What happens when the average person wants to take the car on a run to the golf course
Can you fit a golf bag (not to mention two golf bags) into a Miata's trunk? How about an S2000? Or the two mini-trunks on a Boxster? I'd like some photographic evidence.
Yes you can fit a golf bag in the trunk of the MX5 (albeit with the drivers removed).
http://forum.miata.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=39231Sure the trunk issue isn't the only topic of discussion about the Solstice, but it certainly helped a LOT of us make the decision early on.
MX-5 has been outselling the Solstice in Canada for a number of months I believe (search elsewhere in forum if you've got the time) -- the introduction of the folding hardtop this year couldn't have hurt the sales State-side either. I'm sorry I don't have time to go diggin' for links right now for proof.
A few other bones of contention? My car with 42,000 hard-driven kms on it so far has been damn-near flawless. According to CR, my experience is pretty typical. The Sol/Sky twins are not recommended, if I recall correctly.
Another aspect to consider of the practical-minded, James writes about lowering the top, "Swing the latch down, hit the “trunk” release button, hop out and flop the top down and slam the “trunk” down and you are away." Without exaggeration, in the time it takes to simply READ that statement (let alone perform the actions), I can drop the top, then raise and latch it again on the MX-5.
My car is a daily-driver. It is (relatively-speaking), cheap to buy, cheap to run, cheap to insure, reliable and exceptionally fun. With a set of snow tires it merrily goes about its business all year long. I take it on long-weekend trips away with my wife and the trunk packed with our luggage. The Solstice simply could not work for me.
I will concede that the Sky has sexier styling than the MX5. The Solstice was interesting when it came out -- now it just looks like a faded fad to me. Styling is subjective.
The GXP has a lot of power and makes it a formidible performer. Mazda is bringing a Mazdaspeed version to market and I'd bet it won't cost as much as the GXP.
Pontiac has done a good job of offering an Auto-X ready package for the Solstice and they're doing well in SCCA. However, a few minor adjustments to the MX-5 places them right up there with the Solstices by what I've been reading. At that point, the MX-5 makes a great track-ready car that's reliable, efficient, more practical and competitive. The Solstice is still a (horribly impractical) Solstice.
I'm not so closed-minded to not applaud GM for the kappa twins, but let's face it, Mazda has had a couple decades to perfect the Miata now and it shows. There's still room for improvement, and for the first time, there's real, genuine competition for the world's best-selling roadster (the MR-S, Del Sol and Capri never really lived up).
