2005 Saturn ION 2 Quad Coupe review from North America

Bought this car June 05.

This car has been pretty dependable, in fact I'm impressed with it's dependability and hope it stays that way.

The things that have gone wrong are:

1) Ignition sensor was replaced January 2007.

Woke up one morning and car would not start, put key in and turned, got nothing repeatedly. The temp the night before was 9 degrees and the car is left out every day, with last winter being very cold. Later that day the car turned on just fine, took it to the dealer and they said that the ignition sensor malfunctioned, so they replaced it as a precaution(under warranty). It's never happened again, except that one time.

2) Driver's side seat cushion had to be replaced, the cushioning spontaneously moved for some reason.

3) All sorts of rattles. This is the biggest problem IMO with the Ion - expect lots of rattles. I try to complain about them when I get my oil changed but I can never duplicate the problem with them, very annoying but not the biggest deal.

4) Weatherstripping was letting a little air in, was replaced on driver's side. The trim on the inside of the quad coupe doors pops out, you have to push it in every couple rides or it rattles...not a big deal. It's obvious that there was some cost cutting in this car, but if you don't mind that then the car is very reliable.

5) The stick shift knob came loose and was replaced.

Overall great car. Really love it. Looks good, and the interior, while not amazing is reasonably appealing and not ugly like some other GM cars (Pontiac grand Prix for instance). It's not a premium car, don't mistake it for that, but it's good for the money.

The exterior of the Ion couple is appealing, but can't say the same for the sedan, which makes me glad I have the coupe.

The 2.2L ecotec-4 140 hp engine is very fuel efficient at EPA 26/35. It's a 4 banger, but has reasonable power for such a light car. I average about 30 mpg in 60/40 city driving.

The polymer doors have prevented dents on a couple of occasions, although I'd prefer regular metal doors.

Good overall car, I think it's a good pick in it's class, and I'm sad to see Saturn is replacing it with the Astra for 08.

Drives well in general, the maneuverability is a great plus, as it has a very sharp turning radius.

The suspension is a little rough, but won't cause back pain.

All in all, a nice ride and a good value.