2005 Saturn ION Road Test

Walkaround

Stylish yet recognizable, the 2005 Saturn Ion sedan drew favorable comments on the street. The new nose gives the Ion a more contemporary look, and is less polarizing than the previous design, which drew criticism. From the front, the sedan's new nose resembles that of a Nissan Sentra, with a more traditional grille between the headlights in place of the chrome and body-color bar on 2003/04 Ions.

The windshield slopes dramatically, helping the relatively tall Ion look sleek. And the Ion does stand tall. It's more than four inches taller than the previous-generation S-Series that it replaced. The Ion sedan's roof curves heavily down to the high trunk line almost giving it the appearance of a hatchback rather than a traditional sedan. The sedan looks contemporary and not that dissimilar from the Nissan Altima and Volkswagen Passat, both lauded for their design. We found the Ion's small, lever-style door handles relatively hard to grasp, however.

The Quad Coupe's exterior appearance remains unchanged. It gets its name from a pair of back doors that open on rear-mounted hinges, in much the same way as the auxiliary doors on an extended-cab pickup. The rear doors have no exterior handles to compromise the coupe's sporty styling; and when they are open, there's no B-pillar in the opening, which makes access to the rear seat very easy for such a small car. It's an innovative design that enhances the practicality of this sport coupe. The front passenger seat folds flat, improving utility further. Saturn likes to demonstrate that it's possible to stuff a nine-foot kayak into the coupe through its doors, a feat that would be plenty tough for many SUVs, let alone other compact coupes. You may not find the need to stuff a kayak in your car, but you may occasionally need to haul something big and the Quad Coupe's rear access doors will be helpful.

Ion continues the Saturn tradition of attaching composite polymer body panels to a substantial steel space-frame. The polymer panels can't rust and, because they are slightly resilient, they resist the minor impacts that leave small dents and dings in sheet metal. Another benefit of the composite panels is that they are relatively easy to replace. Saturn has exploited this advantage on the Ion by offering alternatively colored roof rails that owners can easily install to customize their car's appearance. Nickel-Silver roof rails are available for the coupe and sedan, and Charcoal rails are available for the sedan. The down side is that the Saturn's panels look thicker than steel sheet and gaps between body parts have to be greater to allow for expansion in hot weather.

Interior Features

Comfort has been greatly improved for the 2005 Saturn Ion. All but the base sedan get new seats that are larger and more substantial and offer more side support than the bar stools that were in 2003/04 models. The new seats are a vast improvement, more comfortable and more supportive, though we thought they still lacked side support. The seats feature a height adjustment, accomplished by jacking them up and down somewhat similar to those in a Volkswagen. The Red Line coupe comes with excellent Recaro seats, but they are best suited for narrower hips.

Lots of headroom, a benefit of its high roofline, makes the Ion sedan a good choice for tall drivers. Passengers in all four seats of the Ion sedans enjoy good headroom. Rear passengers benefit from slightly elevated (theater) seating, as the rear seats are mounted two inches higher than the front seats. This gives back-seat riders a better view. Rear-seat legroom is adequate, and the front seats have longer-than-normal adjustment rails. A short front-seat passenger can slide way forward to allow more legroom for someone in back, while a tall front passenger can take advantage of expansive leg room when no one is sitting behind.

The interior looks stylish and youthful. Ion's interior design features interlocking half circles and an assortment of textures. Textures and materials have been upgraded for 2005 and the overall effect is nice. New chrome rings adorn the instruments and vents. The new four-spoke steering wheel feels nice to the touch and is larger in diameter than last year's, making it more comfortable to hold. There's a new shifter and new cruise controls. However, the center console is tiny and the switchgear feels cheap.

The open dash design gives the Ion an airy feel. Immediately noticeable is the center-mounted instrument cluster, a feature popularized by the Mini Cooper and Toyota Echo. The advantage of this, says Saturn, is that the instruments can be set at the same level as the outside mirrors, so there's no need to look down, only across. Tall drivers find it convenient, but short drivers who sit closer to the steering wheel have to swivel their heads farther to look across at the speedometer.

Forward visibility is good, though inhibited toward the corners by thick A-pillars in front. The view over the right shoulder is hindered by wide C-pillars. We found the electric window switches hard to locate in the dark, as they are not illuminated and are located rearward of where we expected them. At least they are mounted on the door and not on the center console as in previous Saturn models.

A big trunk adds to the practicality of both coupe and sedan. The sedan's trunk is a little larger than the coupe's and, with a capacity of nearly 15 cubic feet and a practical shape with a flat floor, it's as big any in its segment and is as big as those in many mid-size cars.

OnStar, GM's security and information service, is at times quite useful. Unlike a navigation system, there's nothing to program. Simply press the OnStar button and a human operator responds to provide directions or any other assistance to make your life more wonderful. OnStar operators can quickly pinpoint the exact location of your vehicle, and can direct you to the nearest gas station, ATM or Mexican restaurant. OnStar operators will notify authorities of your location if your airbag goes off and you do not respond to their calls, and rescue crews will be dispatched to the scene. Or you can press the emergency button and they'll send out the troops. If you lock the keys inside, they can unlock the doors. If your vehicle is stolen, OnStar can pinpoint its exact location and direct the authorities to apprehend and recover.

The audio system is a paragon of ergonomic design. All stereo systems should be designed this well. The optional CD player features big buttons and knobs to control audio functions. An MP3 player can be added as well. A nice i