2005 Saturn Ion Quick Spin

Offensive describes the Saturn Ion’s interior, the place where the owner spends the most time. Design gaffes abound, made somewhat less obvious by acres of awful hard plastic that would barely pass muster at the Fisher-Price toy company. A hodgepodge of intersecting lines, mismatched textures, and an unfortunate center-mounted gauge cluster, the top of the dashboard is visually and ergonomically distressing. At night, the only main controls that are lit for easy use reside in the center of the dashboard, leaving the door-mounted power window, power door lock, and power mirror controls in the dark. Drawing undue attention to itself after sunset is an orange light on the left steering wheel spoke that glares in a sea of black when the cruise control is engaged and is virtually impossible to see when the sun is shining. Likewise, the indicator for the traction control system glows when the system is on and extinguishes when the system is off – the reverse of normal convention. Maddeningly, the upper door panels are hard where elbows rest and soft where they don’t, and the lower dash panel presses uncomfortably on the driver’s right leg as it arcs down to meet the center console. Exhibitionist black weather-stripping blatantly exposes itself on the windshield pillars, constantly reminding the driver that the Ion is, at its heart, an inexpensive commuter car and nothing more.