Edmunds CarPool

Sorry, my bad on the supercharger/turbocharger mis-speak (though the power delivery is progressive enough you could easily believe it's supercharged).

what a bummer the one day you want to put this thing through tis paces and it snows. But this car is a good seller for Gm they just need to put a power retractable top and refine the engine and the trannie and it would be greatly improved

As I own a Redline, and have quite a bit of experience with Miatas I find your statement "dynamics that aren't as well sorted as the Miata). But until the MazdaSpeed version of the Miata hits this one makes a worthy consideration" to be a contradiction. Since the MazdaSpeed version does not yet exist how can the current Miata be "more sorted" than the Kappas. The retail market seems to approve, and results in C/Stock Solo2 and SCCA SS/B road racing seem to show that the handling of the Kappas IS sorted. Please keep in mind that that Mazda has been tweaking the Miata for many years and the Kappas have been ramping up on the market for about 24 months.
 
I do agree that storage is not a strength, but a six speed would nearly be a waste of money. This car has SO much torque that in normal driving one can actually SKIP gears, and the car is horsepower and aero top speed limited. However, the Solstice Z0K could use a sixth gear for its intended road race market. A great number Sky/Solstice owners apparently have bought their Kappas as "extra" cars, and as such these are fantastic, fun cars.

My point is that even the non-MazdaSpeed Miata is better sorted than the Red Line version of the Sky, at least in terms of steering feel and overall driving pleasure. Just being fast (and even winning races) doesn't not a great road car make. The SL65 is faster than most two-seat convertibles currently on the market -- but it's not even close to being the "best" car for driving enthusiasts.

Respectfully, "feel" is subjective. Mazda has had 18 model years to sort out the Miata platforms, and with the latest version they have softened the car so much that it is generating gripes from Miata die-hards. Also, the market so shoping what it thinks - http://www.leftlanenews.com/2006/12/14/soltice-unseats-miata-as-top-roadster/ This is a link to an article eslewhere on this site. Frankly. many people feel that the Miata has become somewhat "sterile".

It didn't really take Mazda 18 years to sort out the Miata... read the reviews from when it first debuted, it sounds like they had the important stuff sorted out from the beginning. But yeah, while I haven't driven a new one, there are certainly complaints, especially with the "sport" suspension that should be more of a departure from the standard one. And yet much of the media still prefers the Miata's dynamics over the Solstice and Sky's.
 
But I don't see them as direct competitors. Many Miata owners buy it as an only car, which is more difficult than with a Kappa car. And many Kappa car buyers would never consider a Miata - they were never looking for a small nimble roadster, they were looking for a cool car by their favorite brand and well, it just turns out to be a roadster.

My manager just told me yesterday that she was in the market for a new car and she was looking at the Saturn Sky. She has a '00 or '01 Monte Carlo. The Sky would be her only car and she was concerned that she wouldn't be able to get her golf clubs in the trunk. I told her that it being a roadster wouldn't be very practical for much more than fun cruising during the summer here. It didn't really phase her. She's not about to go buy a sedan for more practicality and she's only considering a Sky because she's a GM fan, thinks they're "neat" looking, and prefers the style of the Sky over the Solstice. She's definitely not an enthusiast so knows hardly anything about cars.
 
She is the GM fan that's going for a SolSky and not even thinking about cross-shopping a Miata (she hates imports). But she's also going to buy this as her only car. Kind of a split statistic as per carlisimo's comments.

Well, she's gonna be able to fit her golf balls in the car, but not the clubs...

Haha. Maybe I'll just let her buy one and find out on her own. I don't really care for her anyways. But let's keep that between us, shall we? If she buys one, she'll hate it for her purposes. Maybe that'll change her mind about solely supporting GM products.
 
No, no... that would be mean. A very expensive kind of mean.

You could pin the same limited space shortcomings on the Miata too, so that cross-shopping comment about the Miata is a bit irrelevant. Either way, it sounds like a poor decision to have a roadster as your primary vehicle. I don't even want to know what it would be like to drive one in Winter... Unless that's not an issue where you come from - I think my Wisconsin-ness is showing, what with my concern over winter driving dynamics.

The Miata's space (trunk and interior) is limited, but as a two-seat roadster it's very reasonable. The Solstice/Sky trunk/interior space is non-existent. If you put the top down in the Solstice/Sky you essentially can't put anything else in the "cargo" area (think Plymouth Prowler). Depending on the size/length of the golf clubs you might actually get them in a Miata. Since it's a "she" we're talking about there's a possibility her clubs wouldn't be all that long (disclaimer: not a knock against women here, I'm just talking statistics -- she could be a 6'1" ex-model, meaning she's taller than I am...). Either way, grocery bags (at least a couple) are a possibility in the Miata's trunk -- but they won't happen in a Solstice/Sky. And if you want to talk functional interior storage...well, let's not get into the gory details and just say the Miata is better.

That does remind me when I saw what looked like a wealthy man bringing in his tennis racket to get restrung at a high caliber sports store. He pulls in with his Solstice, full of pomp and circumstance only to have his racket where? Propped up on the passenger seat up front. That says enough, I think.