The Red Line is true to its name
When we upgrade to the Red Line, we're dealing with a truesports car. We feel its greater predictability and solidity on the road. I feltconfident carving curves in the Red Line. The addition of the turbocharger provides
quick responses. The gears in the transmission are well spaced out and itsmanipulation is more precise in the Red Line than in the base Sky, in which wehad to guide the lever on certain gearshifts. In both versions, we calculatedsome numbers that we'll have to confirm during regular road tests: 0 to 100km/h in 12 seconds for the Sky, and 8.76 seconds for the Red Line. As for 80 to120 km/h passing times, it took 7.66 seconds in the Sky and 5.3 in the RedLine. The 2.4L Ecotec is sufficient for the task at hand, but the turbocharged2.0L engine gives the Sky some character without being delicate or overpowered.The engineers came up with a perfect balance of the suspension and thepowertrain in the Red Line.
Wind turbulence
Whether the side windows are up or down, we can feel someair coming back in the cockpit. Since we drove the Skys on a chilly morning, wehad
to turn on the heat in the cabin as we took off. After that, the sun wasgenerous and gave us a few rays. During the test, me and three otherjournalists noticed a strange smell of propane in the cabin while driving. Withthe side windows up, we drove Sky Red Lines enthusiastically, but at areasonable speed (80 to 120 km/h) on great back roads. When I sayenthusiastically, I mean quick acceleration, slowing down and braking beforeentering turns, and reaccelerating. Since these Skys stick to the road prettywell, their tires weren't even screaming. We were driving like any normalsports car driver would. We noticed that carbon monoxide vapors were swirlingback into the cockpit, windows up or down.
We reported this to GM'srepresentatives. It might be possible that during sporty driving, the design ofthe car might not be able to effectively propel the CO2 emanations rearwards.The engineers will check out this issue, and could make some lightmodifications to the exhaust tips or add a
deflector to redirect the airflow.If you're subject to sinusitis, know that it's not the fresh air that provokesit if you're behind the wheel of the Sky or a Solstice, but the monoxide-filledemanations that are swept back into the cockpit. It's the first time I noticethis issue in a convertible.
Gorgeous
The Sky Red Line is superb and possesses excellent handlingcombined with great performance. Also beautiful, the base Sky constitutes aninteresting trekking vehicle. But there are still some small details that needto be polished on this new sports car; the engineers should pay attention tothe size of the trunk, the dashboard reflections and, especially, the carbonmonoxide return in the cockpit.
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| (Photo: General Motors) |
Wind turbulence
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| (Photo: Amyot Bachand) |
We reported this to GM'srepresentatives. It might be possible that during sporty driving, the design ofthe car might not be able to effectively propel the CO2 emanations rearwards.The engineers will check out this issue, and could make some lightmodifications to the exhaust tips or add a
 |
| (Photo: Amyot Bachand) |
Gorgeous
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