The Saturn ION is truly a pleasant surprise in the economy car market. Comfort, dependability, interior room and unparalleled customer support make it a winner.

From BMW To GM, Sure Surprised Me

Our daughter grew up in a BMW family. There has never been a time in her life when there was not at least one BMW in the driveway. So it was no surprise when her first car turned out to be a 1979 BMW 320i. And hers was not just any 320i, but one with performance and suspension modifications too numerous to list. Heck, after going through performance drivers school she autocrossed the little silver car in the C Prepared class (a classification for “almost” race cars with a thin coating of street legal equipment). After high school, she left her hot rod under a cover in the driveway as a way to reduce college expenses and not have to watch it rust away on the salt covered streets of St. Louis winters.

By her junior year she realized that having a car had become a necessity, and since her BMW had well over 180,000 miles on it, she looked around for something to carry her on the 500 mile trips from home to school in quiet, reliable comfort. Our surprise was when she said she had decided on a Saturn rather than another more refined BMW!

Not Only America, but Tennessee

Saturns are built “up the road a piece” in Tennessee, less than 50 miles from the Jack Daniels distillery. A far cry from Munich or even Detroit, salt-of-the-earth Americans assemble a unique vehicle concept in our market. Almost everything about Saturn cars says, “car ownership does not have to be painful!”

The Numbers

Powered by a 2.2 liter, fuel injected, double overhead cam, 4 valves per cylinder, inline 4 cylinder engine, the resulting 140 horsepower and 145 ft. lbs. of torque is transferred through a 5 speed manual transaxle to the 15 inch front wheels. The ION is rated at 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, so the 13 US gallons of regular unleaded fuel should deliver easy 300 plus miles between highway fill-ups. Suspension consists of space saving struts in front and a torsion beam semi-independent suspension with stabilizer bar and coil springs in the rear. Weighing in at 2766 pounds, the overall length is 184.5 inches, overall width 67.2, overall height 57.4, wheelbase 103.2, and has a curb to curb turning circle of 35.4 feet. Front disks and rear drums handle the stopping mission. Sorry, these numbers are not surprising in the economy sedan market.

On The Outside

Styling is that popular sharp edge, almost hatch back design filling most all showrooms today. With the ION there are a number of subtle curves that mirror much more expensive European and Oriental cars. A number of body panels are non-metallic, but still do not have either a mismatched or cheap look. Those non-metallic panels resist parking lot dents and winter rust through.

Indoors

Door openings are large enough for easy entry and exits, and the seat heights allow for a smooth transition from standing to sitting. The cloth seats are comfortable without being slick, and manual lumbar support adjustment eases long drives. The tilt steering wheel adjusts to different driver sizes, and the range of seat adjustment should return a good fit for most drivers. The instrument panel is a “futuristic” pod design that is “different” but usable. The speedometer and tachometer as easy to read while driving, and warning lights negate any analysis of gage reading to determine engine health or performance. Along with the usual low fuel level warning light is an “economy shift” alert to remind drivers of the best shifting points for fuel economy. The AM/FM/CD 4 speaker sound system is standard with a single CD player. The 5 speed transaxle shift lever is located in a center console along with the parking brake. All controls are within comfortable reach of drivers in the 5 to 6 foot range.

The interior usefulness is impressive. Large windows provide a pretty much unobstructed view of the scenery, traffic and road hazards, with very limited blind spots. Mirrors are well placed for visibility. Including a fold down rear seat, total interior volume is an also impressive 93 cubic feet, with 14 of them in the trunk. In most conditions leg, shoulder, and head room are acceptable for 5 typical adults during short trips, and 4 for longer rides. There are ample cup holders and an electrical accessory outlet available.

Driving

Saturn IONs are not racers, nor are they sluggish sleds. The engine tune has a very drivable and steady power band that allow for broader use of the ample midrange output. That means that one does not have to expend large amounts of energy shifting up and down all the time. I do not find this broad power band on many cars these days. Operation of the shift lever is positive and comfortable, with little of the sloppiness sometimes found in economy cars. The eclectically boosted power steering is smooth, precise enough and predictable. Clutch spring tension is very reasonable, and should not wear out your left leg in city traffic. For once, the rated 24 mpg city and 32 mpg highway seems to ring true in real world experience!

Ride comfort is about what you would expect in the price range, and body lean is minimal. The tires maintain contact with the pavement over most road surfaces, and the suspension does a very good job of allowing for driver car control. Road and wind noise are very low for cars in this range.

One interesting item is that cruse control is not even available on ION I trim manual transmission cars! If you want it, you have to find a after market unit from an outside supplier / installer. I am not sure I understand, but then I am not a GM executive.

Climate

Heater and air conditioning systems are manually controlled, and up to the demands of Southern summers and Midwestern winters. A rear window defogger is standard, as are intermittent windshield wipers. Ventilation is more than adequate, even when all 5 seats are filled with adults.

Reliability

Over the past three years and 30,000 miles, the ION has had at least one recall, and NO warranty repairs! This is a far cry from the reputation US car builders once had of, “let the dealer finish” after the car rolled off the assembly line.

There Is A Difference

Owning a Saturn is a much different experience from most other marques. From the first step into the showroom, through dealer service, to satisfaction follow-up I know of no other brand that treats all customers with that much respect. There is an overall impression of low pressure, customer focus in all transactions. Even at the lower end of the market they seem to understand that those first time buyers might someday move into the “big money” vehicles. There are so many little touches that reinforce this impression. As my daughter drove her new car out of the showroom the dealer had a photographer on hand to record the event. Later, she received a calendar with her picture on it. Each time a scheduled service was performed there was both a written satisfaction survey mailed to her and a follow-up telephone call. No, I have never had this kind of support from any other brand dealership.

Saturn also understands the long term value of maintaining service histories. This has become important as my daughter has to use three different dealers in three different states. Each dealer service department is linked to a central data base for recording everything done to each car. That way it does not matter where in the country you bring your car for service, the technician has the entire service and repair history at his fingertips. Just think how much easier warranty claims and fault isolation is with information like that available.

All Together Now

The Saturn ION is a benchmark car for a new GM line. Economy, comfort, utility, and reliability sum up the ION. Saturn has learned that today’s entry level buyer could well be tomorrow’s high end buyer, and treats their customers that way. Considering the product quality, coupled with impressive customer support and respect, I would not hesitate to recommend the Saturn ION to anyone.
Amount Paid (US$): 10,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: ION I