With the recent news that GM is cutting production at its Spring Hill, Tennessee, plant, the writing might just be on the wall for ailing Saturn. You see, Saturns are made only at this plant, nowhere else. So there are two ways we can look at this: the GM bean counters are taking measures to keep Saturn alive by slowing production to meet demand. Or two, the demise of Saturn as a GM brand is near.
We're not trying to scare anyone, especially
not Saturn faithful. We recently drove the Ion 3 sedan with a five-speed manual
and powerful 2.4-litre inline four cylinder that makes 170 horsepower. And believe
us, it's a neat little car.
Our test vehicle came in an electric blue
that stood out well in the sea of white, beige and silver cars out on the road.
The Ion's lines are somewhat arch-like, in profile, and crisp all around; with
edges and creases at almost every angle.
The front end has an almost mean-looking
face, the type you see on those cute stickers with the mischievous smile on
the little devil character. That face tends to give the Ion a bit of attitude
and, again, sets this Saturn apart from the crowd.
The rear fascia, on the other hand, looks
somewhat frumpy and maybe a bit bulbous. We like to think of the Ion's rear
as being a form follows function groove, rather than form following the designer's
pen.
Inside there's a great deal of chrome and
glitter offset by a lot of plastic, dark and light. Call it a confused look
if you must, but it seems to work in this workaday vehicle.
Now we actually like the center instrument cluster. It's different in today's world of the inevitable sameness brought forth by the corporate-mentality that has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives.
Beyond the nifty IC, the dash is made of
a hard plastic which has a wood-grain finish that makes it look like its wood
that's been painted over. Not a good look, but it could be worse.
There's a suede-like material on the door
panels that should have been used elsewhere in the cabin…it looks out of
place in just one spot, like it was an afterthought. Otherwise, the cabin ain't
half bad for a car that costs as little as these Saturns do.
We did find the front seats uncomfortable…having
a tired back after just two days with the Ion is not good from GM, who makes
some of the best seats in the industry. No, we expected more on the cushion
front and were very disappointed, to say the least.
The radio is more elegant than anything
you'd expect to find in a Saturn. Actually, we found it in the Hummer H3, Pontiac
Solstice and myriad other vehicles…it's the standard (as we see it) high-end
unit for a lot of GM products. And though it could use a sub-woofer, with the
inclusion of XM, all is well on the sound front.
One front we were glad to see addressed
was the engine compartment. With a non-buzzy engine that delivers tons of pep,
and a decent transmission, for this class you can't go wrong. Also, the shifter
is snick-snickity great! Placement on the center armrest is not great! Be prepared
for a sore elbow from hitting it on the armrest during spirited, and sometimes
non-spirited, driving.
We were also pleasantly surprised by the
decent handling and good road manners of the Ion. For such a small car, we didn't
feel like every wind gust was about to push us off the highway. No small feat
for such a tall car with such small wheels and tires.
The Ion is quietest Saturn car we've driven. With their use of "quiet" steel, the engineers at Saturn are doing a great job in making their cars more worldly. A little too late between you and me…at least until they can get some good products in the showrooms!