Solstice outsold Miata MX-5 5,362 to 4,821 from September through December, according to Autodata.


Not bad for the new guy on the block

 

my guess is that they'd have sold more solstices if they could have produced them faster

will be interesting to see the sales numbers for the summer

 

Good!

Are those numbers for the newly redesigned Miata, excuse me, MX-5?

I would like to see how much the Solstice would sell if the production was left open.

 

What would be good is if GM would produce enough of them to satisfy demand at least partially.

 

The Solstice/Sky don't seem to me like they're satisfy the hardcore Miata enthusiast because they are overweight, which is probably the Miata's #1 selling point is how light and tossable it is.

BUT for the other 90% of miata buyers who just want a smallish 2-door convertible, I think the Solstice/Sky are far more appealing choices and will only get more appealing when the redline versions are released.

 

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/dir...ew/.efad56e/71


You might want to read post 76.

 

The 'feel' of a light car is not the same thing as the handling capability of a light car vs a heavy car.

I can probably make a Dodge Ram SRT-10 outhandle a stock Miata with some proper modifications, but it's still not going to have the same feel.

 

i think that is the major argument... "no one likes the ecotec"

my boss, a desk manager of my dealership tested a green one out, (he's about 6foot even) with the top up said he had plenty of room. he said to be exact "that would be a bitchen weekend beach car" but he also admited that it was underpowered.

he also liked the 25k dollar sticker price, although our dealership next door is putting 4k on top of it

 

I'm not surprised at Solstice's success, and I'll even predict that the gap will widen within the next year as word of mouth gets around, and the GXP version comes out.

After taking a "spin" in a friend's here on the site, I have to say the car is far roomier than the Miata, the interior is put together far more solidly than Miata's (despite not being as fancy), the seats feel better than Miata's, and quite frankly, I'd prefer being in the wider and heavier Solstice on the freeways having seen how badly people drive... especially in SUVs.

Mark my words, Solstice hasn't even hit it's sales stride yet.

And there's still going to be a Saturn version!

 

Hell, the Miata doesn't even satisfy the "hardcore Miata enthusiasts." From what I gather, they seem to like the early 2nd gens since they have about the best blend of power and light weight.

 

No doubt. This spring/summer should set the high-water mark once production is in full-swing, the backorders are still being filled, the good weather's here, the newness of the car is still driving demand, and the Sky won't have hit its stride yet.

The real test will be next year. By then all the 'gotta have' people will be satisfied, there'll be 30,000 on the road, the turbo will be old news, and Sky will be fighting for the same customers. Cars like this are notorious for having short shelf lives, but I think that this one should last for a few good years as long as GM doesn't let it wither away entirely.

 

"Feel"? What the hell does "feel" have anything to do with anything when the guy just said the Solstice lapped an Autocross track quite a bit quicker?

I'll take results over "feel" any day. Probably why I've always preferred the LS1 over my old LT1 even though people swear the Gen II V8 "feels" faster.

 

I'm not saying that I agree with those people. I'll take the car that performs better over the one that feels like it's performing better.

Stats don't always tell the whole story. My GS400 ran 14.7 @ 97 and that's actually a pretty slow time for a GS400. My A4 hasn't been run at the track but I'd tend to guess it's either a high 15 second or low 16 second car, yet it feels faster.

Heck, I've been very frustrated with the car mags picking the 3-series over the new Lexus IS because the IS trounces the 3-series in most every measurable category. Acceleration, handling, safety, price, gas milage, ride quality, noise, predicted reliability, features, and so on, yet the 3-series always takes first because of its "feel".

 

I wouldn't think twice about making the opposite decison. Feel is important, because I don't carry a stop watch with me every day. Ideally, I'd like to have both, but it's rarely the case.

 

I can see what you're saying, but the way I think about it is like this:
Generally if a car feels like it's performing better it's because of a steep onset of power (turbo lag building up to boost which feels cool but is not really a good thing), or because of noise/vibration/harshness... ya know, like how loud exhaust makes a car seem faster than quiet exhaust when you ride in it.

To me I think it's cool when a car doesn't "feel" like it's being pushed, but yet it's still kicking the competing car's ***.

Granted if you have a car that is only marginally better performing but is an absolute bore to drive then that may be a different story, but in my case my A4 would get its *** handed to it in the worst of ways by my GS4 despite however fast it feels, and I don't care for that.