2004 Saturn ION 3 Quad Coupe review from North America

The only defect that I have found with the Saturn is the windshield appearing to be defective. Out of nowhere this past weekend, I got ready to get into my car and noticed a 6 inch crack in the right-hand bottom corner of my windshield. By the time I was done with my errands, the crack grew from top to the bottom of the windshield. I am working with the dealer to get this resolved as this appears to be a defect in the glass and not an issue for my car insurance company to resolve.

The Saturn ION 3 Quad Coupe is a great value.

I bought mine fully loaded - leather, XM Radio, MP3 player, 6 disc CD player, power everything, 16" alloy wheels, sunroof and the travel package for under 20,000. The dealer offered me $3,000 in rebates when I purchased this car and GM gave me 3 months of XM Radio service for free for getting XM factory installed in my vehicle.

Though sports cars or coupes have been touted as small and uncomfortable in the past, I cannot use those words to describe the interior of the ION 3 Quad Coupe. The seats in both the front and the back feel like they cradle you in for a comfortable ride. The back seat has enough leg room in that even my father who is 6'4" can easily ride without having his knees smashed. The third door has made getting my son in and out effortless. The design of the leather upholstery is fantastic - I have the cream leather interior with charcoal accents. It looks so sporty!

The tachometer in the middle of the dash took sometime to get used to, but actually, its more comfortable having it there then right in front of the steering wheel. The the console with the radio/CD/MP3/XM Radio was easy to learn to use and I feel comfortable reaching for the controls while driving.

The performance of the car is unbelievable - in terms of smooth driving it feels like it hugs the road and the ride is really smooth. I thought that the ride might be a bit rough in comparison to my Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I had thought wrong. I have the manual transmission and its been very enjoyable to drive - helps with getting even better gas mileage and gives the 4 cylinder engine more get up and go.

And, the dent resistant panels are fantastic! I am loving the paint color - chili pepper red.