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Saturn blazes a new orbit
ION Quad Coupe's unique looks and user friendly features are out of this world
By Bob English
Thursday, October 9, 2003
Standing next to Saturn's recently arrived ION Quad Coupe in the parking lot of General Motors' Autoplex in Oshawa, I was chatting to a GM employee about the car's cool styling, various high-tech features, the sporty promise of its 140 hp engine and how easy it will be to install child seats thanks to the rear-opening half-doors.
That's a bit scary, I thought as I recalled the conversation later. This was the first time I've ever, even when I had a small child of my own, looked at a car with this particular issue in mind. But, for many it's an important one. It's not always easy when you're young and watching your pennies to balance the desire for a sporty looking ride with the needs of a growing family. But Saturn has done a clever job of giving this car a well hidden dual personality. It should also be said that those extra half-doors (the old coupe had only one, on the driver's side) will also suit singles, particularly women (judging by my wife's response), by vastly improving rear seat passenger access and allowing stuff like groceries, dry-cleaning, gym bags, etc. to be easily tossed in and retrieved. And just to get the utility angle fully dealt with, there's decent room up front and three passengers can be jammed into the rear seat if needed. There's also a useful 402 litres of cargo space under the rear decklid.
The ION Quad Coupe pushes the size envelope for the compact class, resulting in all that interior room. It's considerably longer than a Civic coupe, for example, and easily tops it on cargo capacity.
The ION name first appeared last fall attached to a 4-door sedan with the coupe following late in the spring. The new cars are built on GM's global Delta platform and are larger than Saturn's SL series sedans and SC series coupes they replace. The coupe weighs in at 1256 kg versus about 1130 kg for Honda's Civic coupe.
The ION still employs Saturn's space-frame design approach, a metal framework to which dent-resistant polymer panels are affixed. This has proven crash safety benefits and is fixable.
Wrapped around this is a body I find quite attractive, certainly contemporary. But look at the pictures and decide for yourself.
Dual stage front airbags are standard, as are seatbelt pre-tensioners, while a side curtain bag is optional.
The Quad Coupe comes with a strut type front suspension and a new semi-independent torsion beam setup in the rear. Front discs and rear drums handle braking chores (our tester came with the optional anti-lock brakes and traction control for $645).
Electric power steering has a good feel, particularly coming on and off centre, and also helps improve fuel economy, as the engine doesn't have to power a hydraulic pump. Tires are P195/60R16 all-seasons, fitted to good looking alloy rims. The suspension setup is fine for a mainstream coupe, with just enough firmness, decently controlled body roll and a fairly good level of responsiveness, coupled to a ride that shouldn't draw complaints.
The 'Quad' in the car's name, incidentally, refers to the doors and has nothing to do with that twin-cam lump of misery that GM used to power small cars in the past. The ION comes with a twin-cam, 4-valve Ecotec engine. It displaces 2.2-litres and produces 140 hp at 5,800 rpm and 145 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 revs. This is a pleasant and willing engine that spins up smoothly and produces its power and torque over a nice, wide band.
Our test car came with the VTi continuously variable transmission. This is one of the new 'stepless' transmissions that continually and automatically adjust themselves to the right gear ratio to provide optimum performance based on throttle input. Sounds good, but in practice this transmission doesn't feel any better from the driver's perspective, and due to its odd interaction with the engine, takes a little while with which to become comfortable.
Performance is barely adequate with zero to 100 km/h requiring a minivan-like 10.6 seconds and the passing 80 to 120 km/h run a slow 7.9 seconds. Around town driveability is okay, but a soaring engine note accompanies any changes of speed on the highway. A manual 5-speed is standard and recommended.
The interior is also new, of course, and my only real serious criticism involves the instrument cluster which, unfortunately, Saturn stylists mounted in the middle of the dashboard, a long way from the driver's line of sight. I've never supported any argument in favour of this, at least from the driver's point of view, which is the only point of view of any importance.
That aside, it's pleasant in there, with eye-pleasing shapes and forms, and the quality and fit and finish are generally good. Exceptions are the ignition key and lock, which are cheap and nasty pieces that you have to fiddle with every time you use them, and the door panels that shudder when you shut the doors. Controls are easy to find and operate, including those for the stereo and climate control. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, CD player, cruise control, power windows, mirrors and keyless entry.
Our test car listed for $22,850 and with the ABS and traction control, plus a $350 rear spoiler, the final price including a/c tax and $900 in destination charges was a reasonable $24,845.
Immediate competition:
Chevrolet Cavalier, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra GT,
Kia Spectra GSX
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