Driving Impressions

The handling capability of the Saturn Sky is excellent. We've found the Sky wonderful fun on country roads. Saturn says it will make 0.9g cornering force on a skid pad, world-class for a car in this price class. The steering is accurate and nicely weighted. The ride quality is what you would expect from a short-wheelbase car with big, fat heavy tires and wheels; smooth and pleasant on good pavement, but harsh on railroad tracks and bad pavement. The Sky has a 53/47 front/rear weight balance and four large 245/45R18 tires. The Ecotec engine that comes standard gets the job done but it isn't particularly sporting. The 2.4-liter Ecotec is undersquare (a bigger stroke than bore), with a very high power peak. That means you have to wind it up through the gears to have any fun with the car, and that produces loud, thrashy noises under the hood which we find not much fun to listen to shift after shift. Nor are we particularly fond of the low, raucous exhaust note. The engine, mounted longitudinally in the chassis and leaned over at a 10-degree angle, has electronic throttle control, variable valve timing and most of the other modern conveniences, but it just doesn't make enough power or torque down low in the engine?s speed range, where you often need it. The clutch actuation was fine, and the fat little short-throw shifters in our test cars were smooth and slick with a little bit of notchiness here and there. The more powerful, more firmly sprung Sky Red Line is much more fun to drive with its 2.0-liter turbocharged Ecotec four-cylinder. This engine delivers 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque, the latter over a very flexible range of 2500-5250 rpm. Bore and stroke dimensions for the 2.0-liter are identical, so there's less harshness. And there's no turbo lag. The turbo rolls out its power in a smooth, linear fashion, with strong acceleration performance available over a wide range of engine speeds. We've found this engine far more willing for sporty driving than the 2.4-liter normally-aspirated engine in the standard model. Best of all, the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine delivers significantly better highway mileage, rating 28 mpg Highway by the EPA. As with the base engine, premium fuel is recommended for maximum performance (but not required). One of the attributes we like best about the Sky is its powerful, progressive braking, with very little play at the top of the pedal before deceleration starts. These are big disc brakes for such a small car, and they work very well and very consistently.

Final Word

The Saturn Sky is a nice cruiser. It looks cool and sporty and would be a good commuter car. It isn't the best choice for tall drivers and, as with any two-seat roadster, luggage space is at a premium. Buyers benefit from the Saturn dealer network. The Sky Red Line version features a free-revving turbocharged engine we've found more willing for spirited driving. NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Jim McCraw filed this report from Northern California.