2004-2005 Saturn Ion Red Line Coupe

Pros :
- Import-tuner look.
- Seats four full-size adults.
- Enough underrated power to beat the imports.
- Upgraded brakes, air intake, engine, exhaust...everything.
- Comes pretty cheap.

Cons :
- Patchy build quality.
- Rear headroom is tight for tall people.
- Rear suspension is still a semi-independent torsion beam.
- Gauge cluster centered on dashboard.
- Torque-steering heaven.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
Affirming its intention to create expressive performance-tuned vehicles, Saturn announced the production version of the ION Red Line at the International Auto Salon.
"The 2004 ION Red Line will introduce Saturn to sport compact enthusiasts," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn vice president for sales, service and marketing. "We have pulled no punches with the ION Red Line. It’s a serious performance vehicle."
Production of the ION Red Line is scheduled to begin in early 2004.
"Performance-tuned vehicles are an important component of Saturn’s expanding portfolio," said Lajdziak. "Saturn vehicles inspire fun while driving. And while the ION Red Line delivers a unique driving experience, it does so in different ways."
"The supercharger provides instant response and a dramatic feeling of performance when you’re behind the wheel," said Doug Parks, ION chief engineer. "But the Red Line is not simply an ION with more power. From its visual features, such as the aggressive wheels, to components you can’t see, like the equal-length drive shafts, which are used to limit torque steer, it’s a comprehensive package developed to recast the entire car in a performance mold."
In addition to outstanding performance, ION Red Line incorporates many technological firsts for Saturn, including the supercharger, an air-to-water intercooler and the use of electronic throttle control (ETC). ETC utilizes an electronic signal, rather than a traditional cable between the gas pedal and engine, for immediate throttle response.
"ION Red Line is a street car that is also at home on the racetrack," said Parks. "Customers have told us that ride-and-handling is their favorite attribute of ION; with the Red Line we’ve built on that strength."
Inspired by the "tuner" cars popularized in Southern California, ION Red Line was developed with assistance from the GM Performance Division, an in-house center designed to explore potential enthusiast-oriented versions of production models.
"The ION Red Line was designed for enthusiasts seeking a ready performance vehicle," said John Heinricy, GM Performance Division director. "The base ION was systematically enhanced to deliver uncompromising performance, function and style – traits that will make it extremely competitive in the sport compact market."
An Eaton helical Roots supercharger was selected because of the immediacy of its horsepower delivery and its relative ease of implementation. Engineers also added an air-to-water intercooler to reduce the temperature of air entering the engine. This cooler air enhances the effectiveness of the supercharger. In the Red Line, the supercharger and intercooler system produces a maximum boost level of 12 pounds.
"The supercharger provides instant power," said Tracy Thueme, ION Red Line program engineering manager. "Coupling the supercharger with an air-to-water intercooler was a simple, effective way to build even more horsepower."
Engineers did not simply add a supercharger and intercooler to the existing ION 2.2L Ecotec engine. The Red Line engine is a special 2.0L Ecotec engine, built with lower-compression pistons and other components necessary to handle the unique requirements of a supercharged application. A high-flow air intake and a high-flow exhaust manifold are tuned to move air quickly through the engine. Along with the new engine, the vehicle’s cooling system is upgraded with a larger radiator core and larger cooling fans.
When it came to exhaust, engineers maintained the "move air quickly" ideal with a 2.25-inch exhaust system that incorporates a low restriction catalytic converter and low restriction muffler. The system lowers backpressure from the engine, enhancing the performance of the supercharged engine and giving the ION Red Line a distinct note from its large, chromed exhaust tip.
The five-speed manual transmission is new to the Red Line and has a higher torque capacity to withstand the increase in output from the engine. Its gear ratios were selected specifically for this application. The gears are spaced in even increments to keep the engine in its "sweet spot" between shifts. A short-throw shifter quickens the shifts and provides a more positive feel, too. The shifter’s travel is approximately 1 inch shorter than the shifter found in standard ION models.
Another heavy-duty item is the Red Line’s driveline, which has a higher torque capacity than a standard ION driveline. Equal length half shafts are utilized to limit the tendency of torque steer in this powerful, front-drive application. A final drive ratio of 4.05:1 was selected to complement the supercharged engine’s power.
ION Red Line is the first ION to feature four-wheel disc brakes. The front disc rotors measure 11.6 inches in diameter, which is approximately 1 inch larger than the rotors on standard ION models. Along with the larger rotors, engineers incorporated larger, five-bolt wheel hubs, brake calipers and brake pads. The larger calipers and brake pads allow greater braking capacity and are proven performance parts found in other high-performance GM vehicles.
The rear disc brake rotors measure 10.6 inches in diameter. They are mounted on an all-new rear axle assembly that incorporates revised suspension geometry.
Suspension tuning is being refined on the racetrack, including spring rates, bushing rates and stabilizer bar size. The rear shocks are larger in diameter than those found on a standard ION, and the Red Line has a 10-mm reduced ride height.
Connecting the Red Line to the road is a set of Continental 215/45 W-rated performance tires mounted to 17 x 7 inch, six-spoke forged alloy wheels. Forged alloy wheels are stronger than cast alloy wheels that are typically found on production vehicles.
Additionally, ION’s electric power steering efforts have been tuned for the Red Line to provide increased driver feedback.
The Red Line’s expressive exterior styling complements the performance built into the vehicle. All-new front and rear fascias were designed by GM Performance Division’s Kip Wasenko. The front fascia features a large, deep air inlet and the rear fascia has a cut-out for the large, chromed exhaust tip. Along with revised rocker moldings, the enhanced bodywork of the Red Line visually lowers the vehicle 1 inch.
ION Red Line comes standard with a rear spoiler, but a family of large, stylish rear wings is available. Also, a mesh-screen grille is available to further accent the vehicle. Red Line badging is located on the deck lid.
At the onset of production, ION Red Line’s exterior colors will be Black, Blue or Silver.
All Red Line vehicles come with a black interior. Standard performance seats complement the sporting environment and enhance driver control. A new sport steering wheel and gearshift knob also are part of the interior package.
"When developing the ION Red Line, we built in all of the elements that are important to compact performance enthusiasts," said Thueme. "It’s a comprehensive package which functions as well as it looks."
GM Media

That supercharged engine is a 2.0-liter version of the Ecotec four-cylinder, which is now powering all of GM's small cars in normally aspirated 2.2-liter form. The Performance Division destroked the engine, lowered its compression ratio from 10:1 to 9.5:1, bolted on a Roots-type supercharger (making 12.5 pounds of boost), stuffed in a Laminova air-to-water intercooler, and underrated it at 200 hp and 149 lb-ft of torque. That's right, they underrated it. Our Dynojet revealed the truth, which is an impressive 197 hp at the wheels at 6450 rpm and 169 lb-ft at 5250 rpm. And it would be more if GM's engineers had more time. The engine crashes into its rev limiter at 6450 rpm while it's still building power.
At the dragstrip, the tall gearing really hurts the car's performance. It's a heavy car at 2,960 pounds, but with nearly 200 hp at the wheels, it should be quicker than it is.
It does ride nicely on the highway, and it does manage respectable numbers at the test track. Our test car circled the skidpad at .85g, which is equal to the performance of a Dodge SRT-4, and ran through our slalom at 68.4 mph, which is exactly what the last SVT Focus we tested could manage. But it also reacts sluggishly compared to its competition due to its long 103.5-inch wheelbase, and it understeers more than we'd like. Drive the car hard and it just feels bigger than every other car in its class, which it is--11.6-inches longer than a Subaru WRX.
Still, on fast, wide-open canyon roads, you can drive the Red Line faster than we originally gave it credit for, that is as long as you left-foot brake to control the front suspension. If you do, the Red Line is easy to place where you want. If you don't, it unloads the front tires and pushes like a tugboat. The brakes are good. Four-wheel discs. ABS. Sixty-to-zero mph in 121 feet with very little fade.
Other good points are an overall high level of refinement, a roomy interior for four and impressive durability.
Sport Compact Car

GM seems to have worked out the quality gaffes that plagued earlier Ions I drove, for the Red Line has big-car build quality. Not only do all of the pieces fit well, but the finishes are often pretty luxurious: the turn-signal stalk has a silky-smooth feel that's better than the last Cadillac I drove, and many of the secondary controls are actually off Saabs.
To counter that, however, are front chairs that, despite extra bolstering (and prestigious Recaro logos), I still found too low and uncomfortable, with still not enough side support and still way too much lumbar bulge, as well as a centre console that seems like it was added as an afterthought, just kind of butting up against the dash when the rest of the pieces seem to have been designed together. As for the Ion's most controversial bit, its curious central instrument cluster, I rather like it, as it reminds me of some other cool cars I've driven, like BMW's Z8; there's a new, larger steering wheel as well.
Canadian Driver

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History:
2003-2004 Saturn Ion Quad Coupe
2,200 cc / 137 hp / 142 lb-ft / 2775 lbs / 0-60 mph 8.0 sec.