'04 Ion from SL, some gripes

After a couple hundred miles on the new Ion 1, I have noticed a few little
things which designers should have picked up on. What is it about these Saturn
engineeers... ? they seem to miss this stuff, reminds me of the infamous rain
drain into your seat of the early ones. Here goes;

The small steering wheel, cool at first, thought I would get used to it, but
still don't like it. Not comfortable cruising. The arm rest is too low,
especially with this steering wheel AND the seat belts are uncomfortable- in
any adjusted positon they are just not comfortable and dig into the shoulder
and waist, especially on a long drive. I am of average height and build (5"10"
medium frame, not overweight) so I assume this applies to many drivers. Of
course the seats- Horrible. I know it's an inexpensive car, but the seats are
way too firm and have no side support. Saturn always messes up on the little
creature comfort things. (also reminds me of the No cupholder cars). Oh yeah
and the AC is not as strong as on the older cars, takes longer to get cold and
less effective.

I am a little disappointed with the handling, skitish, but maybe better tires
will help. I plan to add them soon. Having driven all three generations of
Saturn many miles, these are just my casual observations & opinion. Comments
welcome.
E

 

It is not just the ION that has these anoying discrepencies in material
workmanship. I have a Saturn L300, and I just hate the trunk hood. Who
ever designed it must not drive a Saturn. When you click to open it is
opens about 1/4 inch, so if you are carrying anything forget about
putting it right in the trunk. You have to put everything down, and lift
the hood. And if you do not lift it all the way up you will bang your
head on it! I think all of this because they used Springs on the trunk
hood, instead of hydraulic lifts like on the SL line. So now I am stuck
with this, and it makes me mad every time I go to put something in the
Trunk!!! :-(

 

I had to drive 2 different IONs 100 mi a piece the other day. Yes, the seats
are a bit too firm, but I wonder if they will break in after some use? Also,
one car has the Sport suspension package, one did not, guess which one was
all over the highway under windy conditions?

Compared to the Neon we rented last month, it was alot more of a stable ride
though. I do agree that a larger steering wheel circumfrence would have
eliminated much of the go kart feel in the steering.

Our SLs aren't that great on windy I-95 days either, but the lower profile
does help.
I wouldn't be suprised if changing out the oem Bridgestone/Firestones for
something more beefy would help the ION.

marx404

 

Having owned Saturns from 3 generations ('95, '98 & '02), I feel the
seats on the first generation Saturns to be the best and most
comfortable.

The seats on the '95 never squeaked, feels soft yet firm enough to
provide good support, and never gave me back ache after 5 - 6 hr
driving. Only complaint was lack of side support.

The seats on the '98 started squeaking after 8 months. The lumbar
support was too big so I had to sit with my back arched. The seat
firmness, however, was just right and the side support better than the
'95.

The one-piece seats on the '02 (no separate adjustable head rest)
looks cheap and feels cheap. Lumbar support was as big as the '98
seats and the seat sponge has finally broken-in at around 70K to the
right degree of compliance. The seats started to squeak at around
60K.

Anyways, I'll quit complaining. Looking for my next car in about a
year or so. And, after 10 years of Saturn ownership and progressively
worse dealer experience, I'll look for something else before I look at
Saturns.

 

I don't agree with the you on the small steering wheel, I'm used to it and
enjoy
it. I feel like I am driving a bus when I get into another car. As for the
seatbelts,
I'm 5'11 with probably the same frame, the seatbelts don't seem to get in my
way
at all, even on long trips. I guess it's just prefernce.

I do agree with you on the seats, they're horrible in my Ion3. I wonder how
the
leather seats would have been...

 

To Wilf:

Im sorry to hear about your bad dealership experiences. I guess there's
something to be said about "progress", lol.

Just FYI, wait for the new models to come out. The L300 series (which IMHO
is a real quality car) will retire after '05 and be replaced with a larger
sedan. Perhaps this will incur other changes to the ION.

I just started selling Saturns. I live between 2 dealerships, one more
agressive than the other. But that's not me. I want to treat ppl the way
that I expect to be treated. I chose the better of the 2 to work for, more
relaxed atmosphere and more personable, the way it should be, IMHO. The one
I chose is a 15 min longer drive, but worth it for me.

Different dealerships do business differently, albeit they are all under the
same Saturn sign. Go figure. If you have had bad experience,t hentake your
business to another Saturn dealer, even if they are twice the drive away. It
may make all the difference in the world.

Cheers!

marx404
(aka Mark)

www.saturnofstuart.com

 

okay after messing with the seatbelts more I have gotten them a little more
comfortable, but the belt still rides and binds at the waist. The whole
heater/AC unit just feels cheesey & cheap compared to the old SL, and it works
as well as it looks. I still like the car, but I don't think I could live with
this one 10 years like my old Saturn.
E