Although the vehicle keeps the oft-criticized electronically assisted steering rack, Reuss says his performance-minded tuners significantly adjusted steering calibration toward more aggressive driving. The Ion Red Line carries a load of track-bred changes, including a heavy-duty five-speed with a short-throw shifter. Output should be about 200 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. Its Eaton supercharger, coupled with an intercooler, is capable of 12 pounds of boost. The 2.0-liter carries lower-compression pistons and other parts more suited for supercharging than the standard Ion’s 2.2-liter four. While Dodge turbocharged its econobox to 215 horses, GM will supercharge a 2.0-liter four now used in Europe, primarily because supercharging-though more expensive-offers strong low-end power often lost in turbocharging, says Performance Division chief Mark Reuss. (Stefan Bellof’s time of 6:11 in 1983 driving a Porsche 956 is the track record.) Last check, Saturn’s testers did Nürburgring’s 14-mile-plus Nordschleife circuit in just more than nine minutes in the Red Line prototype-about a half-minute better than non-performance cars need to get around the circuit’s 33 left turns, 40 right turns and 170 bends. Reason to get it right the first time around. This supercharged prototype signals what to expect from the General in the future.Īdding heat to the project, a similar Chevy and Pontiac based on this Red Line project should come shortly after the next generation of those cars goes on sale. Patterson admits there’s no way you’d know it was a performance car without the spoiler.To GM’s Performance Division, running the ’Ring is the price of admission into an American tuner party at which GM’s factory presence is nil.Īt least until now. Besides its Mazda RX-8 style suicide doors, it was also the perfect sleeper. Perhaps the most interesting bit about the Saturn Ion Red Line was its exterior. This one has that great supercharger whine that just sits in the background, dead straight,” Patterson said, comparing the Saturn Ion Redline to the turbocharged Chevy Cobalt SS. Turbo one has torque steer-like ferocity to it. I mean, it’s like a completely different car. I really did not think it was going to feel as different as it does, compared to the turbocharged one.
2004 ion redline full#
Patterson’s test Saturn Ion Redline had a TVS supercharger, Brembo brakes, full exhaust, and suspension (adjustable end links and ZZP coilovers).
2004 ion redline manual#
The four-banger stroker was paired to a 5-speed manual transmission and could do 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 7 seconds. Under the hood, the Saturn Ion Red Line came with a supercharged 2-liter four-cylinder Ecotec engine, good for 205 hp (208 ps) and 200 lb-ft (271 Nm) of torque. Different interior, different exterior, headlights, all that good stuff,” Patterson said, introducing the Saturn sleeper. “ The Saturn Ion Red Line is the supercharged Cobalt SS in a different skin. Its interior was a turn-off, mainly characterized by GM’s 00's plasticky cockpit design of the era, and a weirdly placed tachometer. The 2007 Saturn Ion Red Line was available in two body styles a 4-door sedan or a 4-door quad coupe with suicide doors. It offered a lot in terms of affordability, visual appeal, and competitive performance in the compact car segment. It might have passed off as regular Saturn upon its release in 2007, but under the hood, it was a sprinting horse yearning for a flat racing opportunity. The Saturn Ion Red Line was an outlier compared to other General Motors releases of the era.
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