Click here for the Ride&Drive Index!

Posted August, 2006

Road Test: 2007 Saturn Sky

By Kevin S. Lowery

It’s not unusual that an automobile manufacturer will, from time to time, build a show vehicle that expresses its new design direction. Manufacturers have to balance a new design just right. Too much glitz and prospective buyers are asking, “what is that?”—and not in a good way. Not enough design pizzazz and the new car fails to stir excitement. The new Sky, from Saturn, has kept in mind the best of these with both flair and drama.

The Sky’s design was inspired by the Vauxhall VX Lightning Concept, created in 2003 at GM’s Advanced Design Studio in Birmingham, England. A team of designers at GM’s studios in Warren, Michigan, adopted some of the Lightning’s innovative styling and fused it with GM’s Global Rear-Wheel Drive platform. Ba-Bing! The Sky!

It’s design cues remind me of the period 70s Corvettes—in particular the raised front quarter panels over the wheel wells. (I was at a traffic light side by side with the latest generation of the Corvette. It was as bland as the Saturn was stylish. Sure, a Corvette owner isn’t going to be in the market for a Saturn, but it shows how much the Corvette design has gone amiss. Go figure.)

The shape of the Sky’s hood and the side spear connecting front quarter panel to the rear is emphatic as well as artistic. Indeed, there is not one line or raised panel that you could call subtle—and it looks great whether the ragtop is up or down, and that’s not easily achieved. The top collapses underneath the trunk so there is no storage space. Once fully shut, the upper part of the trunk lid follows the line of the headrests—very similar in concept to the Audi TT. Fit and finish was the best I have ever seen in an early prototype vehicle. And it’s these design features that make the Sky difficult to resist.

Indeed, this car is a magnet We had all kinds of people inquiring about it and it turned more heads more than any other car we’ve tested in recent memory. One enthusiast even stalked me. Was that ever scary! Good thing I know the back roads.

Adding to the sleek exterior are the 18x8-inch five-spoke aluminum wheels, Goodyear Eagle RSA P245/45R18 96V high-performance all-season tires that give the car an aggressive stance that makes the automobile look crouched and ready to pounce into motion.

I realize this is a sports car with a MSRP starting well under $25,000. The Sky may seem like a great value, in that it is an inexpensive automobile. Yet, the old adage from my childhood “you get what you pay for” rings in my ears in situations like this.

In the cabin area, certain features like the cupholders and the storage compartment (located between the driver’s and passenger’s seats) had the worst ergonomics I’ve seen in a long time. To access both you had to be a contortionist, have a dislocated shoulder or both. I found a cupholder recessed in the passenger side of the console. It was ten times more convenient. What’s that all about? If you want to see the cabin, bring along a magnifying glass. And if you’re claustrophobic do not set one toe inside. You’ll go apoplectic! If you’re forced to get inside at least do it with the top down—that way you’ll have unfettered access to jump out in a panic. Overweight people bring a shoehorn.

The door locks were as confusing as the cupholders were inaccessible. Like GM’s regular system, the doors lock when the car starts moving. Fine. As for getting out, there are no electronic locks. You must pull up the knob on the door in order to open it. Get a clue, Saturn! I haven’t pulled up one of those since the 1970s!

And if you’re tall there are several major inconveniences. Not enough headroom, legroom or ability to see all the instrument panel through the steering wheel. So If you’re tall, move on.

Another interior feature that is important to every sports car buyer is the stereo. Ours came with the Monsoon premium audio system. There are six stereo speakers and they are angled perfectly for both driver and passenger, giving each one an equal audio experience that sounds good whether the top is up or down. In the same package comes XM Satellite Radio service (first three months included). Though the option packages include these, trim features and color choices and costs $1860 we feel that they are a smart purchase because they complete the whole convertible experience.

The engine is seriously underpowered. It’s a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder with variable valve timing and a five-speed transmission. The shift points were very close together but there was virtually no low-end torque. In a two-seater sports coupe, it’s important for the engine’s sound to be just right when it revs. The Sky’s was too tinny and jarring. This may be picky but face it, all of us who like sports cars love the way it revs and idles. We expect it and the Sky’s just wasn’t pleasing.

Shifting could be good or bad depending on your preference. If you like a real taunt shifter that you have to throw into gear, you’re going to love the Sky’s transmission. The clutch, however, was the opposite end of the spectrum. In fairness, this may not have been the manufacturer’s fault. Thanks to our colleagues in the automotive press corp, we often get automobiles with clutches that have seen better days. Apply a grain of salt.

For the Sky’s frame, Saturn employed the hydro-formed tube. The purpose is to increase strength and tortional rigidity. It uses Bilstein monotube shocks and hollow stabilizer bars with ball joint sockets. And through every curve, it held tightly going into the corners. The lightweight exterior did not do so well. It wallowed. At highway speeds, the front end vibrated if I went over 55 mph. Perhaps it’s designed to flex but when you are driving at high speeds it isn’t very reassuring.

I might have overlooked the sound if the suspension had been better. It was not a comfortable ride. It was noisy—and I’m talking about vibrations from the suspension and that which telegraphed outward through the exterior. On this point, the passengers who begged me for a ride disagreed with me approximately half of the time. Bilstein shocks or not, this is a problem that is endemic not just to the Sky but to all Saturn vehicles.

I was pleased with the performance of the Sky’s power rack-and-pinion hydraulic steering system. It provides the performance expected from a high-end roadster or sports sedan. The steering wheel is responsive to your slightest movement and exhibits excellent on-center feel and minimal lag. All in all, the steering is precise, and makes it a very thrilling ride.

The Sky’s standard four-wheel disc braking system consists of power-assisted dual-diagonal braking system. Additionally, the sky has a standard anti-lock braking system (ABS) with dynamic rear proportioning (DRP) to sense the force of braking power distribution along with the traction of the wheels.

Sky has a host of safety features, including a supplemental restraint system (SRS) with dual-stage frontal air bags – one in the steering wheel and another in the instrument panel on the passenger side. A standard Passenger Sensing System (PSS) uses the latest sensing technology to turn the front passenger air bag on or off.

Other safety and security features include standard OnStar Communication System, remote keyless entry system including a panic alarm, and engine immobilizer with PASSKey III theft deterrent feature.

New for 2007, OnStar-equipped Sky models will feature a new OnStar service called Turn-by-Turn Navigation. It allows consumers to talk to a live advisor, who in turn sends complete step-by-step directions to customers' vehicles through their OnStar system. The directions automatically play through the vehicle’s stereo. Now, drivers can be led to their destination while keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road.

In concept, the Sky reminds me of the old Mazda Miata and the BMW Z3. Both had an MG, “British” sports car feel, though they were not made in the U.K. Even inside, the Sky has a European feeling. Not by coincidence, I imagine.

I drove the fully-equipped Sky with all the gadgets and doodas. The base price is $23,115 and with all the options and destination charges, well, it came to $25,550. It’s rated 20mpg/city and 28mpg/highway. R&D