Saturn ION charges the compact segment
-from the Toronto Sun's DriverSource
AUSTIN, Texas Attention Corolla, Civic, Sentra, Protege and Elantra owners: does Saturn have a car for you!
Yes, that's right, Saturn.
Say goodbye to the old S-Series, the little plastic-bodied car that was so noisy, so underpowered and yet still managed to sell two million units over the years to a devoted core clientele.
Say hello to ION, a little plastic-bodied car that is quiet, offers as much horsepower as anything in its class and rides and drives like no compact car ever assembled by a domestic manufacturer.
Dave McCall, marketing chief of Saturn's Canadian division, calls it his "import fighter." And while that won't cause any sweaty palms at BMW or Lexus dealerships, word of a new, small Saturn will be a big deal for a large and growing group of Canadian consumers.
Although compacts make up just 14% of new vehicle sales in the U.S., the segment accounts for a whopping 28% of the Canadian market. Rather than a testament to our frugality, it's a reflection of the widening gap between American and Canadian standards of living.
Typically, they buy Impalas and Camrys. We buy Cavaliers and Corollas.
Still, if a small, entry-level car is all you can afford, the choice has never been better, and ION has just guaranteed that players in this cutthroat market segment will continue to provide the new car buyer with more for less.
Having said that, ION's Canadian prices have yet to be determined, and won't be until mid-November. (However, on our test drives through Texas hill country, we passed several roadside billboards advertising ION sedans starting at $11,995 US. At today's currency exchange rates, that would bring a base ION in at around $19,000 Cdn the price of a fairly well optioned Corolla or Civic. Bet that the price in Canada is less considerably less. And IONs sold here will have a five-year/1000,000 km powertrain warranty not available in the U.S.)
Saturn has been late to the table with a new compact, while updated offerings from Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and
Hyundai have raised the bar on performance, comfort and value for money. Until now, Saturn has relied on owner loyalty, its unique safety cage construction and rust-proof and dent-resistant polymer body panels (at least on vertical surfaces). Basically, the Saturn S-Series, which ION replaces, has been around since 1991. For Saturn fans, ION will be well worth the wait.
But its not just Saturn loyalists ION is aimed at.
"We're really going to target the younger demographic and are focused on conquest business," says Jill Lajdziak, v-p of sales, service and marketing. In that bid to lower the age of Saturn buyers from today's average of 44, the company will be visiting 65 college campuses in the next few months promoting ION and has already sponsored a summer concert tour by the Goo Goo Dolls. TV spots (the sample we saw was memorably hilarious) will be aimed at both men and women 18-34 years old and won't debut until early January. That will allow inventory to build up for the sales rush Saturn execs are clearly anticipating.
And if I were one of Canada's 63 Saturn dealers, I'd be rubbing my hands in glee.
The first product to be built on GM's new Delta small car architecture, ION delivers ride and handling light years ahead of the old S-Series and as good or better than anything offered by the competition.
"Our first priority was NVH (noise, vibration and harshness)" said ION chief engineer Michelle Smith, "utilizing the great body stiffness provided by the Delta platform."
That stiffness translates into a firm, well modulated ride.
"Sophistication" is not usually a word associated with the compact segment, but it kept popping into my mind the more time I spent in the ION an entry level car that is remarkably agile, with a tight 35.4-ft. turning circle, and a car that is remarkably quiet.
Of course, much of the quiet is courtesy of the 2.2-litre Ecotec inline four. Destined to be GM's "world" engine, the Ecotec was first used in Saturn's mid-size L-series sedans and wagons three years ago and is now appearing on other GM brands such as Olds Alero, Chevy Cavalier and Pontiac Grand Am.
It's quite a contrast to the S-Series' old 1.9-litre engine. Not only is it far quieter and smoother, it also packs considerably more punch 140 hp and 145 lb.ft. of torque.
Part of ION's sophistication stems from an advanced electrical system, which allowed Saturn's engineers to give it many features not found on competitive cars: automatic headlights with a wiper-activated feature; auto dimming mirrors; speed-sensitive windshield wipers; traction control, and variable ratio electric power steering.
And you're not stuck with poky little wheels and tires. Although 14-in. steel wheels are standard on base models, handsome 15- and 16-in. alloy wheels are optional.
A five-speed Getrag manual transmission is standard on ION sedans, but a five-speed automatic is available for the first time on any car in its class.
But ION's most talked-about innovation is its central instrument pod a feature pioneered by the Toyota Echo which takes all of, oh, a minute or two to get used to. The central pod also allows for a smaller diameter adjustable steering wheel that can be positioned where it feels most comfortable, not simply to where you can still read the gauges.
All IONs can also be customized with easily installed aftermarket roof rail accents and interior trim panels in either brushed steel, leopard skin, carbon fibre or blue bubble.
The result can be garish or cool depending on your age and your point of view.
ION sedans, produced at Saturn's Springhill, Tenn., assembly plant, will be in showrooms next month. If you're in the market for a new compact, you might want to hold off on making a decision until after you've tried one.
The ION Quad Coupe so named because it adds a second rear "suicide door" to the three-door coupe formula pioneered by the S-Series won't be on sale until early in the new year.
In some ways the coupe is even more innovative than the sedan, offering a fold-flat front seat that makes it possible to load large, bulky cargo that normally wouldn't fit in a compact car, and an optional continuously variable transmission (VTi) in place of the sedan's optional five-speed automatic.
For now, coupe owners will have to do with the 140-hp engine, but Saturn is rumoured to be working on a "tuner coupe" in the 200-hp range.
Something for Civic SiR and VW GTI owners to think about.
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