skorpion317
02-18-2005, 05:34 PM
I was finishing up an assignment for school today (asking the manager of a dealership what they look for in a technician), and i was at my local Saturn dealer. The service manager wasn't there, so I headed on down to the next closest dealership, a Pontiac/Buick one. En route, I had a wicked idea....why not test drive an ION Redline? I'm in the market for a new car, and leasing one may be a good idea. I finished my project at the Pontiac dealer, then headed back over to Saturn. I asked one of the salespeople if I could take the Redline out. He was more than happy to let me drive one.
It was black, with chrome wheels, a 5-speed manual. It's a decent-looking car, with the ground effects and spoiler on it. A nice exhaust tip just barely pokes out from under the car. I got in the driver's seat....VERY nice. The Recaro seats fit like a glove. I sat in Boon's SRT-4, and the seats in that thing are thinly disguised race seats, which i barely fit into. The Redline's seats are definitely sports-car grade seats, but they're more accomodating. The shifter is great, a lot shorter than my old Celica's shifter. The gates are easy to find, too. Steering is nice and tight. I drove it around town first, getting a feel for the clutch. The clutch catches somewhere slightly lower than halfway. The car is quite docile around town, very easy to drive. Then, I got on the highway to go back to the dealership. I had to stop to let traffic go by first, and then i dropped the hammer. The tires lit up instantly, something I wasn't quite expecting. I reeled it in quickly (not wanting to make an ass out of myself in front of the sales guy), and floored it once i got some traction. The car accelerates beautifully, the supercharger providing plenty of low-end torque. i was in 2nd gear, doing nearly 60 MPH. I can only imagine what speed i'd be going in 5th gear. The ride is smooth too, not as bone-shaking as the Camaro, but definitely sporty. I'd like to see what it can do in the twisties.
I really like the car, and I'm gonna try and convince my dad to consider it for my next car. Hopefully the godforsaken Lincoln will be gone soon....
It was black, with chrome wheels, a 5-speed manual. It's a decent-looking car, with the ground effects and spoiler on it. A nice exhaust tip just barely pokes out from under the car. I got in the driver's seat....VERY nice. The Recaro seats fit like a glove. I sat in Boon's SRT-4, and the seats in that thing are thinly disguised race seats, which i barely fit into. The Redline's seats are definitely sports-car grade seats, but they're more accomodating. The shifter is great, a lot shorter than my old Celica's shifter. The gates are easy to find, too. Steering is nice and tight. I drove it around town first, getting a feel for the clutch. The clutch catches somewhere slightly lower than halfway. The car is quite docile around town, very easy to drive. Then, I got on the highway to go back to the dealership. I had to stop to let traffic go by first, and then i dropped the hammer. The tires lit up instantly, something I wasn't quite expecting. I reeled it in quickly (not wanting to make an ass out of myself in front of the sales guy), and floored it once i got some traction. The car accelerates beautifully, the supercharger providing plenty of low-end torque. i was in 2nd gear, doing nearly 60 MPH. I can only imagine what speed i'd be going in 5th gear. The ride is smooth too, not as bone-shaking as the Camaro, but definitely sporty. I'd like to see what it can do in the twisties.
I really like the car, and I'm gonna try and convince my dad to consider it for my next car. Hopefully the godforsaken Lincoln will be gone soon....