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Saturn ION

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Comments

  • fformula88fformula88 Member Posts: 30
    I don't have test numbers for these cars, but I find it hard to believe that an L series V6 is quicker than an Accord V6. The L300's engine puts out 182 HP/184 Lb-Ft of torque, and the car weighs in at just about 3200 pounds. Thats enough power to make the car move, but its not exactly up to the levels of the Accord, Camry, or Taurus among others. The Accord is putting out 240/212 in a 3300 lb car, the Camry has 210/220 in a 3300 lb car, and the Taurus has 200/200 in a 3300 lb car. At best the L series and Taurus should be close, but the two imports will take it (as will an Altima). The Camcords engine is also more refined than the Opel sourced L-series powerplant.

    Now, I do not think ultimate power is the deciding factor in sales for this class of car, but the two top selling imports best the L-Series in tons of other categories too. Size is important, and the L Series is a little small. Its interior materials are not as nice. Its refinement level isn't as high. One of these can be overlooked, but when it comes in second best in all categories, it will be stomped on in the marketplace and it was.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Back when I tested, L-series V6 0-60 was rated at 7.6 seconds and the V6 Accord was .1 to .2 slower. That said, the new V6 Accords with 240 hp are faster.
  • fformula88fformula88 Member Posts: 30
    Fair enough, the old Accords were not as fast (200 HP right?) But .1-.2 to 60 is still not a big difference, and the Accord trumps the L everywhere else.

    Hopefully Saturn's Epsilon sedan will be another story! GM has to give it the 240 HP 3.9L at least as an option!
  • dunworthdunworth Member Posts: 338
    Lots of good news during the past few days about Saturn generally. A new mid size for the Fairfax KS plant, home of the very capable new Malibu and plans for a new crossover and sports car.

    No news on whether its once bread and butter small car will be revamped. I guess they are focusing on segments they currently do not play in.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    Revamped 2005 IONs should hit dealers any time now.
  • stevengordonstevengordon Member Posts: 130
    Just curious if any of the professional reviewers have had a chance to take the '05 Ion out for a spin. I wonder if they'd have some comparisons with the pre-'05 models they tested.

    I hope Saturn gets it together with this revision.

    My biggest wish for the Ion is that they convert it to a hatchback or liftback.

    But that's not in the cards for now.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Yes, Saturn is getting their version of the Malibu Maxx. Will be interesting to see what is different, and if it gets all wheel drive and/or the Honda engine.
  • stevengordonstevengordon Member Posts: 130
    Is there any information (or speculation) on the upcoming Saturn Maxx model? Is there a GM code name for it?

    Is this the replacement for the L series?

    Any speculation on whether the Ion will morph into the Maxx as far as sales goes? Will Saturn drop the Maxx and concentrate on the Maxx, Relay, Vue and any specialty vehicles they develop and build?
  • jlm1955jlm1955 Member Posts: 9
    ok, which should I buy (ION2 or Civic)? I can get a loaded ION2 for about $1400 less than the Honda LX sedan. I like the ride of both and the features are pretty comparable.

    All the negative talk on IONs and Saturn make me nervous. I am thinking the safe buy is the Honda?
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    briefly, as this is an ION forum, Saturn will be building its 2007 version of the Malibu Maxx as an L series replacment at the GM Fairfax Kansas plant. You can read more at the reuters or car and driver web sites, to name two.

    As the ION's a delta platform and the Maxx is an Epison platform, I can't see the ION morphing into a Maxx, though Saturn could probably convert the Delta into a Hatchback if they really wanted to. Then again, supposedly the Maxx is not selling all that well.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    ION is perfectly reliable and your get A-1 service. Why be afraid of that? Nothing is a sure thing, no not even a Honda.
  • dunworthdunworth Member Posts: 338
    I have a 2003 Civic and have previously owned 2 Saturn SLs. Reliability was comparable so I would expect the ION to be the same. Maintenance costs should be comparable as well.

    I like the styling of the Civic better but that is a personal choice. Plastic body panels are a big plus for the ION if you live in an urban area.

    The $1400 in up-front costs is a serious consideration in favour of the ION. However, you will more than make up that different in the Civic due to better fuel economy and resale. In this latter area, Saturns used to be good but the ION has been a weak seller which means resale will be poor.

    The Civic feels roomier inside due to the flat floor in the rear and it has much better seats.

    Interior quality of the ION is now quite good so that is also not as much of a consideration in favour of the Civic as before.

    IMHO the Honda handles and drives better overall but the ION also has a nice quiet ride and a bit more power. If you are going for a 5 speed, the Honda is the best in the business, however I like the auto tranny in GM's cars better than Hondas. Keep in mind the Civic with automatic and a/c running full blast on a hot day is a bit gutless (I drive a 5-speed).

    You cannot go wrong with either of these cars.
  • mazzerozmazzeroz Member Posts: 2
  • mazzerozmazzeroz Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 2003 Saturn Ion 2 in July of 2003, brand new. Since the time of purchase up to this date I will list the problems I have had.Please bear in mind that this was purchased BRAND NEW:

    1. Air Conditioning drips into the passenger foot area. Brought in to be fixed twice. Still drips

    2. Hood would not open. Brought in to be fixed, that was fine until the cable connected to the inside latch snapped off breaking both the cable and the handle, thus requiring me to bring my car back for further repairs.

    3. On the highway the engine started to race uncontrollably when switching between gears, luckily I was near the emergency lane and could pull over and shut the car off. Brought in to be fixed. Was told by the techs they could not find the problem and that they reset the on-board computer.

    4. Blower motor for ac/heater made scraping noises...finally fixed on the second visit.

    5. Headlights casings have a permanent haze from moisture finding its way into the case.

    6. And finally today, as of this posting the rod that holds the hood up when it opens snapped apart so that the trunk has to be held with a hand in order to keep if from cracking me on the head when I put stuff in the trunk.

    In my opinion these cars may run well but they are extremely cheap in construction. I will NEVER buy a Saturn again, in spite of the great customer service.
  • dunworthdunworth Member Posts: 338
    Sorry your car is such a dud. A new car that fails to meet your expectations is no fun. Hopefully another dealer will be able to sort out all these problems.

    My first Saturn was flawless even after 215,000 km. Any small annoyances were easily handled by the dealer or cheap to repair after the warrantee expired.

    My second Saturn had far more quality gremlins and most were fixed by the dealer who took 4-5 times to deal with some of the creaks and rattles on the interior. Again - nothing major and the car performed flawlessly, reliably and economically.

    Surprisingly my Honda has not been prefect quality wise either. Lots of little interior problems - all of which have been handled by he dealer. Again nothing big and the car is very reliable. Even our 2002 Toyota Corolla had a couple of silly things - it is better than the Honda overall in terms of quality.

    No car is perfect but as long as you enjoy the car and trust that your dealer will work with you on problems you should be fine.

    I always buy and service locally. I always haggle for a good deal overall (trade in etc) but I am not a "grinder" in terms of price. Others may get another $100 dollars of the price of the car but I always get a little extra attention on warrantee items.
  • vuefor2vuefor2 Member Posts: 490
    BUY it. Think about what you can do with $1400. You can get a real good 52" HDTV with that!

    We have had an Ion2 for over a year and it's been nearly flawless. Aside from a dud here and there which you will get from ANY car company, most Ion owners here are very happy. My wife commutes with the car and it's been a perfect choice and we love our dealer. How many Honda owners can say that? I know I despised mine.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Car and Driver had the headlight problems in their test 2003 ION, and the second ION I had had the blower motor noise you mentioned, as well as erratic transmission shifting around 3rd gear and other stuff posted earlier.

    Extremely variable quality, fer sure...some folks got good ones!
  • vuefor2vuefor2 Member Posts: 490
    I think most people here have good ones. There are always a few lemons, especially since it's a first year car.
  • danstdidanstdi Member Posts: 10
    We just leased a Saturn Ion 3 (Automatic) for my wife, replacing a Mazda Protege 2000 LX. The Mazda was a very nice car, enjoyed it but felt we needed a little more room. Our new Saturn looks pretty cool, it has the spoiler at the back and my wife really liked the appearance both inside and out. The trunk is huge! Performance is pretty good - the car rides incredibly smooth and has very good power for a 4 cylinder. I read in the edmunds review that one of the cons for this car was the lack of leg room in the back seats. WOW - that was one of the main benefits we saw in the car - there is actually more rear leg room in this car than any other car we looked at - and we looked at quite a few.

    The speedometer gauges being in the middle of the dash looked weird to me when I first looked at the car - but after driving it for a few minutes, I got used to it very quickly and in fact, it actually seemed easier to view than in the conventional location.

    The polymer panels are great - I know I won't be getting as upset about dings as I normally do when my wife goes shopping.

    The best thing about the car was the value for the money - hands down. No car in its class provided the same value as the Ion. We got the 2004 clearance incentives ($1,000 off + 2,500 litres of gas @ 20 cents off per litre) from GM + the model we chose (Ion3 auto, air, cruise, power group, am/fm/cd, 16" alum alloys, rear spoiler)was the service manager's demo that had 1,500 km on it which got us another $1,000 off, so we really saved a bundle on this car. When the salesperson told me how low the monthly payments were,I thought he was going to also tell us about a huge initial down payment (thats usually the way it works, right?). Then he told us the down payment was zero (ie no freight and all that stuff) - we only paid about $200 up front to cover off the licencing and registration, etc. So we have a beautiful new car, my wife loves it and I especially love the price - A HAPPY COUPLE!
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    Besides the better looking steering wheel,and the new exterior, what are the other changes for the 05' IONS?
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    Am also curious how much of the Cobalt technology will make it to the ION (the ION firewall is supposed to get the new multilaye steel to reduce noise) ?
  • rbentonrbenton Member Posts: 30
    The Aisin A/T on 03-04 models.
    Gear Ratios
    1st. 4.69
    2nd. 2.94
    3rd. 1.92
    4th. 1.30
    5th. 1.00
    Final Drive 2.60

    Now after lokking at the gear ratios of the Ion, its not wonder why accelretion and mileage are disapointing. For a car the weights 10% less the L-series, why isn't the 0-60 time any better. My guess is in the gearing. First gear is super tall, then there is big drop ratio wise to Second. Third and Fourth and Fifth gears seem to be a little screwy. IMHO fifth gear is a waste because it isn't a true overdrive gear, but a direct drive top gear. And What is with such tall final drive ratio, that would make sense on V8 car from the late 70's. On paper the 5 speed A/T made sense but in reality in was a expensive waste, over the existing 4T40E Transaxle from GM.
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    Today I test drove an 2005 Ion 2 sedan. Overall I thought the car was pretty good. It has a nice ride, the electirc power steering was of no concern, the car handled the bumps pretty well. It is a little noisy, but it is also a 4cyl. The center gauges take some getting used too. Anyway I would definately put the Ion on my short list of small cars. I was also amazed at how peppy the car was, we had the A/C on and it did not feel like it was lugging.
  • kurtamaxxguykurtamaxxguy Member Posts: 677
    am surprised GM did not discuss this with Asian and picked / had created better transmission ratios.

    I noted this with the 2003 ION 5 speed - as rbenton said, its gearing was way too tall.
  • saturn5saturn5 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 2005 Saturn 4 Door. Ion2 and after some small trips I like everything about it.

    I like the plastic fenders, steel timing chain, 140 hp motor and looks. I have had cars with timing belts and getting them changed every 60,000 miles was costly. The steel timing chain should cut that cost. Service with my Saturn dealer has been excellent. I also own a 97 Saturn SC2 and a 91 Saturn SC and pleased with them. I bought the 2005 Saturn because they gave me a great $1750 loyalty rebate off the sticker price.....Go Saturn !
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    I'm glad to hear it! Our 2003 ION2 sedan is our third Saturn as well. You are right--Saturn's service is wonderful.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    We're going to drive a 2005 VUE today. With the current $1500 GM owner loyalty bonus, rebates on VUEs are totaling up to $3500 right now. We are mainly just looking for a little more back seat room. The VUE has three more inches of rear head, leg, hip and shoulder room than the ION. We'll see how it goes.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    I traded the 2003 ION 2 sedan on a 2005 VUE today. Saturn of Columbus (Georgia, not Ohio) gave me $8900 for it. Love the new VUE! The window and heated seat switches light up at night! I wish the switches would light up in the old ION.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    You must have taken a big hit on resale? Yikes.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    I didn't do too badly, Dan. I took the $1250 cash back in place of the 5 yr/60k mi ext warranty; and, I got a $1500 GM owner loyalty rebate giving me $2750 in rebates which got me right side up. I also took the low APR financing in place of the additional $750 rebate from GMAC.

     

    If they can light up the window switches in the VUE, why not the ION?
  • blanouetblanouet Member Posts: 1
    well they have a Problem with the Cruise control not working and no repair is available at this time per the Selling Dealer. it really makes me want to buy another Saturn
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    The cruise on my 2003 ION never gave me any problems. The new VUE is my 4th Saturn.
  • dan165dan165 Member Posts: 653
    I guess the incentives off set the hit pretty well then. Good for you!
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Congrats! Thats a definite step up, especially with Honda's outstanding 3.5L stormer. How do you like it thus far?!

     

    ~alpha
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    I love it. I did not, however, get the V6--for two reasons. One, we wanted a manual transmission. I know that sounds strange, but my wife loves driving 5 speeds. When we bought the ION, it was the first time we did not to have at least one vehicle with a manual transmission--and we missed it. At first, I was not 100% behind the idea of getting a vehicle the size and style of the VUE in a 5 speed; but, after a few days, I decided it was more fun to drive it like that. Two, the VUE is basically a commuter to work and back, and the 2.2 offers plenty of pep and good fuel economy for commuting. I know it is the same engine that is in the ION--but it feels more powerful in the VUE. Maybe that is a result of the manual transmission making me be more aware of what I was doing.

     

    Anyway, we love it. When we bought the ION in 2003, my wife wanted a VUE--however, our finances dictated the price tag of the ION. For 2005, Saturn changed the headlights, wheels, gauges and cloth seat material of the VUE, so I'm glad we got an '05. It has power heated seats which have come in very handy in our 23 degree morning weather. The flat rear floor and increased dimensions make loading and unloading our kids much easier as well. Overall, we are very happy with our "upgrade."
  • joerecordingjoerecording Member Posts: 2
    I realize that Saturn has a lot of very loyal customers, and that their overall history is very good. However, my experience has been the opposite. I have no problem with their service or their employees, but my 2004 Ion 2 Quad Coupe has had way more than it's share of problems. Here's a list to compare to your own.

     

    Nov. 03 - Bought the vehicle. It had a scratched armrest that needed to be replaced.

     

    Dec. 03 - Started having problems with static in the radio. Radio is replaced for the first time.

     

    March 04 – Continued problems with static in radio. Replaced it for a second time, and replaced recalled fuel filter. Also replaced the retained accessory power software, also recalled.

     

    April 04 - Continued problems with static in radio and it is replaced for a third time. Also complained of an idle problem while going downhill. It was tested and found to have no problem.

     

    Aug. 04 – Radio is finally recalled by Saturn and an updated replacement is installed. I complained of a thumping noise coming from the front of the car when going over bumps at low speed. The front antisway bar bushings were determined to be defective and they were both replaced. Also, a grinding noise was coming from the VTI transaxle. They replaced the transmission case cover assembly, valve body assembly, and the oil cooler lines.

     

    Jan. 05 - Brought in vehicle because of a grinding noise when first starting up, and a whistling noise coming from the vent fan. They found nothing wrong.

     

    Jan. 05 – Brought back vehicle for the same grinding noise and they found the entire transmission to be defective. They replaced it. They also replaced the HVAC blower motor to fix the whistling problem. The problem still exists.

     

    The car has less than 25,000 miles on it and is only fully covered by the warranty until 36,000 miles. If the warranty was not in place, the repairs listed above would have cost me almost $11,000. Not to mention the costs involved in car rentals, and the inconvenience of continuously having to bring my brand new car back to the dealer over and over, then pick it up again.

     

    Now, I'm not here to bash Saturn or to disagree with anyone who loves theirs. I just wanted to share my experience and compare it to others. Anyone can e-mail me with their stories to JoeRecording@aol.com. I have contacted a Lemon Law attorney who seems to think I have a very strong case, and I would be very interested to know of others experiences with legal pursuits regarding the Ion.

     

    Unfortunately, this car has been a huge disappointment, and has not lived up to the quality standards that I thought Saturn was known for.
  • bporter1bporter1 Member Posts: 229
    Sounds like you have a lemon to me. That is an awful lot of problems to have for a two year old car. Anyway good luck with the legal aspects if you decide to go that route.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    "Anyway good luck with the legal aspects if you decide to go that route."

     

    Well, I hope you don't as unwarranted law suits like these are what ruined the system. At least Bush is now making moves to limit some of the BS.

     

    Joe, I'm sorry you have been upset. However, look at what you've got. You say the arm rest was scratched when you bought it. It was not the car's fault; but, it was replaced and you should be happy. You say you had radio problems. They replaced it every time you complained. Maybe the radio really had problems, maybe it was just your opinion. It's hard to believe so many radios could all be so bad. Anyway, they replaced it and you should be happy. They took care of two recalls. Name a car that has no recalls. That's right, you can't. Anyway, they got you fixed up and you should be happy. They replaced your transmission. I'm sorry they had to do it, but they did and you should be happy. They also replaced your fan motor. These are the things the warranty is for. Like I said, I know it sucks to go through all of this. However, you never said anything about Saturn not taking care of you or not wanting to help you. That is what Saturn is all about. It was easy to buy your car, wasn't it? They take good care of you in the service department, don't they? When you trade it for a new Saturn, they will give you more for it than it's worth (according to the "book"). I'm on my 4th Saturn and each time they have given me more for my car than it was "worth." On my 2003 ION, the book said it was worth anout $8000. I had been offered $7000 for it from one dealer and $7500 for it by another dealer. My Saturn dealer gave me $8900. All cars have problems. What makes Saturn so great is the way they take care of you before, during and after the sale. BTW, what is your lemon law case? You have to have the same problem occur and be fixed three times before you can file. Your radio is the only thing to act up so many times. You really think GM owes you a new car because your radio needed replacing a few times? If you have an attorney who says they do, then you ought to avoid the attorneys who advertise on the back cover of the phone book.
  • joerecordingjoerecording Member Posts: 2
    Ok, to start off, A Bush comment on an automotive forum? Well Yee-Haw. Second, I really doubt that consumer protection legal activity is what's being thought of when politicians throw around the term "frivolous lawsuit".

     

    I need to correct a few things in your paragraph, as you obviously didn't read all of mine very closely. The radio problem was not an 'opinion'. It was a defect in them that took Saturn a long time to figure out. I kept hearing it in each radio because it was there in each radio. You're right, it's hard to believe so many radios were bad, but they were. Another thing you missed, yes they replaced the HVAC fan, but the problem still exists, meaning I will have to bring it back AGAIN for this same problem.

     

    Ok, another thing. I should be happy? About what? About having to take this brand new car into the dealer for repairs on an average of almost once every two months? Each time forcing me to lose work time and inconveniencing me in my trips back and forth to the dealership, which is at least a half hour from my house? I never said anything about Saturn's service, because that doesn't have anything to do with this. What good is outstanding service if the car they manufacture is unreliable? This car has less than 25,000 miles on it. What's going to happen at 36,000 miles when the warranty runs out? Should I be happy if these problems continue to happen on it then too?

     

    "You really think GM owes you a new car because your radio needed replacing a few times?" Woah. I never said anything about being owed a new car by anyone. And obviously, my car has had MANY more problems than just the ones concerning the radio. I said I've consulted with a Lemon Law attorney about this and they think I have a case. They're not on the back cover of any phone book, either. But that was a very clever comment on your part. I've actually consulted with more than one attorney, and quite a few people who have gone through similar problems with other manufacturers and have used the Lemon Laws to get assistance. Your facts are incorrect concerning what is needed to file.

     

    I'd like to see anyone who would be "happy" after having this many problems with a brand new car.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    Look, I understand you're upset--I would be as well. I just get really riled up when people say "I'm being inconvenienced, so I'll sue." If you hate your car that much, then just trade it. Get yourself a Corolla and never worry about anything failing ever again. You ought to buy a new Kia. Seriously, could you possibly have more problems with it than you do with your Saturn? At least you'll spend less money up front and you'll get a 10 year warranty. The deal is that you'll have to deal with things breaking and parts being recalled no matter what you buy. What makes Saturn so special is the way they take care of you when these unfortunate events happen. I'm on my 4th Saturn now and I'm making plans now to buy a new 2009 Saturn Aura when my van is paid off. Good luck to you no matter what you decide to do.
  • vuefor2vuefor2 Member Posts: 490
    Have not been on in a while but I wanted to say out Ion has been running perfectly. I see uga91 has left the Ion family and that's too bad.

     

    Anyone compared a 2005 to a 2003? I see the interiors have been upgraded nicely.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    But I did not leave the Saturn family.
  • ab348ab348 Member Posts: 19,078
    Uga said "When you trade it for a new Saturn, they will give you more for it than it's worth (according to the "book")."

     

    I sure hope so, because the resale or trade-in value of these cars anyhwere else is close to nil after a few years. I have great synpathy for Joe, having seen a coworker with a L-series go thru a similar degree of ridiculous problem-diagnosis and repair attempt only to have the dealer give up. Part of the ownership exoperience should not have to be bringing your car back to the dealer every month to replace pieces that were poorly built, poorly installed, or ill-designed in the first place.

    2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6

  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    It has been my experience that the Saturn dealers I have bought from (and there have been two of them) allow me more for my trade in than the sources say they are "worth." It may not be true in every case, but it has been true for me. Like I said earlier, on the 2003 ION I traded on a 2005 VUE, they gave me $8900 for a car that the Internet said was worth about $8000 and two other dealers (a Ford dealer and a Chrysler/Jeep dealer) offered $7000 and $7500 for. If anyone is not happy, then buy something else. It's all about you, anyway. I have been very happy. I love the Saturn experience; and, (knock on wood) the only time I've seen my dealer's service department over the last decade is when I needed an oil change.
  • papa_hpapa_h Member Posts: 1
    We just purchased a 2005 Ion Quad-coupe in Dec04. We are also experiencing problems with the cruise control - it works intermittently. I had it in for repair and the repair receipt says they "cleared codes and wait for future communication". Well, it worked OK for 2 weeks and now it's failed again. So, I will call it in again. My problem is inconvenience. When I want to use the cruise control and it doesn't work - that's inconvenient. When I have to spend a Saturday morning at the Saturn dealership (80 miles from my home) that's inconvenient. Has anyone else had similar cruise control issues as bporter1 and myself?
  • scott1256scott1256 Member Posts: 531
    Our 2002 SL2 (son's car) will come to the end of the standard 36/36,000 warranty in July.

    What should we have to pay for the extended (7/100) warranty? What about the 7/70 powertrain warranty?

    I have heard there are some good discounts available.
  • uga91uga91 Member Posts: 1,065
    If it sold through your dealer, I would imagine saturn.com will give you the breakdown and costs of the extended warranties for used cars, just like they do for the new cars.
  • micwebmicweb Member Posts: 1,617
    The Insurance Institute's test involves crashing a pickup truck or SUV height vehicle, with contoured front end, into the side of the tested vehicle at 31 mph. This is different from the NHTSA's side impact test, which uses a mid-size passenger car as the impacting vehicle. Since the point of contact with an SUV is higher than that of a car, and since they weigh more, very few vehicles can pass the test regardless of their size (for example, the Honda Element, 2004 CR-V, and Chevrolet Impala fail). Some cars have passed, like the Camry and Accord, but only with curtain airbags (one of the reason the industry is going to voluntary adoption of curtain airbags by 2007) and probably only because they are recent re-designs and were probably anticipating this test. The 2005 CR-V was upgraded to standard side curtain and torso airbags and a reinforced door frame area in response to the failed 2004 test so that it now passes.

    Traditionally, side impacts are MUCH harder to deal with that frontal or frontal offset impacts, due to the smaller amount of space in which to absorb the impact and the small amount of material to absorb the impact.

    One major issue that is emerging with the IIHS's test, is that the impact in this type of crash is so severe that frames are bending and the passenger safety zone is severely impacted. Nowadays, very few front crashes (NHTSA or IIHS) involve such a severe deformation of the passenger area that serious injuries (crushing) results. In front crashes the main issue nowadays is how to reduce deceleration forces, not how to avoid intrusions into the passenger area.

    Not so with side impact crashes. While the NHTSA has passes most cars in their much less severe side impact test, it has also highlighted some cars (Focus ZX3 is one I know about) for poor protection with risk of injury due to intrusion(rear seat in the ZX3). On the other hand, the NHTSA has given some cars up to 5 star ratings (Golf sith side curtain, I believe) which has created a false sense of security which this new, more severe, IIHS test deflates. In fact the IIHS so ups the ante that of the 16 small cars tested, only two barely passed; the rest were poor with life threatening injuries for the occupants. Keep in mind that a small car has a much more severe weight disadvantage in a side impact from a truck/SUV than a mid or full sized car (and not all mid or full sized cars are passing either).

    Now, here's the punchline: Toyota Corolla and the new Chevy Cobalt (which is supposed to be virtually identicals structurally to the Ion, but apparently isn't), each with side curtain air bags, both passed, albeit barely (acceptable, not good). I am amazed that a two year old new model (the Corolla) was able to pass and that anything small from GM is able to pass.

    Wait, there's more, and this is the part that blows me away: the current "tweaked" Ion failed miserably. I don't mean failed due to an unexpected head impact, but due to extreme intrusion and almost collapse of the body structure.

    Whoa, what happened? I thought the Cobalt and Ion were both on the same global GM "platform". I thought that the Cobalt and Ion were identical under the skin. But apparently that is not so. I am very grateful I didn't buy an Ion last year. And this year, although the Ion is supposed to be tweaked to be closer to Cobalt quality (body integrity, noise, etc.) it clearly isn't strong were it counts.

    Kudos to Chevrolet for spending extra time on the CAD/CAM computers and supercomputers to get the body strength of the Cobalt to such an amazing level. Shame on Chevrolet and Toyota for not making curtain airbags standard on these small cars already. (I expect a little more from GM since they made ABS standard on the Cavalier for years.) I am hoping that GM will make curtain airbags on the Cobalt, Malibu, and Impala standard for the 06 model line, since they have stated their goal is for universal adoption.

    I think based on the test results, Chevy needs to promptly discontinue the Ion and rebadge the Cobalt to sell as an Ion. If other people pick up on this IIHS report, sales of small cars are going to plummet - this is the first solid evidence that mid-sized cars are significantly safer than small cars. Also, I think Saturn has a great service reputation and continuing the Ion in its present form is a potential PR disaster, especially following on the heels of the Vue cracked rear axles during the NHTSA's tip over test.

    I think it would be a great career move for GM to announce, in light of the IIHS test results, that all remaining 05 Cobalts will come with side curtain airbags standard. And make them standard on the ION too, although airbags alone won't solve the ION problem.

    One final note. If you read the reviews on some cars, the Camry I believe and the Malibu, you will see that the IIHS notes "running" or mid-year safety upgrades; I belive the Malibu was given additional door padding (some manufacturers believe better door padding is as effective as, or more so, than actual torso airbags). I'd love to see some mid-month upgrades to the ION.
  • vuefor2vuefor2 Member Posts: 490
    I was not happy to see the results of the crash tests. I would have thought since the Cobalt passed, the Ion would also. I am tempted to trade my Ion in for a Cobalt but I guess that might be pushing it.

    We usually take our Vue when we go out with the baby and at least it has excellent crash tests.
  • mautomauto Member Posts: 75
    I like the Ion styling but it seems like it doesn't have the attention to detail as its competitors. For instance, follow an Ion at night and you can clearly see the rivets under the rear bumper. The rivets aren't neatly lined up but appear randomly spaced. This may be structurely secure but why GM couln't have extended the rear bumper a little lower to hide this is appalling.
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