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Hot rod Saturn impresses
Ion Red Line wins over brand skeptics on News panel
The Detroit News
MILFORD — Steve Varady always thought of Saturn as a “brand aimed at moms.”
But after spending an evening behind the wheel of the 2004 Ion Red Line, Saturn’s first supercharged performance vehicle, the Dearborn resident has new respect for the General Motors Corp. brand that’s long been a favorite of sensible people looking for affordable vehicles with no-****er stickers.
“The seats are awesome, the supercharger is great, the tires are sticky and I love the sound of the engine,” said Varady, 17, a member of the Detroit News Consumer Youth Panel, who this fall will be a freshman at Chicago’s Loyola University. “I only now realize I just had that much fun in a Saturn!”
Varady was not alone in his assessment of Saturn’s little 205-horsepower hot rod. The majority of our panel gave the Ion Red Line, which is on sale now, a thumbs-up rating.
The Red Line brand name refers to a vehicle’s tachometer, which counts the number of engine revolutions per minute, and the line that marks the maximum speed at which the engine can safely be operated.
This performance edition of the four-door Ion Quad Coupe is dolled up with leather-accented Recaro seats, stainless-steel exhaust and 17-inch forged alloy wheels.
“Saturn has built a true performance vehicle,” said James Childs, 29, a Clawson funeral director. “The Ion Red Line is versatile — both a city cruiser and a race car.”
The Ion Red Line faces tough competition in the market, from popular vehicles like the Ford Focus SVT, Dodge Neon SRT-4 and Nissan Sentra SE-R. Two of the panelists, Varady and Cadiz, had driven the SRT-4 and were able to work an informal comparison into their assessment of the Ion Red Line.
Several panelists, like Varady, brought along friends and family members to get second opinions on one of the newest Saturn products. The panelists included enthusiasts like Varady, who attended with his friend Nick Leonard, 18, a freshman at Kalamazoo College.
Varady and Leonard say they like to attend street-racer events such as Hot Import Nights and devour publications aimed at kids who like to customize their vehicles.
“I did not think highly of Saturn before I drove this car,” Leonard said. “But my impression did change. The Ion Red Line has comfort as well as decent speed to match. It’s a good daily driver.”
“When I think of Saturn, I think chick car,’” said Patrick Dolan, a sanitation engineer. “They aren’t manly. But I like the Ion Red Line a lot. It’s got a lot of guts.”
Perhaps the most controversial part of the Ion Red Line is the center-mounted instrument cluster, a feature that can be found on the conventional Ion, too. Childs and Dolan liked the location of the gauges. Varady, Jenkins and Cadiz hated it, saying it was too far away from the driver and too tiny.
“The tach is really bad,” Varady said. “I red-lined several times simply because I found myself searching for the tach.”
Several panelists, including Childs, griped that the visibility was poor due to the rear spoiler and thick rear pillars.
Several criticized the tight-fitting rear seats. The rear seat didn’t seem to be helped by the fact that the Ion Quad Coupe has two small rear-access doors intended to ease entry and exit.
The panel was generally complimentary about the Ion Red Line’s standard equipment, which includes antilock brakes, AM/FM stereo with a CD and MP3 player, power accessories, remote keyless entry and security alarm.
They also liked the engine’s performance. The supercharged twin-cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 205 horsepower, but is not as large or as powerful as the twin-cam engine in the SRT-4. Dodge uses a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder that makes 230 horsepower.
“Wow,” wrote Childs on our checklist, which included a rating on engine acceleration and power. He also had kudos for the Ion Red Line’s five-speed manual transmission, despite some initial trepidation about the car’s lack of an optional automatic transmission.
“I’m not a manual driver and I had no problem,” Childs said.
As the evening came to an end, Steve Varady seemed reluctant to turn over the keys. As he sat behind the wheel, he compared it to a friend’s SRT-4, a vehicle he’s had a chance to drive.
“The Ion Red Line is a lot easier to drive,” Varady said. “The clutch in this car is easier to modulate. I have to tell you this is a completely different car than I expected. This car performs really well. I love the instant power. The shifter feels so good.
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Ion Red Line wins over brand skeptics on News panel
The Detroit News
MILFORD — Steve Varady always thought of Saturn as a “brand aimed at moms.”
But after spending an evening behind the wheel of the 2004 Ion Red Line, Saturn’s first supercharged performance vehicle, the Dearborn resident has new respect for the General Motors Corp. brand that’s long been a favorite of sensible people looking for affordable vehicles with no-****er stickers.
“The seats are awesome, the supercharger is great, the tires are sticky and I love the sound of the engine,” said Varady, 17, a member of the Detroit News Consumer Youth Panel, who this fall will be a freshman at Chicago’s Loyola University. “I only now realize I just had that much fun in a Saturn!”
Varady was not alone in his assessment of Saturn’s little 205-horsepower hot rod. The majority of our panel gave the Ion Red Line, which is on sale now, a thumbs-up rating.
The Red Line brand name refers to a vehicle’s tachometer, which counts the number of engine revolutions per minute, and the line that marks the maximum speed at which the engine can safely be operated.
This performance edition of the four-door Ion Quad Coupe is dolled up with leather-accented Recaro seats, stainless-steel exhaust and 17-inch forged alloy wheels.
“Saturn has built a true performance vehicle,” said James Childs, 29, a Clawson funeral director. “The Ion Red Line is versatile — both a city cruiser and a race car.”
The Ion Red Line faces tough competition in the market, from popular vehicles like the Ford Focus SVT, Dodge Neon SRT-4 and Nissan Sentra SE-R. Two of the panelists, Varady and Cadiz, had driven the SRT-4 and were able to work an informal comparison into their assessment of the Ion Red Line.
Several panelists, like Varady, brought along friends and family members to get second opinions on one of the newest Saturn products. The panelists included enthusiasts like Varady, who attended with his friend Nick Leonard, 18, a freshman at Kalamazoo College.
Varady and Leonard say they like to attend street-racer events such as Hot Import Nights and devour publications aimed at kids who like to customize their vehicles.
“I did not think highly of Saturn before I drove this car,” Leonard said. “But my impression did change. The Ion Red Line has comfort as well as decent speed to match. It’s a good daily driver.”
“When I think of Saturn, I think chick car,’” said Patrick Dolan, a sanitation engineer. “They aren’t manly. But I like the Ion Red Line a lot. It’s got a lot of guts.”
Perhaps the most controversial part of the Ion Red Line is the center-mounted instrument cluster, a feature that can be found on the conventional Ion, too. Childs and Dolan liked the location of the gauges. Varady, Jenkins and Cadiz hated it, saying it was too far away from the driver and too tiny.
“The tach is really bad,” Varady said. “I red-lined several times simply because I found myself searching for the tach.”
Several panelists, including Childs, griped that the visibility was poor due to the rear spoiler and thick rear pillars.
Several criticized the tight-fitting rear seats. The rear seat didn’t seem to be helped by the fact that the Ion Quad Coupe has two small rear-access doors intended to ease entry and exit.
The panel was generally complimentary about the Ion Red Line’s standard equipment, which includes antilock brakes, AM/FM stereo with a CD and MP3 player, power accessories, remote keyless entry and security alarm.
They also liked the engine’s performance. The supercharged twin-cam 2.0-liter four-cylinder makes 205 horsepower, but is not as large or as powerful as the twin-cam engine in the SRT-4. Dodge uses a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder that makes 230 horsepower.
“Wow,” wrote Childs on our checklist, which included a rating on engine acceleration and power. He also had kudos for the Ion Red Line’s five-speed manual transmission, despite some initial trepidation about the car’s lack of an optional automatic transmission.
“I’m not a manual driver and I had no problem,” Childs said.
As the evening came to an end, Steve Varady seemed reluctant to turn over the keys. As he sat behind the wheel, he compared it to a friend’s SRT-4, a vehicle he’s had a chance to drive.
“The Ion Red Line is a lot easier to drive,” Varady said. “The clutch in this car is easier to modulate. I have to tell you this is a completely different car than I expected. This car performs really well. I love the instant power. The shifter feels so good.
Full Article Here
Also See
(or even a Grand Prix GTP hell, its got a supercharged V6 and makes 35more HP (pre-'2004, 55 more when using the 2004 GTP (comp G upgrades optional, but recommended)
