We had an opportunity a few days ago to poke our heads under a Saturn Sky (identical to the Solstice) and look around. We're not a big fan of the car because the ergonomics and design are about as appealing and well-done as a late-eighties Camaro.. Functionally there are some good elements - but bad they are hidden inside a body and seating position that you can't see out of or sit in...
The front brakes are a decent size, although they look lost in the 18" rims.
The rears are the problem - solid discs. The bane of road racers.
The diff and single exhaust pipe (dual outlets on the turbo model). Note that the diff is finned aluminum - a very good move.
Rear suspension - I was surprised to see Bilsteins on a base automatic-equipped model. Very nice.
Rear suspension - note the aluminum upper and lower control arms. Very very strong - probably overkill for the amount of power the car has in it's current generation. Note the concentric bolt on the lower arm for camber adjustment and the beefy tie rod.
Front, looking back. Note the stamped steel cross members - not too strong and very heavy. This is a car that needs an x-brace underneath. Also note the single exhaust - there is not a lot of room for more. Originally, a V-6 model was planned - and we'll probably never see it now given the increased fuel economy standards and the excellent all-around performance and mileage of the turbo engine.
Front suspension - again, very strong aluminum control arms. Not forged, but strong nonetheless. General Motors knows how to do this... you see these kinds of control arms in lots of their vehicles (even lowly crossovers and mini vans). Also note the concentric bolts for adjusting both the camber and caster.
Front suspension. Note the strong attachment of the steering rack - with only the minimal bushing (and thus minimal deflection). Very nice.
All in all, some good thinking in the suspension department. Too bad about the rest of the car. It's due for a update in another two years, roughly - and depending on the health of General Motors. Some people believe it will share more components with the upcoming - and smaller - C7 Corvette platform. The product planners for both cars are in the same team so this may well be the general idea. Lets hope they put some major focus on ergonomics, especially eliminating the funky (and godawful slow!) top mechanism and the tiny rear window.
It'd also be nice to know where the 300-HP turbo 4 and 6-speed manual transmission are that have been shown in public. The engine was supposed to appear in 2009 and the transmission has been shown years ago. The transmission will probably just be an off-the-shelf Aisen anyway... so there shouldn't be any reason for a delay there. The current 5-speed GM truck unit is terrible.
The Sky and especially the Solstice are popular platforms for V-8 swaps, with several companies doing it these days using Corvette components. I'm not sure I see the point of this... by the time (and expense) you switch the rear diff, transmission, engine, exhaust, cooling, electrical assemblies, and fuel assemblies - what do you have? A car about 200 pounds less heavy than a Corvette, without the torsional or flexular integrity. And certainly only partial engineering. We're not interested in making such a compromise on an already compromised car.
