I am intrigued by the Solstise, but find that it looks are good with the top down, but not so good when it's up.
What I can't figure out is why this car is better than a Miata (or MX-5 or whatever Mazda is calling it now-a-days). I even find that the Mazda looks good with the top up. And at least there is some boot space with the ragg top down.
(1) Availability of a 260-horsepower turbocharged engine (remember that this review is a review of the turbocharged GXP, not the base-engine Solstice which competes directly with the Miata).
(2) Aesthetics. Maybe this doesn't matter so much with people movers, but it does matter more to people with "toys" like roadsters. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for me, Sky > Solstice > Miata, looks-wise.
(3) A more planted feel than the Miata. The Miata is agile, but according to some reviewers, skittish-feeling. This is the opposite. Once again, a personal taste issue.
(4) I've heard that the Solstice is doing great in autocross right now against the Solstice. It's got a fantastic chassis for racing.
There's more to cars than good trunk space--especially when we're talking about performance and enthusiast cars--and I wish that not EVERY thread about the Solstice/Sky turned into a discussion of the Solstice's trunk. The point has been made, now let's talk about the rest of the car.