I'm with this guy.

 

x 3

If a 5th gen is too easy to get in and out of, it'll take part of the charm out of it for me. I love wearing a car...but I realize I'm a dying breed probably...

 

Couldn't have said it bettter.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. I may be misreading things, but it seems that alot of people, including me, have very (overly) high expectations for this car. I thought it was going to be the best thing since sliced bread. Playing with it in person, though, brought me back to reality. It is just a small 2 seat convertible that is going to be impractical for most people. Its not fast, ergonomic, nor overly nice inside. For $20K, its priced right and makes for a cute little convertible, but I don't see them selling a ton of these after the first wave of enthusiasts gets theirs.

 

I don't think it will be the enthusiasts that make up the bulk of the sales for this car. I think it will be anyone who is looking for a cheap car with cute looks around it.

 

cheap and cute = $15k. I think it will be enthusiats and people looking for a car that looks more expensive then it cost.

 

Like SLT, I was disappointed at the lack of practicality of the Kappa twins. I know they're supposed to be toys, but if the smaller Miata manages a semi-useful trunk, why not Kappa? I mean, you couldn't even go buy a case of beer with your buddy on a nice sunny day unless he wanted to hold it on his lap on the way home.

But I still want one; I'm just a bit more pragmatic about it now. No doubt their sales curves will follow those of the SSR and Thunderbird, so might as well wait until the initial hysteria dies down and there are better deals to be had. I'm sure my beater will last a little while longer.

 

I guess I'm "New school". I don't think making a car is difficult to get into and out of makes it more of a sports car, I think it makes it more of a pain in the a$$. My Mustang is 100% of the performer that my LT1 camaro was, but is 3x easier to live with. Sports cars can be made that are easy to live with (see: C6).

 

What is the difference between getting out of a C6 and a C5? I own a C5 and have been in numerous C6's.....no difference to me.

In fact my F4's were a tad bit easier to get out of than a C5/6......

But if you think sitting at kitchen chair height is a prefered height for performance driving, then our definitions are vastly different......but then again, you do drive a Mustang....

 

I didn't say the C5 was bad. It was the C4 that was bad. Being easy to get in and out of isn't just about the height of the seat. It's also about the width of the sill panel, the thickness of the door, and the length of the door. When I had my Camaro in college, I could hardly get out of the car half the time because the spaces were narrow and I couldn't get the 6' long 1' thick doors open wide enough for my bony body to exit the vehicle. Did the big *** doors make the car handle better? Did they make it lighter? Faster? Since the answer is no, I don't think they made it "more of a sports car".

I do drive a Mustang. I'm not ashamed. Feel free to use it as amunition whenever you disagree with me.

 

My girlfriends 04 mustang isn't any easier to live with then my 95 camaro. I cant get comfortable in her car no matter what I do. My knees are in the dash whenever I drive her car and the sides around my legs just don't seem to give me enough room to move them. But when I sat in the solstice I really didn't have a problem with it. ANd even the miata that I test drove a few years back, I remember having to slide both legs in under the dash and then lower myself into the seat. I didn't feel it was that bad in the solstice.

 

I think that GM has thought about the sales curves seen on the cars you mentioned. For instance the Sky is delayed by at least 6 months so that means Solstice gets a lot of attention when it arrives and plenty of buzz is generated. Then Sky 6 months later getting some more attention for both Pontiac and Saturn, I have a feeling that the Solstice will be mentioned in every Sky article magazines tend to refrence stuff like that (especially with GM). Then 6-12 months after that the Solstice GT comes out and gets more press. Then I would guess that the Sky will get the Redline treatment at the same time, even better is if the first performance Solstice is a mid model, think SC 2.0, and then the Redline Sky is a turbo model and a Solstice GXP comes along with it. That way you would get 4 different shots at the customer. You get to bring in people with 1 performance level, then another, then another. If the car didn't have enough power the first time maybe it will the second. Also the Redline/GXP would come out 2 years after the initial Solstice launch.

After that I am not sure what to do. I do have a feeling that the Solstice will not have a second generation. I could see GM 'magically' fitting the HF V6s into the Kappa frames and making a Buick after Solstice is done and then maybe a FI V6 in a Caddy.

 

I was at the Ford dealer today droping off a friends car and I had the chance to get into a Mustang GT. Its not that easy to get in and out of. The inside is cramped. Not to mention the e-brake is the chepest plastic I have seen.

Its Ok for a Corvette/Viper/MX-5/Sol'/Sky ect... to be worn. Its not ok For a Camaro or Mustang sized car to be cramped. It doesnt have to be Rolls. My STI is Mustang sized is much less cramped inside. Its funny this conversation came up. I want a Mustang Shelby GT500 when they come out but I was thinking I'll have to keep the STI as a driver. No way im going to live in that cramped space during rush hour.

 

That's because you had an LT1. If you had manned up and bought an LS1 instead of the Bullitt you would have been willing to put up with the inconvenience!

Side note: Did I remember to tell you my Saabaru is stage 2 now? 14.2 @ 96.4 mph on crappy 2.13 60 ft.

BTW - Wanna race???

 

Didn't you lease that car?
PS: I just bought large tires and wheels so I can look good losing. Or maybe I'll actually get a decent time by trying a run without accidentally leaving the A/C and traction control on.