![]() The steering, while always leaden in its effort, provides surprisingly sharp, pointy path control. The Red Line’s chassis snaps to attention when pressed. Sixty mph rolls up in two smooth, linear surges, totaling 6.1 seconds. The Red Line is free of the driveline histrionics that often accompany cheap forced-induction setups. 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. 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.īut then, a smug punk in a Civic blips you at a stoplight. 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. That GM thought it price-appropriate is frankly insulting. ![]() You can’t help but cringe upon stepping into this austere, amateurish cabin. Unfortunately, said gauges reside in the center of the dash, frustrating their efforts. 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. 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. Of course, GM could have mastered the technology, maybe even experimented with “memory” plastics. 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. Wide, uneven crevices separate the Red Line’s composite body panels, and its paint wears an unhappy orange-peel glaze. Speaking of gaps, the Red Line exhibits a grade of exterior finish rarely seen outside of The Beijing Auto Show. For another (you need another?), the doors’ budget-Bangle flame surfacing looks, well, Bungled. In typical GM fashion, the car’s glowering front and rear fascias are hung way-the-hell out past the wheel arches. There are many safety features on the Sky, but side-impact airbags aren’t among them.For one thing, the ION Red Line’s proportions are all out of whack. Equipped with coil-over Bilstein monotube shock absorbers.Optional five-speed automatic transmission.Red Line: 260-hp, turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder (260 pounds-feet of torque).172-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder (167 pounds-feet of torque).The high-performance model packs more power and gets better fuel economy on the highway. Manual transmissions are now equipped with a torque beam that reduces noise and vibration. The Sky has two engine choices, both available with manual or automatic transmissions. Leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls (Red Line).Stainless steel pedal covers (Red Line).Optional Monsoon 225-watt seven-speaker system.Standard leather-wrapped steering wheel.The Sky’s cargo space shrinks to 2 cubic feet with the top down. There’s 5.4 cubic feet of cargo space with the top up, which is comparable to the MX-5 and S2000. Interior passenger volume measures 50 cubic feet, larger than the S2000. The stereo includes a speed-sensitive volume feature that stabilizes volume to compensate for outside noise. Red Line has larger grille mesh pattern for better airflow.18-inch chrome or polished wheel wheel finish available.New 18-inch by 8-inch five-spoke painted aluminum alloy wheels.In Red Line, dual polished aluminum exhaust tips.The body measures 161 inches in length and 71 inches in width, just a tad larger than its competitors. The convertible top folds completely into the rear compartment. Auxiliary openings flank a large lower air intake, and large concave depressions extend from the front fenders through the doors. The rear-wheel-drive Sky has a wide stance with short overhangs. There are no significant changes for 2009. The Sky competes in the same market segment as the Mazda MX-5 Miata and Honda S2000. This rear-wheel-drive roadster is also available in a high-performance model, the Red Line. Saturn decided to reach out to sports car enthusiasts when it released the Sky roadster.
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