Test drove a ION Redline today... - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

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....

skorpion317 · 02-18-2005, 05:40 PM

sound-wise, it's a little deeper than your average four-cylinder. It's not overly loud, but you can hear the exhaust from inside the car. the slight blower whine is nice though. It's a fun car to drive.

j0n · 02-18-2005, 06:24 PM

sounds cool...i may go test drive one myself...even tho i have no intention on buying

Savage_Messiah · 02-18-2005, 07:24 PM

Get the sky instead

BigAls87Z28 · 02-18-2005, 09:01 PM

If you want a GM Pocket rocket, get the Cobalt SS. Its a bit smaller but has much better quality and better fit and finish then the Ion. Ion RL and Cobalt SS both have a Performance Package which for the Cobalt SS includes upgraded Recaros and Qualife LSD, which when tested by MT this past month, pulled the best times in any compact car, and even a faster time then teh C6 Z51 through the slolam.
PHR has an article on it this month as well, and they love it!
If GM would take some time and start to really dig into the 2.0 SC motor, they could pull another 40hp for street trim. They did it for a Cobalt SS at SEMA, im sure they could do it for produciton!
But I guess they dont want to invest in much with turbo models coming soon.

Batman · 02-19-2005, 06:32 AM

Big Al's right, the Cobalt is a nasty little machine. COmparing road tests on it shows it is just a tick quicker through the slalom then the new Vette

! Obviously it is no Vette, but I guess if you slap 18's on a tiny car it is gonna handle. I'd wait and take one for a ride before I bought the Ion. Not to Hijack the thread but for fun go test drive a Forrester Turbo from Subaru if you want performance shock, 13's out of the box, it'll blow a WRX off the road on the way to the kids soccer practice....

skorpion317 · 02-19-2005, 11:03 AM

is the cobalt SS out yet?

BigAls87Z28 · 02-19-2005, 11:16 AM

SS is just staring production now, should be hitting showrooms soon.

12secondv6 · 02-19-2005, 12:09 PM

SRT4 > everything else 8)

78camaro · 02-19-2005, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 12secondv6

SRT4 > everything else Â* 8)

its quick......but still a neon

skorpion317 · 02-19-2005, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigAls87Z28

SS is just staring production now, should be hitting showrooms soon.

According to a sales rep at my local Chevy dealer, they won't even be starting production of the SS's until April. They'll be in showrooms in May.

besides, I need a new car soon. The ION RL is a nice car, and basically the same as the Cobalt.

BigAls87Z28 · 02-20-2005, 12:19 AM

I trust a dealer as far as I can throw him...
Ill pull up the reports on GMI. They just finished up with the first run-throughs and production has started.