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Satun Ion Redline Disappoints...will the Cobalt SS be different?

Old Mar 21, 2004 | 03:02 PM
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Satun Ion Redline Disappoints...will the Cobalt SS be different?

http://www.redlineforums.com/showthr...?p=452#post452

Made 197hp to the wheels, but only 169 ft/lbs. Not near enough to hang with an SRT-4. GM missed their mark with this car IMO....will the Cobalt SS be any different?
Old Mar 21, 2004 | 03:31 PM
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It does have some nice front seats.

Edit: What the hell are all the gauges doing in the center of the console?

Last edited by Evilfrog; Mar 21, 2004 at 03:42 PM.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 09:04 AM
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*bump*

For the weekday crew
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 09:17 AM
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Surprise. GM should push for the tuner market for its own viability, but they certainly don't appear to be trying very hard. And I also agree that center dash guages are awful.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 09:23 AM
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i dont think gm really had the tuner market in mind for this car. IMO they really shouldnt put much effort towards the tuner market anyway, it will start to die down soon. the v8 RWD cars are making a return and a 300hp neon wont mean crap in the next few years. IMO anyway.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 09:40 AM
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They claim that having guages in the center doesn't distract you as much while driving. I'd have to argue that one. As for the engine, the Ectotec has proven itself to handle high amounts of power, but I look for it to go the way of the Quad 4 HO. As for the SC, you can buy those over the counter for the 2.4 I4 that's in just about everything that GM sells. I KNOW that they could have made better power stock, but they are going to leave it to the after market which isn't all that bad. For example, you can buy polished housings for the 3800 SC that give you 20 extra hp with the stock pulley! And then a smaller pulley is another 20 hp with just the 3.4".
The seats are pretty cool though.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 11:18 AM
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Who cares if it beats the SRT4 or not? 197whp for a car that light, around 2500-2700lbs or so, I'm thinking, is pretty good. I'll have to drive one.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 11:18 AM
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The article claims it weighs over 2900
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 11:20 AM
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They should have made it turbo.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 11:21 AM
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Originally posted by 87camracer
i dont think gm really had the tuner market in mind for this car. IMO they really shouldnt put much effort towards the tuner market anyway, it will start to die down soon. the v8 RWD cars are making a return and a 300hp neon wont mean crap in the next few years. IMO anyway.
Since when?

Half of the affordable V8 performance cars were KILLED 2 years ago while Japanese companies are getting more bold with their USDM offerings (Evo, STi, RX-8, 350Z, etc.).

Exactly how is this market dying and where is the great comeback?
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 11:49 AM
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Originally posted by Dan Oldham
Who cares if it beats the SRT4 or not?
GM had better care, if they expect to sell any of them. It's supposed to be a direct competitor, and yet it gets mopped. GM dropped the ball, plain and simple.

Originally posted by Dan Oldham
197whp for a car that light, around 2500-2700lbs or so, I'm thinking, is pretty good. I'll have to drive one.
It's nowhere near 2500-2700lbs. It's several hundred pounds heavier.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 12:00 PM
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I'd much rather have the SRT-4. Of course that isn't saying a whole lot. But it counts for something.

WTF are these companies thinking when they put all the guages in the center of the dash?

Is it just me or does the Saturn Ion seem like the car equivalent to a disposable camera?
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 12:00 PM
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http://ww2.imagewiz.net/images/pramu...edline_pg3.jpg

this is what it looks like with an engine fire


ummm... the seats are kinda cool. but the gauges? down and to the right is less distracting than down? say again over? maybe its supposed to be for giving the officer an excuse as to why you were speeding?


mmmmm molded plastic..... *drools*
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 12:02 PM
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I like the idea of a supercharger simply because you have a nice broad torque curve. Downside? Limited performance gains. A turbo is a lot easier to make power with than a supercharger. Don't get me wrong, I do like the supercharger, and I honestly think that they went with that simply for reliability purposes. I mean, if you can go to your dealer, buy a SC for your cavalier, and keep your warranty, speed isn't what they're concerned with.
Old Mar 22, 2004 | 12:37 PM
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Originally posted by MrBonus
They should have made it turbo.
Yup... they should have. I'm surprised that i4 could turn the supercharger.

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