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2004 Saturn Ion Red Line Quad Coupe Road Test

A Factory-Built Saturn Tuner Car?

Every year car manufacturers seem to tune out an already popular selling vehicle. For example, this year Toyota introduced the Celica GT-S Tsunami edition and Corolla XR-S. In 2003, Mazda offered up the MazdaSpeed Protegé, while in 2002 Honda brought out the Civic SiR, and the list goes on.

But the Saturn ION Red Line in 2004? Its an interesting thought. First of all its not everyday that I see an ION Quad Coupe on the road. In fact, I rarely see them at all. So when the Red Line came out, I was curious and confused at the same time. Curious because I wanted to see how it compared with other factory-tuned compacts, and confused because the ION isnt exactly

I see so few ION Quad Coupes as it is, so when the Red Line came out I was curious and confused at the same time. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

the sportiest pieces of machinery on the automotive market. In other words, its an odd choice to upgrade.

Odd or not, its all Saturn has to work with in the compact coupe/sedan segment and in its attempt to make the car more popular the decision is probably a good idea. Just the same, I cant say I was expecting much from this domestic auto manufacturers rendition of a tuner car, which is no

I cant say I was expecting much from this domestic auto manufacturers rendition of a tuner car. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

doubt why I was surprised at its spirited performance.

I must confess, though, that after a couple of days behind the wheel I shifted my view of the sportiest ION, from seeing it as an American-made tuner car to little more than an ION with an optional powertrain and a couple of aesthetic add-ons.

Why? Because in comparison to other tuner cars in its category, the Red Line really isnt that distinguishable from the outside. Without a hood scoop for its supercharger, or a prominent rear wing spoiler as

The Red Line still looks almost identical to the base ION with a few exceptions. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

seen on the Dodge SRT-4 or MazdaSpeed Protegé, the Red Line still looks almost identical to the base ION with a few exceptions, like a tiny Red Line badge on the rear bumper, a humble rear trunklid spoiler, a unique, but not prominent front and rear fascia, and restyled front grille.

The interior isnt really tuned out either. It features the same setup as the regular ION Quad Coupe, with the instrument cluster located in the middle of the dashboard - something I am not a fan off. But as I have said before, the center-mounted gauge cluster does open up visibility to the driver so there is some user-friendly practicality behind it.

I did, however, really

The interior of the Red Line is pretty much the same as the normal car, except for the Recaro sport seats. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

like the Recaro sport bucket seats. They looked good and felt great while adding to its tuner appeal, but the rest of the interior did not convince me otherwise. The audio system, complete with an AM/FM/CD/MP3 head was alright, but nothing amazing. Audio and tuner cars go hand in hand, with Nissans Sentra SE-R featuring a Rockford Fosgate system and the aforementioned Mazda pumping out tunes via a seriously robust Kenwood system.

What does make it rather tuner-esque is its engine, handling and wheel/tire package. The supercharged 2.0-liter Ecotec DOHC produces 205 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 200 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, which is higher output than any other car in its class except the Dodge SRT 4 at 230 horsepower and 245 lb-ft of torque. If I needed get somewhere in a hurry, the

The standard 5-speed manual transmission was quite stiff and the throttle very sensitive - one tap and the car was flying. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

Red Line was quite up to the task of getting me there on time.

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