![]() Of course, I don’t like the idea of there being less safety where my kids travel.Ībout the back seat, there are three Latch connectors, but not enough space to fit three child car seats. So the Ion gets 5 stars for driver and passenger in a frontal crash, but only receives 3 stars in a side impact in the front, and 4 stars for a side impact in the rear seats. NHTSA has tested the Ion without side-impact airbags. It feels kind of stiff to drive (not in a cool, tight, sporty way but in a hard, unforgiving bumper-car-at-the-amusement-park sort of way). Saturn’s website also says the car is “nimble, yet powerful.” I find that while the car can get up to speed just fine and seems to have good power, I would not consider it nimble. The large mirror houses nice-to-have items such as Bluetooth, On-Star, and the nighttime dimming switch (weirdly re-engineered to twist instead of push). It takes up so much space that it eliminates about 25% of my vision out the front of the car. I have a real problem with the rear-view mirror. The trunk space is fine, and the size of the interior is OK for hauling all 4 members of my family, assuming the trip isn’t too long. Goodness knows I love pointless cubbies, but only ones that are useable. There’s just one in the center of the dash, but it’s plastic and slippery and has no grip or lip to hold anything in there upon braking or acceleration. The left side of the dash is all compartments. The usual compartment space for small items like cell phones and change (for those in the real world), or snacks and wet wipes (for those of us in the mommy world) is ideal for a lefty. It’s a long, hard mental leap for some of us. Please don’t move the instrument panel for the sake of “modernity”. When I signal a left turn the arrow lights up on the left side of the instrument panel, yes, but being that the panel is to the right of me, it lights up on the right of the steering wheel, making me crazy. I panic a few times, thinking that I have not turned my lights on. I keep looking down to check my speed, only to find a dark, blank space. I happen to pick up the car at night, and this layout is so incredibly frustrating for me. They’ve moved the instrument panel to the center of the dashboard instead of its usual locale in front of the steering wheel. For example, Saturn’s website says the Ion is “Modern, yet inviting.” It attempts to make up for lacking certain things by tweaking others. ![]() The problem is that all of them are so oddly engineered that I just wind up hating them. The Saturn Ion-3 is priced starting around $14,000, so I prep myself to give this underdog a go. I have been driving some cars that are priced in the $30,000-plus range, and I better change this rotten attitude! So I start over with a new perspective. Where is my sunroof? Where are the dual-zone climate control and heated seats? I have to admit I’m spoiled by the test cars that I drive on behalf of Mother Proof so spoiled in fact, that when I get into the Saturn Ion-3, I am kind of disappointed.
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