![]() It is, though, the first Ion that begs to be driven quickly. A new larger and thicker steering wheel improves the mood somewhat, but the Red Line crew kept the gauge cluster over there in the center of the dash, where it challenges vision like an eye chart. Despite slight alterations for 2004, the interior is shiny and flimsy and not a place that will engender envy in the eyes of passersby. Unfortunately, that knob is just about the nicest piece the driver will see. Shifts are direct and require a light touch, and if that shift knob looks familiar, it's the same as the one in the Saab 9-3. Putting the power to the front wheels is a mandatory five-speed manual transmission. Despite tweaks to improve engine NVH, the supercharged Ecotec is still plagued with four-cylinder thrash, although it's fair to say the racket is distant and unobtrusive. Those numbers are slower than the Dodge SRT-4's, but this engine doesn't suffer from the on-and-off turbocharged nature of the Dodge. It makes its power in a laid-back manner as evidenced by our rolling 5-to-60-mph test, which only adds 0.3 second to the all-out 0-to-60 run. The supercharged mill isn't your typical peaky tuner engine. The engine pulls hard at all rpm, dispatching the 0-to-60 run in 6.1 seconds, 2.3 seconds quicker than a regular Ion. Horsepower increases from 140 to 205, and torque jumps from 145 pound-feet to 200. Starting with the engine, the all-aluminum Ecotec four-cylinder is reduced in displacement from 2.2 liters to 2.0 liters, and a Roots-type supercharger that forces 12.0 psi of boost into the engine is bolted on. The makeover so completely changes the Ion's character that you'll say " do svidan'ya" to its proletarian ways and hello to a car you'll actually want to drive.Īs you would expect, transforming an Ion into a performance car takes extensive modifications, a task akin to changing the People's housing into somewhere you'd want to live. An in-house performance division, like Ford's SVT or BMW's M, Red Line started with the Vue sport-ute and now is trying its hand with the Ion. The new Red Line high-performance Saturns seemingly spell the end of the line for the Reds who were running down Saturn. 20 Best Cheap Performance Cars, Trucks, and SUVsīut there is hope.Best Sports Sedans for $15K: Window Shop with C/D.There are many safety features on the Sky, but side-impact airbags aren’t among them. 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.
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