With 260 bhp in a reasonably light car, the Saturn Sky Red Line will more than keep up with the Jones's – it will leave many of them standing. It is a decent looking car, based on a concept designed in the UK – the Vauxhall VX Lightning.
Whereas the Saturn Sky Red Line's sister car, the Pontiac Solstice has not earned many plaudits for its road manners, maybe the Saturn Sky Red Line will. Pity about the awful name – after all the red line is a lowly 6,300 rpm -but otherwise here is a car that could be fun.
Smart looking roadster
It looks pretty good, starting with that big air intake below the shallow grille – looks almost as if came straight from the Vauxhall concept car – nicely shaped headlamps molded into the fenders, which have sculptured lines. Also, you get the same sort of air outlets behind the front wheels that they have on Corvettes, and no doubt many buyers will be opting for the Saturn Sky Red Line because they can't afford the big V-8.
The car has quite a tidy back end with small head fairings behind the cockpit, although it the upward tilt makes the Sky Red Line look narrower than it is. Actually, this rear end is an example of design taking over from common sense. Because the head fairings are integral, the trunk opens backwards so you can lower and raise the hood, instead of being in its own little compartment as on the Mazda. Not very practical.
Under the skin is GM's hydro-formed frame, which is basically a perimeter frame with the members made from tube which are hydro-formed to improve strength and bend to form the shape needed. It is a good way to make frames in low-volume at low cost. The panels are mostly steel, instead of the lightweight plastic panels Saturn used in its pioneering days.
Cracking 2.0 liter turbo engine
But the heart of the Saturn Sky Red Line, and what gives it a chance of competing in the sports car market, is the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine which develops no less than 260 bhp at 5,300 rpm. Maximum torque of 260 lb ft (353 Nm) is delivered all the way from 2,500 rpm up to 5,200 rpm. A real lugger, with stacks of mid-range power but still 130 bhp per liter – now this is a truly sporty engine, although it lacks the exhaust note of a high-revving naturally aspirated engine. Still it provides plenty of power, and helps the car accelerate to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds – that's quick.
This is an all-aluminum unit, with a steel forged crankshaft and oil-cooled pistons to give it durability. Of course, there are four valves per cylinder, with variable valve timing, and to combine power and economy, the engine has direct fuel injection. To give that wide spread of power, the turbocharger has twin scrolls – also used by BMW on the new MINI engine with direct injection.
Direct injection engines, in which the fuel is injected directly into the cylinder instead of into the ports, improves efficiency allowing more power and better gas mileage. This was pioneered by Mitsubishi.
Being practical guys, Saturn engineers mate this sparkling engine with a five-speed manual or automatic. They reckon, quite rightly, that with this spread of power you just don't need six speeds – the extra gear just means more unnecessary shifting most of the time. That's fine, but the absence of a manual control on the automatic is not so hot.
Aluminum wishbone suspension
Suspension is by double wishbones front and rear, the wishbones being aluminum forgings to reduce weight. Also helping to reduce weight are hollow front and rear anti-roll bars. Roll should be well controlled. Coil springs and telescopic dampers are used all round.
To give the Saturn Sky Red Line that big car look 18-inch wheels with 8-inch rims carry 245/45 R18 Goodyear tires. You get ABS and stability control to keep you on the road, and the disc brakes are 11.7 and 10.9 inch (297 and 277 mm) diameter front and rear. Interestingly, a limited slip differential is standard – sounds as if traction might not be that brilliant.
Inside, there is a neat fascia with a leather-rimmed wheel and a pretty conventional cockpit with the instruments housed in a neat binnacle, and minor controls in a simple center console.
Overall, the Saturn Sky Red Line looks a pretty good package, with a great engine giving the car much better acceleration than the Mazda Miata, but maybe not so much roadholding and fun – they are about the same price. The Mazda is a little smaller, quite a bit lighter, but has a longer wheelbase.
