Saturn Ion Red Line Pricing

Saturn Ion Red Line Pricing

Saturn's second high-performance model, the Ion Coupe Red Line, joins the GM division's lineup soon carrying a sticker price of $26,995.

It joins the Red Line edition of the Saturn Vue sport-cute, which has a sticker of $32,135. Both prices of course do not include applicable taxes and freight charges.

For the extra $6,180 (the Ion 3 coupe retails for $20,805), performance fans will get a bunch of go-fast equipment, headlined by the supercharged and intercooled 2-litre version of GM's Ecotec inline-four, which is good for 205 hp and 200 lb.-ft. of torque.

Designed by GM Performance Division and meant for serious usage, the Ion Red Line also gets a suspension that was tested at a particularly demanding track in western Michigan. The changes from the regular Ion involve revised springs, shocks, bushings and stabilizer bars.

On top of that, there are large four-wheel disc brakes, 17-inch forged alloy wheels, and a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission from Getrag.

I've watched GM's primary performance drivers test the car at speed and it is a serious piece of work; it is not just a cosmetic kit with a chip on its shoulder.

Having said that, there is a cosmetic component to the Ion Red Line, and that would include exterior styling specific to the model, a lowered suspension, those alloy wheels, a spoiler and the leather-accented Recaro buckets.

Amrit Mehta, the marketing manager for Saturn in Canada, says, ''We've pulled no punches with the Ion Red Line. It's a sporty coupe with spirited performance and power, and heralds a new era for Saturn drivers.''