Ion Charges Up Saturn

On a road winding through the ranch lands near Austin, TX, I surprise an armadillo slowly making its way across the asphalt. I tap the brake pedal and jerk the steering wheel of the new Saturn Ion. No thud is heard.

Saturn's all-new smallest car responds adequately to driver imputs, as it should. If Ion flops — the sedan hits dealerships this fall followed by the coupe early next year — Saturn might be roadkill.

For the last five years, Saturn has moved as slowly as that armadillo when it comes to developing new products. Now, more than 10 years after the debut of the S-Series, Saturn is introducing its replacement. The original, despite so-so reviews, created a buzz about General Motors Corp.'s “vision” for the entry-level market. It's hard to believe its successor will make that kind of impact.

Based on GM's all-new Delta front-wheel-drive platform, Ion's driving dynamics are definitely better. And the Delta undercarriage provides a more tolerable balance of ride and handling. Delta's structural stiffness also reduces interior noise, the S-Series' biggest downfall.

Unfortunately, with the decibel-level down, it's easier to talk about Ion's polarizing interior. There are too many colors and wild patterns, and it has an odd, center-mounted gauge cluster. Even worse, GM shrank the steering wheel to kiddy-car proportions. My chance to drive GM's first U.S. car with electric power steering is ruined by the worst steering wheel in the industry.

The cabin's most compelling feature is its versatility. The rear seats fold flat on both models and the coupe's front passenger seat does the same, providing considerable cargo-carrying flexibility.

Incidentally, the coupe actually is a 4-door with two rear-hinged, hidden rear access doors similar to those used for extended-cab pickups; the previous S-Series offered the door only on the driver's side.

Saturn calls the configuration “quad coupe” and the innovation could take the coupe segment by storm, because it really improves rear seat access — without sacrificing exterior styling cues.

Taking advantage of Saturn's cult-like following, Ion will offer personalization opportunities — trim kits in a variety of patterns and colors for the roof rails, instrument cluster, shifter, key fob and radio-control panels.

Ion's powertrain lineup includes the standard 5-speed manual Getrag gearbox and GM's 2.2L Ecotec 4-cyl. (140 hp), which features dual balance shafts in another effort to improve NVH characteristics. Ecotec is competent but no all-star. Options include GM's VTi continuously variable transmission (CVT), but only for the quad coupe. The automatic's response is vague in this application and VTi's power delivery needs to be more refined.

Saturn's signature polymer side panels are retained, and the exterior design keeps the horizontal headlamps, but ditches S-Series' soft lines for an appearance reminiscent of the Olds Aurora, especially at the tail. But Ion is considerably more pleasing to the eye than S-Series — which wasn't much prettier than that armadillo.