exhaust which is part of that distinctive sound. Also the intake and heads were tuned specifically for the 350Z.
 
JCE3000GT
Thing is about the 350Z's build quality, even with some owners having interior issues I still think overall Nissan > GM. You got to ask yourself, does the person even take care of the car? Yes, I knew 2 people that had 350Z's with rattling interior trim--but the catch is they drove the hell out of the cars. GM has made steps forward in interior plastic quality...but even if you consider both GM and Nissan to have crap interior plastics at least Nissan's interiors LOOK better.
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Now I have to completely disagree with you there. As many Nissan products I've been around in the past few years (had an '03 Altima from '03-'06), they if anything, are worse than GM. The mouse-fur cloth seats, tupperware dashboards, play-school door handles and buttons, etc are far worse than that of the same GM models from the era.

Granted, GM isn't perfect, but Nissan is easily one of the worst Japanese marques when it comes to quality. Have you driven a Titan or Armada? Yeesh... For being such a "great" truck, there certainly were some problems with the one we test-drove. The rattles and squeeks sounded like they came out of a ten-year-old F150... It was that bad.

But as you said, both companies are getting better. Toyota and Honda both seem to be on the decline in quality, IMO, and that certainly aids their climb to the top of the lists in quality.

...But even then, it can be argued that many of the Korean models are far more "refined" than that of some GM and Nissan products...

---

red70mach1
Nissan used a straight-through exhaust which is part of that distinctive sound. Also the intake and heads were tuned specifically for the 350Z.
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I always assumed it was a butterfly valve in the exhaust much like what GM did with the Z06. Too bad GM doesn't take the time to "tune" anything less than a V8 these days, as I'm sure the 3.6L V6 unit along with the 2.2L S/C I4 units would sound great with a nicely tuned exhaust.
 
This one is easy for me: 350Z

Why would I say this when I tend to go for American Cars?? Simple, I can't even fit in a Solstice. Also V6s are uperior to 4s in everyway.
 
My question, usedHONDA, is (has this been asked yet?):

Where the hell did you find a Solstice GXP with 277 horses!? Seems to me like you spliced the normal Solstice's 177 with the GXP's 260. Yes, it only has 260 horsepower. Damn.
 
keef
My question, usedHONDA, is (has this been asked yet?):

Where the hell did you find a Solstice GXP with 277 horses!? Seems to me like you spliced the normal Solstice's 177 with the GXP's 260. Yes, it only has 260 horsepower. Damn.
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I might have an idea how he got those numbers. Most GM vehicles have accesories that you can order the car with. The Solstice GXP can be ordered with a cat-back exhuast and a CAI (cold air intake). Those 2 items might bring it up to 277.
 
If I may point this out:

Motor Trend gave the nod to the Solstice GXP in their comaprison with the 350Z Convertable and BMW Z4 3.0... Just thought I would throw that in there...

I'm 6ft, 165 lbs, and I fit just fine in the Solstice and Sky. Granted the knee room could be better, but it wasn't that bad, and it is something that can be easily fixed by GM for the 2008 model year.

Again, my biggest concern over the Solstice and Sky in any situation is that there is a massive lack of space in the trunk. But given that I would for the most part be driving alone, there is plenty of space for my crap next to me.

...Its part of the reason why I have been considering dumping the Wolfsburg and picking up a M-Spec Miata ('96). Given that I really don't need four doors and seating for five, it would work out allright. Added to that, insurance prices are cheaper, and fuel economy is nearly the same.

But then again, I've been looking for a Z/28 too...
 
YSSMAN
If I may point this out:

Motor Trend gave the nod to the Solstice GXP in their comaprison with the 350Z Convertable and BMW Z4 3.0... Just thought I would throw that in there...

I'm 6ft, 165 lbs, and I fit just fine in the Solstice and Sky. Granted the knee room could be better, but it wasn't that bad, and it is something that can be easily fixed by GM for the 2008 model year.
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Ahh, but I am 6'4'' which means I CANNOT fit into the car at all. There is no physical way for me to even get into it becuase the seats don't go back nearly enough. I think that is a huge mistake on GMs part.
 
Hold on a second:

Why is it GM's falut for not accomodating a few select people out there? The average height of an American male is indeed 5'8", and generally the spead of height stops right around 6' even. The majority of cars in America, thusly, are designed for that sweet-spot in the height matrix. Granted there are some models that leave plenty of room for 6'4" males, but it isn't every single one.

Want bigger? Buy a Corvette...
 
To answer several replies...

The Solstice is more of a third car used for a Saturday night drive or just to say you have one (this explains the horrible trunk). A 350Z Enthusiast, which is the cheapest of the Z's faster than the Solstice, costs over 30K after adding one option to it, and the Solstice GXP comes fully loaded (with 18" chrome wheels, XM, OnStar, spoiler, a 7 speaker sound system with 2 tweeters and a subwoofer, premium interior headliner, 5 speed automatic, Etc.) for $31,714. And there are, in fact performance accessories like exhaust tips (and a Cat-Back Exhaust System), a performance air intake, and to answer another reply, a Sport Suspension Package. The Solstice is faster than an S2000 and an MX-5 and is, according to Auto Trend, comparable to the $51,300 BMW Z4.

And for everyone that didn't know, Pontiac has a concept for a Solstice Hardtop.

In other news, the solstice is now in two sports (drifting and road racing) and is setting new track records in their first 3 races. And those cars being used are all from GM parts and accessories that you can buy yourself on the web (accept for the some of the drifting equipment).
 

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