The ION Redline is out and I've been driving one for the last week and a half. My observations:

1. This car has great seats! Gen-U-Ine Recaros.

2. Great Clutch. Travel is short and it engages sharply without a hint of slip. Its a bit on the heavy side, but not so much that its tiring. It feels strong enough for another 50-60 lb/ft of torque. The absense of a dead-pedal is a glaring oversite.


3. Engine is about what I expected. Certainly not gonna run with an SRT-4, but throttle response is good, power is respectable, and the engine is considerably smoother than the 2.2 ecotec in your run-of-the-mill ION. There is no shortage of torque from 3000 rpm up. Kinda reminds me of the VW VR6; comes on strong in the midrange and stays strong all the way to fuel-cut. There is just the faintest hint of supercharger whine in the background; its way below an annoying level.

4. Some magazines have belly-ached about poor gearing. I have to disagree. First gear may be a wee bit short but there's plenty of midrange in second after the 1-2 shift. Second gear tops out right at 60 mph. 3rd gear is good for ~90, which seems tall, but the engine does not fall out of the powerband on the 2-3 shift.

5. The seats are the shiznit!

6. Shifter: Short, solid, a bit notchy. Not the best I've driven (miata) but another big improvement over the basic ION and decent enough for a 200 ft/lb FWD car. Way better than my 91 MR2.

7. Handling: Decent, but not great. The steering is a revalation compared to the ultra-sloppy basic ION. Feedback and weight are better than any recent Honda or Toyota. Overall its better than most FWD cars I've driven lately besides the MINI Cooper. The struts and shocks are well tuned. Motions are well checked and the ride is firm but never jarring. Turn-in is sharp, the limits are high, and moderate understeer is there to greet you when you find that limit. On a smooth surface the line will tighten nicely with a lift of the throttle, but the twist-beam rear axle in the back shows its ugly head when cornering in the rough stuff. The back end can get a little skittish if you hit a bump mid-turn. If you happen to be lifting to tighten the line at the same time you hit a bump the back end can get a lot skittish. Its hard to hold an accurate line when cornering on the bumpy stuff. A little negative camber up front would help the total grip and balance, but ultimately this car deserves a better rear suspension. Doesn't the Opel Astra, built on a similar platform, have an independant rear set up?

8. Brakes: The brakes really haul the car down from high speeds with authority and the ABS works well. It doesn't kick-in prematurely and provides just the right amount of modulation when it does kick in. The rear end does get a little skittish under high-speed, hard braking though. There doesn't seem to be an excessive amount of dive so I'll chalk it up to the outdated rear suspension design again.

9.Did I mention great seats?

10.The interior design is decent, although the materials are pretty low-rent. I don't mind the center-mounted cluster as it allows the steering wheel to be positioned for comfort without worrying about blocking your line-of-site to the guages. Within a day or two it becomes second nature to look right instead of down. A couple hundred dollars spent on nicer plastics for the interior would go a long way towards improving the perceived value.

Overall: I like the Redline as a fun, practical, afforable street car. The look is reasonably subdued (assuming you don't get one of the retailer-installed "jet-fighter" wings). It has more than enough performance to keep most drivers entertained. The polymer panels don't have tight gaps but the dent resistance seems a worthwhile trade-off. The "quad" rear doors add considerably to the utility; in some ways its more practical than a sedan. It can't run with an SRT-4, but it will outrun anything else in the price range. Its a bit of a "brute" compared to the Mazdaspeed Protege; more thrust but lacking the finesse. Its also quicker than a Cooper S with better ride and a more usable back seat, but its lacks the "cool factor" and sophisticated rear suspension of that car. The Focus SVT's may be slightly better buttoned-down in the turns, but the IRL will run away from it on the straits.

The IRL has exceeded my (admittedly modest) expectations. Given the canvas they had to work with (i.e the rather crude ION) I think GM Performance Division have done a remarkable job. Its far from a home- run, but its a solid base-hit for Saturn in their first at bat in the compact performance segment.