![]() And while the ION Red Line delivers a unique driving experience, it does so in different ways."Ģ.0-liter, supercharged and intercooled version of the Ecotec four-cylinder engineįive-speed transmission with increased torque capacity, close ratio gearing and short-throw shifter "Saturn vehicles inspire fun while driving. "Performance-tuned vehicles are an important component of Saturn’s expanding portfolio," said Lajdziak. Production of the ION Red Line is scheduled to begin in early 2004. "We have pulled no punches with the ION Red Line. "The 2004 ION Red Line will introduce Saturn to sport compact enthusiasts," said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn vice president for sales, service and marketing. Saturn ION Red Line Supercharges Sport Compact MarketĭETROIT - With a snarl in its exhaust note, an imposing stance from its racetrack-tuned suspension, and the immediate rush of its Ecotec 2.0-liter supercharged, 200 horsepower (estimated) engine, the 2004 ION Red Line has a character like nothing else to come out of Saturn.Īffirming its intention to create expressive performance-tuned vehicles, Saturn announced the production version of the ION Red Line at the International Auto Salon. Kewley says his team is working on one.Originally posted by Avant1963 over at A limited-slip differential would also help. And we know the gearing is at fault, because the car runs through the traps in third gear. We managed 0-to-60 mph in 7.1 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.3 at 94.5 mph. It's a heavy car at 2,960 pounds, but with nearly 200 hp at the wheels, it should be quicker than it is. Besides that, it's ideal for the application.Īt the dragstrip, the tall gearing really hurts the car's performance. The problem is, of course, that this isn't Europe, nobody is going to tow with a Red Line, and the car is not turbocharged. As it is now, it does fall below 4000 rpm on that gear change due to the gearing in the Red Line's transmission, and gear spacing that's mismatched to the blown Ecotec's power curve.Īccording to Mark Reuss, the man in charge of the GM Performance Division, the five-speed is based on a Saab transmission from GM's global powertrain parts bin and has tall gears in Europe to be able to tow with a turbo engine. It would increase its overall output, and keep the engine from falling below 4000 rpm on the 1-2 shift, which is where it really starts making grunt. What the engine really needs is another 500 to 700 rpm. We're told the limiter will be softened after the car's first year, but it will remain at 6450 rpm. It certainly makes good power, but as it's set up, it's nearly impossible to drive hard without running into the limiter. That limiter combines with a too-tall second gear and that lethargic tach needle to sabotage what could be a fun engine. The supercharger is actually spinning fast enough to produce more boost, but the ECU opens the bypass valve slightly to keep peak cylinder pressures down at levels GM has already proven it can handle. He gives the same excuse for reducing boost slightly at high rpm. Which is another problem Rick inherited from the original ION boneheads. Rick Kewley, vehicle performance manager, high-performance vehicle operation, GM Performance Division (holy titles, Batman!), says this is because the engine hasn't been durability tested above that engine speed. The engine crashes into its rev limiter at 6450 rpm while it's still building power. Our Dynojet revealed the truth, which is an impressive 197 hp at the wheels at 6450 rpm and 169 lb-ft at 5250 rpm.Īnd it would be more if GM's engineers had more time. 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 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. They even managed to radically improve the car's electrically assisted steering and keep the price just under $20,000 in the process. They did this by supercharging the Red Line's engine, and tuning its chassis on the famed Nuerburgring circuit in Germany. That job was to transform that hemorrhoid of a car into a more refined machine that performs as good as or better than the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V, Acura RSX Type-S, SVT Focus and MINI Cooper S. So if you consider what they had to start with, the engineers in the GM Performance Division should all be commended for a job well done. It's slow and crude, with the worst steering since the 1903 Curved Dash Oldsmobile, which was steered by a tiller. The ION, in its non-Red Line garb, is simply one of the most disappointing cars we've ever driven.
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