Despite a laundry list of upgrades for the 2005 Saturn Ion, this remains a vehicle that is merely adequate, especially in light our Ion 3 sedan’s $19,305 sticker price. Saturn’s three-year/36,000-mile warranty coverage is half what a Kia Spectra buyer receives, and folks who select a Mitsubishi Lancer get a great warranty and free scheduled maintenance as part of the deal. Sure, Saturn dealers are still no-haggle stores that put customer satisfaction before the sale, but with most new car buyers conducting research on the Internet before setting foot in a showroom, and most dealers hungry to make a sale, it’s a buyer’s market out there.

Touchy, feely sales tactics – combined with plastic dent- and rust-resistant body panels – don’t carry the weight that they did when Saturn was launched almost 15 years ago. Neither, apparently, do Saturn’s cars, which used to instill fanatical owner loyalty and inspire factory-sponsored summertime “Homecoming” events, but today stimulate little more than rebates, incentives, subsidized leases, and yawns.