MotorWeek | Retro Review: '06 Miata vs Solstice

motorWeek is made possible by of tire rack for 15 years the Mazda mx-5 has reigned supreme as America's favorite roadster no other drop-top has been able to match the mx-5 s pure sports car bang for the buck but for 2006 there's a new kid on the block the Pontiac Solstice so let's hit the road and the track to see if the new Solstice will complement the mx-5 or crush it the Mazda mx-5 has never had any real competition but with the arrival of the new Pontiac Solstice a head-to-head roadster battle is a certainty but which one of these slick 2 C drop tops is the best and more importantly which two-seater is right for you as the reigning champ among affordable sports cars the third-generation mx-5 is the standard all new for 2006 the mx-5 is longer and wider with a wheelbase stretched 2 and a half inches to 91.7 that overall growth means an expanded cabin with 3 and a half inches more shoulder room but minimal increases in head and legroom mean that this is still not a space for the truly tall at least with the top up that's a manual tough it continues to be the lightest easiest to use on the market just flip a latch and throw it back without ever leaving your seat putting it back up is just as easy power comes from a 2 litre dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine that jumps up 28 horsepower for our total of 170 torque is 140 pound-feet 15 more than before both 5 and 6 speed manual transmissions and a new 6-speed automatic are available we naturally favor the 6-speed manual for pure sports car fun fun-loving to is it's tight lively chassis which rides on double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspensions and a choice of 16 or 17 inch alloy wheels the whole package is wrapped in beefier yet evolve styling that is starting to look a little too familiar in contrast the Pontiac Solstice is totally fresh looking like no other car on the road it's curved muscular lines straight from an auto show concept roll out at you from every angle it looks bigger than the mx-5 but is actually a tenth of an inch shorter it is 3.6 inches wider however and rides on a 3.4 inch longer wheelbase having the wheels pushed right to the quarters makes for a larger cabin with room enough for drivers six-foot Plus even with the top up that's a manual top that's more stylish but also one that you have to get out of the car to operate its toes under a clamshell cover which also doubles as the trunk lid raise the hood and you'll find a 2.4 liter twin cam 4-cylinder output is 177 horsepower 7 more than the mx-5 and 166 pound-feet of torque which beats the Mazda by a healthy 26 pound-feet transmissions both manual and automatic most five gears each the chassis GM's rear drive kappa platform rides on an independent short long arm suspension at each end and big 18-inch alloy wheels put those wheels on the track in the twenty eight hundred sixty pound solstice will hit 60 and 7.2 seconds the 2.4 Ecotec is strong right off the line revving nicely but then power is added more slowly until well up in the RPM by contrast the Mazdas 2-liter requires more revs at launch but then spins up quicker for a more linear and predictable power band this allowed the less powerful but 400 pound lighter mx-5 to a barely slower zero to sixty effort of 7.3 seconds but while the race may be a photo finish on the straights things are less even in the curves the mx-5 is still the clear champion turns feeling pure sports car it's near neutral handling chassis ultra precise steering and standard ABS this brakes give it an almost motorcycle agility ratios in the slick six-speed manual gearbox are perfectly matched engines output allowing the driver to accelerate early in the corners and get a strong drive onto the straights contender solstice is slower to react in corners it's heavier front-end producing more understeer while the steering delivers less but still adequate feedback on this match before the engine's power curve and gearing also left little drive down low over tight corners but a good performance from it's all disc brakes with optional ABS and help keep it in track contention still it is on the street where solstice hits it strong the heavier solstice soaks up rough pavement far better than the mx-5 it's also quieter than the mx-5 top up or down Pontiac softer suspension produces less bump hop and stutter it's smoother cruiser like ride being ideal for a weekend jump to paradise by comparison on the street the mx-5 has always been a bit of a buzz bomb and that hasn't changed you also feel every crack in the pavement more than once still few cars deliver more value than these two terrific roadsters mx-5 prices start at twenty thousand nine hundred ninety five dollars for the basic club spec model but can climb to over 27 thousand dollars for the limited grade solstice prices started grande lower than mx-5 at $19,995 and even with options will top out at about twenty five thousand dollars so the Mazda mx-5 and Pontiac Solstice emerge has not so much direct rivals but as contenders for two different sides to the Roadster coin the 2006 Mazda mx-5 is for those that value purist sports car performance above all else but the 2006 Pontiac Solstice has a cool Cruiser character and head-turning styling that makes it a more enjoyable car to live with day in and day out now there are two knockout roadsters with more bang for your driving buck than a freeway full of firecracker and with either solstice or M five you're guaranteed a top-notch top-down draw you

Channel: MotorWeek

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Keywords: MotorWeek (Award-Winning Work), Automobile (TV Genre), Mazda Miata, Pontiac Solstice (Automobile Model), Pontiac (Automobile Make), Mazda MX-5 (Automobile Model), MX-5, Miata, Mazda (Automobile Company), Roadster (Automotive Class), Saturn Sky (Automobile Model), Automotive Industry (Industry)

Id: isF2gV9cA9o

Length: 6min 51sec (411 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 17 2015