Once again I'm back to my unabashed Solstice fawning. Yes, I know such banter is rather pathetic, but what kind of response do you

I wasn't expecting the Solstice to feel as good as it did on the road. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

expect from a self-proclaimed sports car enthusiast who happens to make his living writing about four-wheeled conveyances. What I wasn't expecting, mind you, was how good the Solstice's four wheels would feel on the road.

My first thoughts were how un-sports-car-like the ride is. Now don't get me wrong, I have no complaints about handling, a topic that I'll address in a moment, but I wasn't prepared to enjoy myself as much as I did in the passenger's seat. Normally, riding shotgun in a sports car is akin to enduring turbulence in a Piper Cub, hardly endearing. Most automakers opt for aggressively taut chassis tuning, which often includes rigid spring settings, limited wheel travel, ultra-low-profile tire sidewalls, etc, making the car look as if prepped for an import tuner sound-off show and ride like a Mormon handcart crossing the Rockies. Not so for the Solstice. Rather, due to a sophisticated short-long

Due to a sophisticated short-long arm independent suspension system, front and rear, plus Bilstein coil-over monotube shocks at each wheel, the Solstice rides quite comfortably without giving up anything in the corners.  (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

arm independent suspension system, front and rear, plus Bilstein coil-over monotube shocks at each wheel, it rides comfortably, with enough suspension travel for soaking up road irregularities with grace, even when under pressure.

And to that end Pontiac's little roadster doesn't let its pampering ride quality interfere with road-hugging handling. Again I was surprised. Not because I found it difficult to believe that "amazingly" GM could deliver a drivers' car to rival the imports, but because its team of engineers not only found a way for its upstart two-seater to master tight, circuitous roadways, also thanks to its near 50:50 weight distribution, fast-ratio power-assisted rack and pinion steering setup and standard 18-inch aluminum wheels and P245/45R18 Goodyear Eagle RSA all-season performance tires, yet once again, to also do so in such a refined, mature manner.