The forward portion of the side silhouette is strikingly similar to that of the very first Corvette, with the front overhang tautly draped over a wheel well positioned at the extreme end of the car. The stubby rear quarters resemble the current Lotus Elise sans spoiler, with the profile drawn sharply up from the rear wheel well and over the trailing edge of the clamshell trunk to aero-like fairings behind the high-back seats. The body filling the space between the wheel wells easily could have been sliced out of that same Corvette and sectioned to tuck into the Solstice's relatively short wheelbase.

Stylistically, the convertible top is a coup. Yes, the Solstice looks best with the top down, but even with it up, the side aspect shows a decent aero look. And this is with a storage system that tucks the top away under a clamshell-like, rear-hinged trunk lid covering the entire back part of the car. The trick is a couple of mini-Ferrari Dino-like sail panels bookending the vertical rear window. These do add complexity, however, and an extra step or two in opening the trunk while the top is up and in raising and lowering the top. Click the remote, and three latches pop loose, one in the center for the trunk lid, the other two outboard beneath the two wings. Fold the wings up, then open the trunk; to close, reverse the process, always remembering to latch both wings. The entire process takes less than a minute.

The rear view looks like it was sketched by somebody with an understanding of and affinity for fluid motion. Taillights sit atop the fenders, directly above pods housing the combination back-up lights and reflectors. A single, chromed exhaust tip exits through a half-round opening molded into the right end of the black mesh diffuser that runs across the bottom of the rear fascia.

The Solstice may not break new ground as a design, but is instead a sweet blending of elements of sports cars that have gone before. The result is an eye-pleasing, delightfully proportioned, almost sensuous package.

Interior Features

Considering that it incorporates components from Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel, and Fiat, the cabin of the Solstice looks and feels more integrated, more of a whole than expected. Quality of fit and finish on the test car was on a par with the competition, save for an uneven cover on the passenger airbag and one fixture central to a functioning convertible. Ergonomics, too, earn mostly good scores.

An eyebrow-like hood rises from the dash near the driver's door to loop over the instrument cluster and drop down the right-hand side of the center stack, offering the passenger a Hail Mary hand-grip before wrapping around the shift boot. A pair of large, round dials report engine and road speed, with a smaller dial resting in the saddle between those two doing the same for fuel level. Too bad all three circles make goo-goo eyes at the unlined top rather than gaze meaningfully into the eyes of the driver. Three round, eye shade-like dash vents service the driver, with a fourth isolated at the far end of the passenger's side of the dash. Three well-proportioned climate control knobs fill the space in the center stack between the vents and the stereo panel, the last a jarring rectangle unlike every other shape in the Solstice's interior. We would have placed the solo power point on the other side of the binnacle, near the passenger, though, to keep the radar detector cord out of the way of the climate control knobs and stereo. Door latch handles are comfortably located high up and forward on the doors. The power mirror control, too, is convenient, at the top of the inside door pull just below the door handle, where an index finger can easily manipulate it. The hand brake is on the passenger side of the drive tunnel, opposite of where it should be, however. The power window buttons would be easier to use if they were farther forward in the armrests. And the knob for adjusting the seatback angle is difficult to reach with the doors closed.

Seats fit us well, although the bottom cushions came up a bit short on thigh support. And a seat height adjustment would ease the strain on the hamstrings over long drives. Space-wise, the Solstice compares well with the Miata, with an inch more head room, identical hip room and barely half an inch less leg room.

Elevated seats would improve outward visibility all the way around, too, although the high beltline arguably adds a degree of safety in side impacts. On the subject of occupant safety, the Solstice provides what's mandatory and nothing more. Thus, while every 2006 Mazda Miata MX-5 has frontal airbags, seat-mounted side airbags and passenger-seat child safety seat anchors, the Solstice comes only with frontal airbags.

Storage consists of a decent-size glove box, plus a couple of nets sewn to the front of the seat bottoms, a cubby tucked into the bulkhead between the seatbacks, and pouches on the seat backs. Doubling as storage for the convertible top, the trunk offers 3.8 cubic feet with the top up, but just 1.4 cu. ft. with the top down. Those data don't truly tell the tale, however. The elephant in the trunk is the gas tank. Finding no other place to put it (and stay within the development timeline and budget set for the car), the Solstice's designers plopped it down front and center in the trunk. The result is a huge box sitting on the trunk floor that leaves barely enough room around the edges for soft-sided, duffel bag-type luggage. Which is just as well, as anything put inside has to be hefted up and over the sides of the car, so light is good. There's no room for a spare tire, either, so like the Miata and for the same reason, the Solstice comes with an emergency inflater strapped to the back wall of the trunk. But although the Maita's trunk is only 1.5 cu. ft. larger, it's immensely more functional, shaped as it is more traditionally, i.e., a reasonably deep, open space.