Saturn Sky

[HIOFECR]

Anyone else wish that GM would've saved the Saturn Sky and turned it into a Chevy ( a la the GEO Tracker = Chevy Tracker ). I wasn't much of a fan of the Solstice but the Sky is a great looking ride, sadly I guess the sales numbers didn't support saving it, but it was a great looking little roadster.

Discuss....

[Apex Motorsports]

I was a big fan of the Solstice. With the death of Pontiac and Saturn I would have loved to seen the birth of a baby Vette.

[fielderLS3]

The problem with the Sky was that while it was very nice looking, the rest of the car wasn't very good. The inside was an ergonomic disaster. I sat in one once on a dealer lot, and it was so uncomfortable and awkward, I didn't even want to drive it. Arm rests where all in the wrong places and at the wrong level, your elbow would hit the center console when pulling the shifter downward, the cup-holders slide out sideways into the space where your legs are supposed to go, buttons and controls where placed in weird locations....like I said, interior was a disaster. When sitting in one, you feel like a cartoon character who sat in a bucket and got stuck.

The performance numbers were also mediocre for the NA 2.4L volume engine, and the fuel economy was just plain terrible for a 4-cylinder two-seater. (It was actually less efficient than the larger, heavier, and almost twice as powerful V6 Camaro). The ridiculously oversized wheels and tires meant a lot of unspung weight and rotational interia for such a small car with a 4-cyl as well.

Basically, what I'm saying is to have kept it around longer as something else, it would have needed A LOT of redesigning. It also didn't share enough parts/a platform with anything else, and I believe it even had a production facility all to itself. The economics weren't even close, and GM should never have built it to begin with just from a business sense.

[PeeBee]

We had these over here as the "Opel GT"...

I made a test drive in one, and was to say the least, disappointed by the performance (coming from a 240hp, 745kg Lotus Elise).

When I asked the sales guy to see the boot, he turned red... the only place to store something like i.e. a laptop is on the passenger seat...

[Overflow]

I use to love the Sky.

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by HIOFECR

Anyone else wish that GM would've saved the Saturn Sky and turned it into a Chevy ( a la the GEO Tracker = Chevy Tracker ). I wasn't much of a fan of the Solstice but the Sky is a great looking ride, sadly I guess the sales numbers didn't support saving it, but it was a great looking little roadster.

Discuss....

The problem is that Geo was sold through Chevy dealerships and it was easy to do that. Shutting down Saturn dealers and rebadging the cars would have been a no no. That would have required a redesign to at least some degree..............that maybe fixed some of the issues (see below).

When GM bough Daewoo for the second time, they had to wait for each model to be redesigned before they could be badged a Chevrolet due to the closing of all Daewoo dealerships in the U.S.

But I think there would be room in the GM lineup for something like the Sky.

Originally Posted by fielderLS3

The problem with the Sky was that while it was very nice looking, the rest of the car wasn't very good. The inside was an ergonomic disaster. I sat in one once on a dealer lot, and it was so uncomfortable and awkward, I didn't even want to drive it. Arm rests where all in the wrong places and at the wrong level, your elbow would hit the center console when pulling the shifter downward, the cup-holders slide out sideways into the space where your legs are supposed to go, buttons and controls where placed in weird locations....like I said, interior was a disaster. When sitting in one, you feel like a cartoon character who sat in a bucket and got stuck.

The performance numbers were also mediocre for the NA 2.4L volume engine, and the fuel economy was just plain terrible for a 4-cylinder two-seater. (It was actually less efficient than the larger, heavier, and almost twice as powerful V6 Camaro). The ridiculously oversized wheels and tires meant a lot of unspung weight and rotational interia for such a small car with a 4-cyl as well.

Basically, what I'm saying is to have kept it around longer as something else, it would have needed A LOT of redesigning. It also didn't share enough parts/a platform with anything else, and I believe it even had a production facility all to itself. The economics weren't even close, and GM should never have built it to begin with just from a business sense.

Having one now, I don't disagree at all on the ergonomics. But I'm guessing by your comments that you didn't drive a Red Line. I have the 2.0 DI Turbo and it gets better milage than a V6 Camaro and with the GMPP calibration will pretty much keep up with an SS.

But for me the price was the down fall. When it was $19,995 for a base convertible, it was pretty nice, even without a power lock button on the early cars, a pair of cupholders that were so bad that one of them was simply removed and the other remains one of the top 5 warranty items for both cars. Can you imagine a cup holder being one of your top warranty items? But my Red Line stickered at $36,000. Paid a lot less for it due to the deals offered when they were shutting down Saturn. But at $36,000 you don't expect to put up with those ergo issues.

For us, though it replaced a sport/touring motorcycle. And it is wonderful car when you compare it that way.

It was a good concept and remains a beauiful car.

Oh and the fuel pump sticking up in the middle of the trunk?

Originally Posted by PeeBee

We had these over here as the "Opel GT"...

I made a test drive in one, and was to say the least, disappointed by the performance (coming from a 240hp, 745kg Lotus Elise).

When I asked the sales guy to see the boot, he turned red... the only place to store something like i.e. a laptop is on the passenger seat...

LOL, not much would compare to driving an 1800 pound car with 240 HP. That is what we call a go cart. Instant acclereation with that little weight. The Solstice/Sky adds about 1,000 pounds to that.

[PonyMan]

I owned three Solstices (06-1k #83, and two GXP's), loved all three........my Vette fills the void.

[xlroadster]

It's a niche car. Historically, convertible sales are destined for limited production. Sure, the Sky/Solstice gave us buyers an alternative to the Miata, but it was never going to steal buyers away from those other 2-seat roadsters (Boxster, TT, SLK to name a few).

It sucks because the styling was awesome. If they never made an XLR-V, I would have bought one.

[PeeBee]

Originally Posted by Number 3

LOL, not much would compare to driving an 1800 pound car with 240 HP. That is what we call a go cart. Instant acclereation with that little weight. The Solstice/Sky adds about 1,000 pounds to that.

Erhm, a 2330 pound car with 600hp?

[Fuel Fire Desire]

Originally Posted by PeeBee

Erhm, a 2330 pound car with 600hp?

One word: Mallet

[SlingShot]

This is our current Redline with the same setup as Number3 with Magnaflow 3" and it is very fast ...

[PeeBee]

I'll stick to this though

[SleepWarz]

I love the sky. I crane my neck at every one I see.
Solstice hardtops look pretty snazzy too.

[porcupinekiller]

Originally Posted by SleepWarz

I love the sky. I crane my neck at every one I see.
Solstice hardtops look pretty snazzy too.

+1.
I saw my first Solstice coupe here in Vancouver last week...pretty cool looking car.