September 20, 2006 2007 Saturn Sky Red Line: First Impressions by Amyot Bachand, Auto123.com
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)The arrival of the Sky in Saturn dealerships is good news. It will give a breath of fresh air to this brand. Both versions driven during this vehicle launch were the Sky and the new turbocharged Sky Red Line.
Beautiful
Both versions look great, but the Red Line has some little extras that make bolder and more attractive. The stylists added some chrome trim here and there to distinguish its look. It looks sculpted with a knife... when the top is dropped, of course. Otherwise, the appearance is much less successful. However, the top is handled easily because the manual mechanism is pretty user-friendly.
Nice-looking cockpit
The color schemes of the cockpit give the car an energetic attitude. Our test versions included the Premium Trim options group. Despite having
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)comfortable seats with good lateral support, you have to adjust the seatback angle before you start, since the knob is almost impossible to reach; we'd prefer a lever, which is easier to manipulate. As for visibility, the pillars must be taken into account; during left turns, the driver-side pillar blocks the view. Also, when the sun hits the console, we can't see the radio display anymore. We also lose sight of the speedometer and odometer. Unlike its Solstice twin, the Saturn logo mounted in the cabin casts a reflection in the rearview mirror and also hampers visibility. On the passenger side, the handbrake is in the way of your left elbow.
Forget about the trunk!
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)Check out our pictures, and you'll notice that besides two small soft bags, cargo space is next to inexistent. I'm not the first to complain about this. I couldn't even store my camera backpack in there, although in the Solstice, I could; I had to leave it in the hands of GM personnel. This shortcoming limits the practicality of these cars, and relegates them to second-car status. That's disappointing, because the Red Line models are just begging us to take them out on long road trips.
On the road
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)Both versions of the Sky offer good handling. But the powertrain and suspension performance of the base model better correspond to that of a passenger car, even with 18-inch wheels bolted on. Even on gravel roads, I felt that the car followed the requested trajectory very well. The steering is precise.
The Red Line is true to its name
When we upgrade to the Red Line, we're dealing with a true sports car. We feel its greater predictability and solidity on the road. I felt confident carving curves in the Red Line. The addition of the turbocharger provides
(Photo: General Motors)quick responses. The gears in the transmission are well spaced out and its manipulation is more precise in the Red Line than in the base Sky, in which we had to guide the lever on certain gearshifts. In both versions, we calculated some numbers that we'll have to confirm during regular road tests:
0 to 100 km/h in 12 seconds for the Sky, and 8.76 seconds for the Red Line. As for 80 to 120 km/h passing times, it took 7.66 seconds in the Sky and 5.3 in the Red Line. The 2.4L Ecotec is sufficient for the task at hand, but the turbocharged 2.0L engine gives the Sky some character without being delicate or overpowered. The engineers came up with a perfect balance of the suspension and the powertrain in the Red Line.
Wind turbulence
Whether the side windows are up or down, we can feel some air coming back in the cockpit. Since we drove the Skys on a chilly morning, we had
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)to turn on the heat in the cabin as we took off. After that, the sun was generous and gave us a few rays. During the test, me and three other journalists noticed a strange smell of propane in the cabin while driving. With the side windows up, we drove Sky Red Lines enthusiastically, but at a reasonable speed (80 to 120 km/h) on great back roads. When I say enthusiastically, I mean quick acceleration, slowing down and braking before entering turns, and reaccelerating. Since these Skys stick to the road pretty well, their tires weren't even screaming. We were driving like any normal sports car driver would. We noticed that carbon monoxide vapors were swirling back into the cockpit, windows up or down.
We reported this to GM's representatives. It might be possible that during sporty driving, the design of the car might not be able to effectively propel the CO2 emanations rearwards. The engineers will check out this issue, and could make some light modifications to the exhaust tips or add a
(Photo: Amyot Bachand)deflector to redirect the airflow. If you're subject to sinusitis, know that it's not the fresh air that provokes it if you're behind the wheel of the Sky or a Solstice, but the monoxide-filled emanations that are swept back into the cockpit. It's the first time I notice this issue in a convertible.
Gorgeous
The Sky Red Line is superb and possesses excellent handling combined with great performance. Also beautiful, the base Sky constitutes an interesting trekking vehicle. But there are still some small details that need to be polished on this new sports car; the engineers should pay attention to the size of the trunk, the dashboard reflections and, especially, the carbon monoxide return in the cockpit.
