2003-2007 Saturn Ion

On Sept. 30, 2009 GM announced that the sale of Saturn to Penske fell through and that the division would be phased out. In my opinion, despite the much better products that followed, the Saturn Ion dealt the death blow for the division.

GM borrowed the Saturn name from the Saturn V rockets that took Americans to the moon, winning the Space Race of the 1960s. GM had hoped the division would win the small car market; but instead it has folded up shop and headed home after 19 shaky years.

When Car and Driver reviewed the Ion in 2003, they said, "We waited seven years for this?" Actually, it was 12 years that we had been waiting for the first complete replacement for Saturn's SC, SC1, SC2, SL, SL1, SL2, SW1, and SW2 models.

Though the first generation cars seemed a step in the right direction for Saturn, they all had "The Flaw", which was the raspy, shaky, 4-cylinder engine made on-site in Spring Hill, Tenn., using the lost-foam casting process. They bragged about the fact that you could write your name in the foam, and the engine block would forever bear your signature, then you could display it when you made a coffee table, boat anchor, or what-not out of it in a few years.

Perhaps the best thing about the Ion was that it premiered GM's Delta Platform, which later backboned the Chevy Cobalt and HHR, Opel Astra, and Pontiac G5. But the car had a primitive electric power steering system, transmission difficulties, poor fit and finish, and cheap-looking materials. I sat in one at an auto show that had its sunroof open, and I seriously expected the drooping, flimsy headliner to fall on my head.

Then there's the dash. As "Lost In Space"'s Dr. Smith would say, "Oh the pain... the pain." In addition to looking like something from a child's toy car, the Ion's gauges were placed in the center of the dash, causing a distraction, at best, whenever you looked at them.

Some folks liked this arrangement, others loathed it. But the gaps, mis-shapen panels, and hard plastic textures screamed nothing but "Cheap" to potential buyers. Since Saturn was trying to win, or at least participate in, the small car war, why would they choose such a controversial design?

Credit must be given to the designers for building the Ion 4-door quad coupe. A small, rear-hinged rear door on each side allowed the rear seat passengers greater ease getting into and out of the back. Groceries and other cargo were easier to manage also. The rear doors would not open until the front doors did, offering a great safety feature to those back in Coach Class. However, the Ion was rated POOR in IIHS side crash tests, with or without the side airbags.

There was a Red Line performance package offered beginning in 2004. With a 205-hp supercharged 2.0-litre Ecotec I-4, a 5-speed transaxle, stiffer suspension, bigger brakes, ground effects, and Recaro seats, the result was a performance package in a crappy car--perhaps a descendant of the Chevy Vega Cosworth. History repeats itself, they say.

Replaced by the Saturn/Opel Astra in 2007, the Ion died a quiet death. But the car tarnished Saturn's reputation to the point it could not recover. No longer the car line that was "A different kind of company, A different kind of car", Saturn became the "Rebadged Car Company" as their vehicles were also available through "A different GM division, Under a different name."

The top vehicle photo and some technical information for this post is from Wikipedia. The dash image is from about.com:cars. The Bottom photo is from GulfCoastNews.com.

--That Car Guy (Chuck)

Comments

[Cookie the Dog's Owner on October 02, 2009 at 11:39 AM]

The rear "suicide" half-door is actually a rather nice feature to have on a small coupe. Too bad the rest of the car didn't live up to it.

[Chris Hafner on October 02, 2009 at 11:41 AM]

I loathe the Ion almost as much as my old SL2. It's just an awful, uninspired car. And that means something coming from me.

The dreadful cherry on top of the garbage sundae was the center-mounted instrument panel. I *just can't stand* those.

[David Colborne on October 02, 2009 at 01:03 PM]

Y'know, I'm not a big fan of the center-mounted instrument panel, either, but, I have to admit, the way they implemented it in the Scion xB was pretty neat. There's just something about an all-red digital dash that makes me feel like I'm flying in a Klingon Bird of Prey or something.

*sigh*

Sorry, where was I? Oh, right - the Ion. As much as I'd love to knock the original four-cylinder used in the early Saturns, what else was GM going to throw in there? The Iron Duke? *shudder* That said, the way GM effectively starved Saturn of product and eventually punted design away to Opel was an absolute travesty. Better for featherbed for a few middling managers and union officials than to actually make a product people want and make a profit, right?

Right.

[leigh on October 02, 2009 at 01:06 PM]

I love the S series. I have 4 in the family currently, 2 2nd gen sl2s , a 3rd gen sl2 5speed, and an sl1. Really cheap with nice bodies when people run them to the ground without oil. They are easy to work on.

[...m... on October 02, 2009 at 10:54 PM]

...admit it, chris, *that's* the only reason you don't adore the echo...

[Steaming Pile on October 05, 2009 at 08:08 AM]

Center-mounted gauges means I can superglue an iPod dock to the dash in a place where it is both at arm's reach AND out of the way of the gauges, in case I wanted to read them. It's a gross oversight to not include one in an "iPod ready" car stereo, IMO. I'll be submitting a pic of my kludge to the "There, I Fixed It!" people momentarily.

[Shawn on October 05, 2009 at 09:31 AM]

By that logic it means the vast empty space in front of the driver is also perfect for mounting a LCD monitor to play your favorite movie. Why pay attention to the road when the best scene is coming right up!

[Steaming Pile on October 05, 2009 at 09:47 AM]

I find watching videos on a 2" screen quite unsatisfying. It's just a convenient place to dock my iPod while it provides access to my whole entire record collection to my car stereo.

[Robert on October 06, 2009 at 08:22 AM]

I had no idea Saturn had the suicide doors. Very nice.

[Adam Maas on October 12, 2009 at 06:07 PM]

Saturn had Suicide doors on th SC's as well, IIRC it was a single one on the drivers side.

Like many, I rather liked the original Saturns, but the Ion was a dog, decontented to the max.

[Smoke_Jaguar4 on October 20, 2009 at 01:20 PM]

Since the Ion essentially a rebadged Cobalt, I wonder if it could accomodate the LNF Turbo and the more 'normal' (but still craptacular) dashboard. Combined with the suicide door and Saturn's milquetoast personality, it would be a very cool sleeper.

[D. McGuire on October 24, 2009 at 04:51 PM]

Regardless of the bland product in Saturn's mid-life, the thing that kept Saturn from thriving, and ultimately killed it, is the lack of dealers. Who wants to drive 50-100 miles to a dealer when you have to pass 5 Chevy, 3 Ford and 2 Chrysler dealers on the way? If all outgoing Olds dealers had been awarded a Saturn franchise a few years back, things might have been different. Then again...

[Jeff on June 08, 2010 at 11:37 AM]

...so letme get this straight...you hate the Saturn Ion Redline...you're an idiot. :)