The planet Saturn is a giant ball of gas. When it comes to selling cars to enthusiasts, GM’s “like never before” division is also full of hot air. In 1999, Saturn said their Opel-sourced LS sedan would be fun to drive. It wasn’t. In 2003, Saturn made similar noises over the ION Quad Coupe. Strike two. In 2004, the ION Red Line was supposedly da bomb. Pistonheads lined up none deep. But was the Red Line really at fault? Or was it sabotaged by Saturn’s nebulous image and boy-who-cried-wolf marketing?
Either way, Saturn’s stylists certainly didn’t help matters. Granted, it’s tough to butch up an econocar; hence the reason the entire sport-compact class is a bit of a pudgy, bespoilered eyesore. The Red Line is no exception. Strike that. It’s a poster child for the book “why bad things happen to bad car designs.”
For one thing, the ION Red Line’s proportions are all out of whack. In typical GM fashion, the car’s glowering front and rear fascias are hung way-the-hell out past the wheel arches. For another (you need another?), the doors’ budget-Bangle flame surfacing looks, well, Bungled. Spoiler? You bet it does.
Speaking of gaps, the Red Line exhibits a grade of exterior finish rarely seen outside of The Beijing Auto Show. Wide, uneven crevices separate the Red Line’s composite body panels, and its paint wears an unhappy orange-peel glaze. Saturn fans wax rhapsodic about their cars’ ding- and dent-resistant properties, but it’s easy to see why GM is phasing out Saturn’s plasti-panels. From quite a distance. Of course, GM could have mastered the technology, maybe even experimented with “memory” plastics. But, um, no.
Predictably, the ION’s third-world quality extends to its interior, a curvilinear mishmash of rainy-day gray plastic, mushy switchgear and crude mold partings. On the plus side, GM’s Performance Division fitted the Red Line with a phenomenally supportive set of Recaro seats, wrapped the steering wheel in thick leather and attempted to make the gauges more legible. Unfortunately, said gauges reside in the center of the dash, frustrating their efforts. And there’s no dead pedal. Or center armrest.
You can’t help but cringe upon stepping into this austere, amateurish cabin. That GM thought it price-appropriate is frankly insulting. But then you turn the Red Line’s key, its 2.0-liter, 205-horse supercharged four barks to life, and something strange happens: the nasty little bastard starts to grow on you.
It doesn’t happen immediately. On a brief hop around the block, you mostly notice the surprisingly heavy steering, the stiff, slack-feeling clutch, the incessant rattling of the Quad Door assembly and the engine’s tendency to hang onto revs as you shift.
But then, a smug punk in a Civic blips you at a stoplight. That’s when the fun begins. Bury your foot in the (short, wiry) carpet and GM’s blown Ecotec proves itself a proper Yankee torquer, thrusting eagerly off the line and swelling to near-WRX intensity as the tach needle climbs. The Red Line is free of the driveline histrionics that often accompany cheap forced-induction setups. Sixty mph rolls up in two smooth, linear surges, totaling 6.1 seconds.
The Red Line’s chassis snaps to attention when pressed. The steering, while always leaden in its effort, provides surprisingly sharp, pointy path control. The helm tracks your intended line as unshakably as the Orient Express. Sharp corners reveal superb front-end bite, taut brake-pedal feel, and tight, well-judged damping. Torque steer is conspicuous in its absence.
In truth, only one interface creates disharmonious hoonery: the Red Line’s five-speed manual. This “close-ratio” version of the Saab 9-3’s gearbox feels heavy and clunky in the hand. Its ratios are, in fact, quite tall. Fortunately, the Saturn’s mighty-mite four isn’t picky about what gear it’s in.
In all, the Red Line engenders a sort of base schoolyard satisfaction that’s especially irresistible to shut-in writer types. Every stoplight and switchback becomes a feel-good underdog victory. Want to land that longed-for punch on the class bully? Just sidle up to an Si, GTI, or RSX, aim your sling at Goliath, and swing, baby!
Still, there’s little question why more buyers haven’t warmed to the Red Line. Its aesthetics are embarrassing. Its image is contradictory. And its Fisher-Price interior begs the question, “wouldn’t you really rather have a Lada?” That Saturn could render a fast, nimble, fun-to-drive sports coupe with a $19,770 MSRP utterly undesirable is testament to the brand’s long-standing lack of ambition and product focus.
If Saturn can turn the metaphorical corner like the ION Red Line turns a real world bend, there may be hope for the Tennessee-born brand. Unfortunately, according to our own Jehovah Johnson, the ION’s tuners were away from their desks when the Sky Red Line was tweaked. Oh well. I guess enthusiasts are still better off shopping elsewhere. Like always.
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I could never get past the ill-matched body panels of these cars – they look like a disguised new car from a spy photo. What a shame, as with not too much effort, this could be competition for the SI and MS3…
Maybe I’ll live long enough to see the Astra Red Line (although that’s little comfort to some Tennesee residents).
Typical Saturn – absolutely atrocious styling. The answer to which no question was asked.
hmmmm
big engine, bad interior, bad panel fittings.
Not so bad for 1975, i guess.
dear god its ugly, doesn’t anyone ever look at these things before they send them out the door?
It really is a shame the way GM let Saturn go off course at the end of the nineties. My Father had a ‘95 SL1 for about 10 years, and it was a great car, for the price anyways. Back when Saturn started up, it had so much potential. If they had improved upon the panel gaps and surface finishes, the plastic panels were a great idea. And if they had made their products as desirable in design as the competition, they would have done well.
It’s a shame really, It seems that everything that made Saturn unique is gone, replaced with mediocre euro-imports.
I’ve had the misfortune to drive 2 saturns. One was horrible to drive, the other far, far worse. Sheer torture. So much so that I ran to a budget and rented a stang even though I had access to the saturn for free. Their interiors are sooo nasty. It felt like a car built by communist russia in the 80s.
The real pisser is that my ‘97 Camaro has plastic front fenders, door skins and roof, and looks just fine — the black paint matches perfectly to the steel rear quarters, all gaps are even. But the rear spoiler bits are another story, as the clearcoat has pretty much cooked off…
The TTAC style doesn’t permit comparisons in reviews. But how about one in the comments? I know you’ve been a fan of the Cobalt SS. How does the ION RL compare to that car?
A major problem I have with the Saturn is the driving position. I don’t care for deep IPs or overly raked windshields with huge pillars, and the ION coupe has all of the above.
For anyone interested in price comparisons, my site’s page for the lame duck ION:
http://www.truedelta.com/models/ION.php
Alright gents….normally, I’m a well-mannered agreeable chap on this site. I’m about to step out of line…..put your seatbelts on.
*deep breath*
My wife owns an 03 Saturn Ion 5-spd…
*resists bruising from rotten fruit being thrown*
She bought it in August of 03, with 0% financing. She got the Ion 3 model (16″ wheels, etc.) and paid $170 a month for 3 years until we paid it off when we bought our house….I know, usually you don’t pay off 0% interest items, but our mortgage broker actually paid us the amount of interest we would gain in a 6% yield bond if we would pay off the car. Long story; another time.
Now, she’s got a black Ion, with 35% tint, and the nice little spoiler. It…actually…looks good. She gets compliments. Regularly.
Not only that, but in 50000 miles now it has had….ZERO problems. Now, I said that about 1 month ago and the battery died the next day. So I’m knocking on wood right now; but to be fair, it was 14 degrees out and it started with a jump.
Other than that: oil changes, tire replacements, front brake job, and an air filter. No headlight bulbs, no window regulators, no problems.
Not only that, but her Ion (first year model) has less creaks and rattles at 50000 than my 06 Honda Civic SI had at 2000 miles. And that’s not hyperbole.
As far as panel gaps go: my understanding is that this is an inherent property of the plastic panels used, due to greatly increased expansion/shrinking due to temperature. Therefore, GM had to have large panel gaps for this reason. Don’t know how true that is.
Moving all that aside….her Ion has a cheaptastic interior, some of the worst seats I’ve ever experienced, a shifter that defines vague and rubbery, a clutch that defies physics in it’s ability to always engage in a different place than the previous shift, and an engine that actually whispers in your ear to let off the gas so that it doesn’t have to rev. I swear I received a post-card from it telling me that above 4000 rpms is taboo.
But hell…it’s been cheap, reliable, and capable transportation for years now. We’ve lugged 500 pounds of weight in the trunk/back seats 200 miles….we’ve strapped dressers onto the roof. So…though I CAN’T WAIT to get rid of it….it’s been a decent car.
Joe O.
Doesn’t quite seem fair to me to generalize about Saturn using a vehicle they are in the process of phasing out. Drive the Aura, Outlook and Astra first, then generalize about the brand.
I’m having trouble parsing this. What is this last sentence trying to indicate?
I tested this car, just to see what it was like and as soon as I sat down, I almost wanted to get out. The interior was cheaper than my Jeep, and that’s bad. Then I stomped on the go pedal and I felt like the car was falling apart. Creaks and groans abounded. It felt like the car already had 75,000 miles on it. The salesman quickly told me that it was normal because of the plastic body construction and Saturn drivers just “get used to it.” Guess what, I’m not, nor will I ever be a Saturn driver.
Good story Joe-O. Just wonderin’ though, what was the total cost of your car after you paid everything off? (Not including taxes of course.)
I ask because reliable and capable transportation always deserves some praise… IF it’s cheap enough. I can’t decide how I should take your story. But if say, it cost 19,000 dollars I’d probably scoff at the notion that it was a decent car.
A few years ago a grad school buddy was selling off his ‘94 Saturn SL. At the time my wife was driving a ‘93 Corolla. I rode in the Saturn one time. I was stunned by the crappy, cheap interior and questionable ergonomics in comparison to the Corolla, and simply could not believe that GM intended the Saturn to compete with the Toyotas and Hondas on the market. Oh well. At least the newest Opel imports (Astra, Aura, etc) look like an honest effort.
I learned the hard way on my wife’s L-series that plastic body panels are HORRID. Apart from the obvious–lack of luster, wide gaps, and cheap door weight/feel–the simply do VERY LITTLE to resist dents at all. Sure, a direct hit from a blunt, smooth object on the middle of the door panel is fine. Too bad glancing blows on the curved quarter panels (real-life SUV bumpers and shopping carts) leave real dents, which can’t simply be removed as they would in metal.
So, strike four to plastic body panels–idealistic concept, shite execution.
I have owned 3 Saturns; a 97 SL3 – an 01 LS2 – an 04
Vue. I put 130,000 mile son the SL without one trip to the dealer for repairs. The oil filter for the LS was available only at the dealer (that was inconvenient). I put almost 90,000 miles on that one before trading it on the 04 Vue 4cyl. I love the Vue except for the CVT. I wish I had gone for the 4 sp auto as I only get 20-21 mpg with the CVT. The interior is sufficient and it handles well. I now haul lots of things and the folding seats, especially the fold-flat passenger seat have proven to be very handy. I just turned 50,000 miles on the Vue and it has never been to the shop, either. I don’t know what you folks do to cars to have to put them in the shop so often.
You have to change the oil regularly just like it says in the manual. I am SOLD on Saturn. I have had Chevy, Isuzu, Buick and each was not as inexpensive to drive as any of my Saturns.
Saturn was never designed to be a sports car or a luxury car. It is supposed to be inexpensive, reliable transportation. That is what I have found it to be.
BTW, the plastic panels on each of my Saturns have looked as good on the days I traded them as the day I bought them. There is something inherently good about what Saturn is trying to do.
The Ion was, if memory serves (my wife bought it when we had been together for 4-5 months, unmarried), about $15000-16000 dollars. For that, it was the Ion 3 version which had some upgraded bits including the 16″ alloys, it has a spoiler, pin stripe (got for free because she didn’t ask for it), convenience pack, auto headlights, auto-dimming rearview mirror with temp guage and compass….and a sunroof.
Which was a pretty good price for a similarly equipped car in 2003.
Anyway. A similarly equiiped Civic was around 17,500 at the time…and with 4-5% interest rates on a 5-year note. So she also saved with 0% interest.
I think the car deserves some praise in truth, as I drove a 2005 Honda Civic EX 5-spd and hated it. Sure, the interior was nicer. But it was a smaller car in all dimensions and had ALOT less power than the 2.2 liter ecotec in my wife’s car. It did get alot better mileage though.
Joe O.
As an aside: In 04 I test drove an Ion Redline, and they offered it to me at 17,500 with 0% interest for 5 years. Damn straight I considered it…but it was a rough, jerky ride and a crappy interior.
I subsequently test drove a Cobalt SS a few years later, and marveled at how much better it drove. And that Saab 9-3 Shifter and clutch felt fantastic…still to this day one of the easiest cars I’ve ever gotten into and shifted smoothly on the first try.
Now GM is squeezing 260 HP out of their little 2.0 liter ecotec…considering Porsche is pulling 133 HP per liter out of their new twin-turbo, that’s pretty impressive on the General’s part. Of course, they stuck it in an ergonomic nightmare. But that’s besides the point.
Joe
I loved C&D’s headline review of the Ion when it was introduced: “We waited seven years for this?”
It still rings as true today as it did in 2003. Even GM has gotten the message and is about to Euthanize the Ion while going for the Hail Mary Pass of replacing it with an imported Opel.
I think the Cobalt SS is the better half of these twins. Still, if you want something cheap and fun-to-drive, economical, and practical(rear seats) the Mazda 3, Civic Si or even a Scion TC would serve you better. If you don’t need rear seats and just want sporty and economical, the Solstice/Sky twins and the Miata have the *best* fun-per-dollar ratio on the market.
In a way, it’s not hard to see how Saturn could fall short in some areas. I mean internal rival Chevrolet, with the Cobalt SS, is competing in the same market space. Small, relatively inexpensive 2 seater…with the same engine. Just think of how good one of these cars could be if they put the resources expended on both of them into one car only. Doesn’t matter which one…but you’d have to think it would be better.
However, perhaps salvation is at hand. I sat in the new Aura, and the interior is very nice, roomy even for me, and it’s at least reasonably handsome on the outside.
I rented a Cobalt in Hawaii and it was OK. I’d take a Cobalt SS in a second over this–for driving dynamics, but even more so for appearance. Good lord is this thing ugly, plus that instrument-cluster-in-the-middle-of-the-dash-thing (a deal-breaker in itself for me)ensures that you have to constantly view a sea of Fisher Price plastics right in front of you.
UPDATE: I swear to goodness this actually happened…
After my last few posts, my wife called to say her car wouldn’t start again (same symptoms as one month ago, lights on and no turning over…I replaced the battery a month ago).
So, called the Saturn dealership. They knew exactly what it was: Bad ignition switch. Seems the security system will accidentally activate and not allow the car to start for 15 minutes.
Cost to replace: $140 installed
SOB….this car is a total piece of crap, I’ve had nothing but problems with it. Damn GM.
:)
This is an ideal example of why you never say, when owning a car, “I’ve had no problems with it!”
Joe
We feel your pain.
Maybe I missed it in the review. What is that thing on the steering wheel? It almost looks like a G-Meter.
Joe O. I was going to say that 100,000 miles without a problem is expected these days (see toyota honda suburu) and that 50,000miles with no problems could be scoffed at. But, judging by your last post it is clear that you should sell the ion before it GMs and buy yourself a corolla. (Naturally, I’m using GM as a verb synonomous with falling apart) I’m not sure but I bet if you really had a thing for cramped cars with dash center consoles the yaris is probably cheaper.
I had a toy car as a kid that was designed to have the panels fall off when it hit a wall. The gaps in the panels were big so the car would break apart as advertised.
Everytime I see a Saturn, I’m reminded of my childhood toy
‘What is that thing on the steering wheel? It almost looks like a G-Meter.’
Looks to me like a boost gauge. With lights.
Ridiculous.
I have an axiom: Don’t accuse a car for being crappy when one thing breaks. I won’t knock the saturn yet, but it does suck and I hate it when dealerships can name what has failed based upon one symptom. A sure-fire way to tell that part fails every 5 minutes.
I’ll see if Saturn will comp me for the replacement, or the parts or labor.
Joe
I had the great misfortune to rent an Ion when my ‘07 GTI was in the body shop having a bashed bumbper fixed (someone hit me in a parking lot while I was at dinner, left no note/apology, and left me to foot the repair bill). When I first sat in the Ion I immediately understood why GM is in such dire straits. The interior is just plain awful. The plastics were atrocious. The seats as supportive as quick sand. Add to it the fact that it was purple and I was nearly in tears. Thankfully I had my car back the following day and was able to erase the Ion from my memory. Until I read this review that is…
A ‘muscle’ or performance product is very much out line with both the new or old Saturn brand values so it really makes you wonder why they even bothered? The new Euro style image will do well for the Saturn brand but lack of a performance products is not its limiting factor for growth. The should invest their money in marketing (which they do none of) and on keeping their core products competitive.
Typical GM – if it doesn’t sell add more power. What’s next a Buick Lacrosse SS?
P.J. – Two classic lines from this article: Spoiler? You bet it does, and “Like Always”. Good stuff.
That boost gauge right in the middle of the steering wheel is hilarious-looking. Maybe it’s just me, but the interior of the steering wheel looks somewhat like the robot from Lost in Space.
Could Saturn have mounted the boost gauge any closer to the drivers’ head? Couldn’t they just affix the boost gauge right to someone’s cheek and call it a day? I like having a boost gauge, but I don’t care to eat it in a front-end collision.
After a driver of the Red Line is pulled over, I can see the conversation with the officer going something like this: Officer: “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?” Driver: “Um, 12.5 PSI? I’m really not sure officer because the speedometer is way over there on the passenger side of the car. And sorry about not pulling over right away, but the red hang-glider mounted on my trunk blocks all rear visability”.
Has anyone ever seen one of these on the road? I have a couple of friends with Cobalt SS’s but I have never heard of anyone even considering this car.
The Astra certainly has its work cut out for it.
Michael,
Given the choice between the Cobalt SS (Supercharged) and the Red Line, I’d personally take the Chevy in a second, due to the less-cheap interior plastics. But in terms of performance, shift feel, and steering and handling, the two behave identically. The Chevy seems to ride with less impact harshness and a more solid feel, but I suspect that impression was mostly due to the ION’s squeakier cabin trim and rattly rear doors.
I, too, dislike overly deep dashes and thick A-pillars. The Cobalt SS feels much more “normal” from the driver’s seat, since its conventionally-placed gauges don’t leave a minivan-vast expanse of plastic between you and the windshield, as in the ION. Same huge A-pillars, though.
SherbornSean,
Point taken. However, while the quality of Saturn’s products is certainly improving, the brand still hasn’t addressed the fundamental lack of direction and brand identity that doomed the Red Line, the LS, and other prev-gen products. Now that the name is no longer synonymous with innovative, inexpensive, pretense-free transportation modules, what is a Saturn? A chrome-laden domestic Accord? A Korean-looking cute-ute? A budget Z4? As far as I can tell, GM is content to let the brand become a surrogate for the late Oldsmobile, fielding “import-fighters” that feature somewhat classier styling and sportier driving dynamics than their Chevy and Pontiac platform-mates, but that still play the “high-value” card against the class leaders.
IMO, they’re still missing the point: “almost as good as Honda and Toyota” doesn’t constitute a meaningful identity that consumers will desire to be associated with. It’s great that GM is realizing the importance of product, but even with its revitalized lineup, Saturn’s reason for being is far more nebulous than it was fifteen years ago.
Whitenose,
Excuse my bumbling language. What I (poorly) attempted to communicate was that, while I entertain hopes that Saturn is on the comeback trail, sources indicate that the people who tuned the ION Red Line were not called back to work on the SKY Red Line. Given that the ION Red Line was a shining star in Saturn’s lineup–dynamically, at least–this suggests that the organization is still failing to recognize and take advantage of its best assets.
NoCaster,
That thing on the steering column is the supercharger boost gauge. The LEDs flanking it light up sequentially as you rev the engine–the first one at the torque peak, the second at the HP peak, and the third at redline.
Good comments from people who seen to have never even thought about owning the car let alone driven it.
I bought an 06 Ion RL in July and have been nothing but completely satisfied with it. The car is just flat out fast. We make civic SI’s, Tiburons, Speed 3 and speed 6’s look stupid. I’ve laughed at 3 series BMW drivers (aside from the M3, which is an awesome car). I felt bad when i left a Grand Prix GTP in the dust, and wanted to smack some punk little rich kid for thinking his WRX had a chance. Oh and by the way I’m still stock as if fresh off the show room floor. And you know what I paid 19k Tax title out the door for mine.
I love the Quad Coupe Style and how convienent the back suicide doors are. Sure there is some wind noise, but no more or less then every other 20k performance car out there. And yes i said performance because that’s exactly what the redline delivers. The overall look of the car is agresive and appeals to me. I do not like the cobalt SS at all so that’s the reason I chose the Ion.
Personally, I love cars. I am a true enthusiast and can respect a car for what it is. I would never own a Mustang but I appreciate it and understand why someone else might. Sounds like most people on here are judging this little beauty off of experiences they had with other saturns or off a couple of pictures and never even bothered to try and drive it and see just how truely fun this little rocket is.
PJ,
Thanks for the great review. I agree with you that Saturn hasn’t defined its image well, and is best described as GM’s import-fighter without the usual dealer price gouging. Yippee.
I actually think that this is one of the rare times when a domestic brand has the substance (at least with recent introductions), but not much sizzle.
Ziggi,
Good for you. Every Saturn owner should be as happy with their purchase as you are. Just take it easy on the roads; we don’t want to lose you.
Ash
The reason the quarters on an L series dent is because the quarters on that model are steel! Go figure.
Yes the plastic was phased out due to complaints of panel gaps mostly by mag writers. Many saturn customers were actually not real happy about that. And yes at the time they were developed they were the cutting edge plastic technology provided by Dow. And yes they do grow 5 mm in length from 30 degrees to 110. Hence big gaps in the east and reasonable gaps out west.
The Irony of this review is that its on a car that goes out of production in a month. Go figure.
The reason Saturn was saddled with the ION and I will call it what it was is GM corporate had their delta platform in full swing. All divisions were to get a version even Opel. The irony is that they tried (the divisions) to make it all things to all divisions with a great majority of the design driven by opel. When it was so far along that it had reached its development apex all the divisions did a review and all of them backed away from it. That left saturn with its aging coupe stuck in a quandry. The current S car would not pass the next years crash requirements, and corporate wouldn’t fund a redesign of the current car so guess what. That division ate it hence direction from the corporate mother ship. Chevrolet was fortunate enough to have a couple years to let the cavalier dwell so they could do a redesign on their version
As far as Saturn goes when the new Astra hits that division their oldest model will be less than 24 months or so as the van is history to. That division currently has the most cohesive lineup of any of GM’s divisions. You can look at any of them and actually see a styling theme even more cohesive than Caddy.
P.S. I own a late S series coupe and its been rock solid.
Thanks, It’s a bad review of a great car what’s listed above and the comments below are people talking about driving the NON redline version of the ion or older models. Personally, i would never own the NON redline version but the redline is one hell of a car.
PS – if you don’t like your vue or regular Ion, go post under the review of that and leave the Redline alone.
The other Irony of this car is that while yes it is generally homely in style the New Nissan Sentra is the literal spitting image of it. In fact its so similar you would swear Nissan contracted GM to put their badge on it as it was rolling down the line in Tennessee but you will never see the sentra called Homely.
shaker
the only plastic on a 97 camaro is the front and rear bumper. All the other panels are steel.
And its Fisher-Price interior begs the question, “wouldn’t you really rather have a Lada?”
This is hilarious!
On a more serious note, if they’d stuck the engine into the original SL2 body, with the original 5 speed transmission, it would have looked cool and been a lot more fun to shift.
Ziggi,
I share your disappointment that more enthusiasts didn’t give this car a chance. Speaking purely in terms of the seat-of-the-pants driving experience, I find these supercharged Deltas more satisfying than any other low-$20K sport-compact, including the RSX, GTI, and Si.
But can you blame them? Saturn knew what market it was courting with this car–trendy, style-conscious youth, and car-savvy enthusiasts–and must have known that its Eastern Bloc aesthetics would severly handicap buyer interest, let alone sales. That they pushed it out the door anyway was a blatant disservice to the folks who tuned its drivetrain, suspension, and controls so perceptively.
BubbaGump,
I believe C&D described the Sentra’s styling as “troubled, maybe even tortured.” Which is putting it lightly.
Raymond: Saturn was never designed to be a sports car or a luxury car. It is supposed to be inexpensive, reliable transportation. That is what I have found it to be.
In fact, it was originally billed as a practical person’s sporty car. And it was (I owned one for 147k).
I did like the plastic panels. They did resist denting quite well–I have a minor crease on my Accord that would have been nothing on my old Saturn–and I wasn’t bothered at all by the gaps. The panels were also VERY inexpensive to replace–about $300 in mid-1990s dollars–if they got torn up, which resulted in cheaper insurance.
What I couldn’t stand about the car was the slow tach and bad pedal placement. Based on looks and interior alone, I would prefer a Cobalt. Although. based on my experience with a rental Cobalt, I would rather buy a used sport compact.
Talking about European models, Astra for GM, Mondeo for Ford, and I don’t know about the last one that keep making all type of jeeps with rental quality interiors that it’s hard to keep up which is which.
These could fix some of the problems, not making another Taurus or an Ion with middle dash speedo.
Joe O, I hate to laugh at someone else’s plight and a lost 140 bucks, but I couldn’t help myself this time – too ironic for me not to chuckle.
15,000 seems a fair price for a car of that equipment level, especially since you seem to be satisfied with it’s ownership at that price.
If there’s one redeeming quality for the whole Cobalt/G5/Red Line… even the old Cavalier (as atrocious of a car as that was) is that the engine’s are actually quite powerful for their class… noticeably more so than their Corolla and Civic counterparts in my opinion. Of course, since everything else is considerably worse it doesn’t stand a chance, but I’ve never found them to be horrible driving experiences.
I’m seeing stars! Nice addition, TTAC!
But aren’t the GM engines slightly bigger than the Japanese cars? Civics and Corollas I think use 1.8s while GMs usually use 2.2L Ecotecs.
I’d get an Ion precisely because of the plastic panels. That is a big selling point for the current VUE over the new one coming out this fall.
The reason I’d never buy an Ion is I’d never buy a car with a goofy center gauges.
Other than that, it would be a decent cheap commuter car.
After owning a 2004 ION 2 automatic sedan (brand new, very low financing and a $3,000 rebate), I'm a satisfied customer. I love the ride and handling; the front seat is roomy and the trunk is large. Even its competition has aped the ION styling. And I've gotten used to the center-mounted gauges. I would like better lumbar support in the front seats; the dash is somewhat too plastic for my taste (but I plan to get a black dash cover to liven things up) and I would have liked an automatic quadrant on the dashboard. But it's a great runner (25+ MPG) and works well for me. Next up: an Aura. For me, the ION (like my previous 2000 SL1) has been a very decent cheap commuter car! And my dealer's top-notch service has been the icing on the cake!
Personally I fixed my interior squeaks by race prepping the car and removing everything. Some rubber washers in key locations also fixed the remaining squeaks. With very little money a car with the LSJ can be pushing 260fwhp and just a little bit under that of torque.. I’ll admit the styling is a bit dated, but it’s fun bringing a car like this to the track to be laughed at, and then later having the same people come over to see what it was and admiring it.