I Saw a Saturn Skye Yesterday

[johnnymk]

I like the sides, the rear and the interior.

But the front looks like a combination of a Neon and a Viper which got pushed backwards during a front end collision.

It looks good in the car magazines but looks gruesome in real life.

The kid who owns it and works for a dealer said there is over a year wait to get one.

[Itsme]

GN says they are doing an evaluation on the costs and trade-offs of ramping up production to get more made this year...right now they are sold out for this year's production.

[MikeD]

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/showroom/future_vehicles/SKY_scenic2.jpg

[DarkFury]

It looks good in the car magazines but looks gruesome in real life.

Is that gruesome meaning "good" or gruesome meaning "bad". :heh:

[LegendKiller]

I saw a red/tan one last weekend and loved it. I am waiting for a turbo version, then I am in. My wife thinks it's stupid to buy a Saturn, but if the first run has decent quality I'll buy in.

[nhbilly]

i saw and sat in one at a dealer ship. nice overall but damn the interior is el plastico- cheapo lookin. for the markup I saw wouldn't buy it.

come on a motion sensing alarm for $2,000 BS!

[sizemic1]

The mark up isn't nearly as bad as the DC stealerships mark up on the SRT models. $20k over MSRP out here.

[Houdini]

It's an interesting car, and from what I've read, a pretty damn good one from Saturn. Saturn's planning on making several new models in the next year or so that will be pretty nice - moving up from their standared plasiticy boring looks.

I'd love to see the numbers on the higher powered one later this year. I'd also love to see the numbers of one that some tuner has gotten his hands on - supercharged or something. It's not as, well, miata-ish as the miata, which is a good thing, but it is RWD with good balance and some fun thrown in like the miata. The Ecotech 4 is supposedly a pretty good engine.

[johnnymk]

Really amazing..I saw a Pontiac Solstice today and the front is even uglier than the Skye. BTW, the Skye had a sticker which showed it to list at $26K. And the Highway MPG listed at 28 .

[thresher]

Anyone who needs one can come down here. They're both easy to find and no mark-up. Destination Daytona anyone? :)

[Yossarian]

from what i hear saturn is attempting to change the 'cheap' image and produce quality stuff for the about the same prices

[Memo]

The Sky and Solstice are sort of cheap but they're like the coolest cars either of these 2 companies have released in a long time.

[AlwayzMarel]

Very cute car, but what is the price for a car like this?

[kimchicowboy]

i saw one of the pontiac solstice's last week and it looked pretty dang good. the only car with a pontiac badge i'd ever consider.

[Jane83]

im impressed for a saturn, but then after a year, its still gonna have the same problems as all American cars...
just problems here and there, pop pop

[Houdini]

im impressed for a saturn, but then after a year, its still gonna have the same problems as all American cars...
just problems here and there, pop pop

Well, to an extent I'd agree. But I've known plenty of people who have bought money pit Hondas, etc., as well. At least these new Saturns are RWD, so they should be, in theory, easier to work on, repair, and/or modify.

If this one was built from the ground up, the design may actually be pretty damn good. There's nothing about "American" that makes anything prone to problems per se, but there have been zillions of American cars that develop them moreso than Japanese cars. If this Saturn (and its Solstice cousin - actually two VERY different cars in several key design areas) lives up to its claims, it may give the Miata a run for its money. Plus, if it has the traditional plastic contact spots on the body, less damage/dings is a plus.

Also, remember that many foreign cars, from Kias to Mercedes are built in the US now, and are often under shared company ownership (Ford/Mazda, etc).

[mcs328]

I just saw it today. Cherry red with some chrome accents and blinged out rims driven by an old guy who parked in a handicapped space at Lowes. Of course he wasn't handicapped but did have the handicapped plates. Nice looking car but it does look like someone combined a viper and a neon and then shrunk it.

[LegendKiller]

If anybody wants to see a nice mod for this car, look up the Mallet Solstice. Only 20k!

Imagine that thing with 400hp, or 400+ with a super, or 505 with the LS7.

Geebus...If I only had 60k to burn.

[Houdini]

If anybody wants to see a nice mod for this car, look up the Mallet Solstice. Only 20k!

Imagine that thing with 400hp, or 400+ with a super, or 505 with the LS7.

Geebus...If I only had 60k to burn.

Heh...a Chevy small block. That would be cool. But for the stock 4 ecotec, a supercharger would probably be the best bet. I dunno. Turbos lag (though some newer ones don't lag as much.)

You'd have to have some really, really sticky race tires on that bad boy to make use of those ponies though. With stock tires and that much power on tap, even carefully dropping the clutch in second gear from a standstill would probably make a lot of smoke. Sure, you'd hit the 1/4 mile in the mid 11s or so, but you'd be going sideways most of the way. :)

As a track car, with upgraded brakes, reinforced stabilizers, etc., it would really be badass. Something that small and light with massive power. Wow.

A turbo Skye should be released later this year, boosting the hp a good bit and adding $6k or so from what I've read. If I were in the market for a tiny miata-like car that's not a miata, I'd wait it out.

H <----just waiting another year or so for warranty to expire and funds to accumulate to supercharge his 4-door Bavarian civic. Probably would need some shock and brake work too, but imagine...a 4 door M3. :) As long as the damn manumatic slushbox can handle it...,

[DarkFury]

i saw one of the pontiac solstice's last week and it looked pretty dang good. the only car with a pontiac badge i'd ever consider.
The Pontiac GTO is no slouch... yeah, it's kinda "plain Jane" looking, but it has the guts where it counts.

Would be nice to mod one with some nice exterior body panels for a street killer. :D


If anybody wants to see a nice mod for this car, look up the Mallet Solstice. Only 20k!

Imagine that thing with 400hp, or 400+ with a super, or 505 with the LS7.

Geebus...If I only had 60k to burn.

Ya don't say.... :hmm:

This totally negates some of the things you said in other threads... but I'm not tryin' to restart that discussion or pick a fight with you. I'm just lettin' ya know how this can be seen as a contradictory/hypocritical statement from you.

[LegendKiller]

The Pontiac GTO is no slouch... yeah, it's kinda "plain Jane" looking, but it has the guts where it counts.

Would be nice to mod one with some nice exterior body panels for a street killer. :D



Ya don't say.... :hmm:

This totally negates some of the things you said in other threads... but I'm not tryin' to restart that discussion or pick a fight with you. I'm just lettin' ya know how this can be seen as a contradictory/hypocritical statement from you.

Do you need glasses? Where in my threads did I say that nobody can own V8? I seem to recall that I merely said to tax them, make it cost prohibitive, and reduce use through economics. Perhaps you didn't see the multiple pages, or perhaps you were blinded by the fact that you do not wish to see any other side but your own.

Furthermore, just because I admire it, doesn't mean I would get it. On top of that, even if I did, I'd happily pay the taxes associated with my misuse.

[sizemic1]

If I had 60k to spend on a car..it certainly wouldn't be to buy a modded solstice/skye

[Houdini]

Do you need glasses?.... Perhaps you didn't see the multiple pages, or perhaps you were blinded by the fact that you do not wish to see any other side but your own.


Not to defend DF, as he can take care of himself, but why the freakin' hostility and tone? DF's comment was really a friendly expression and observation.

[DarkFury]

Do you need glasses? Where in my threads did I say that nobody can own V8? I seem to recall that I merely said to tax them, make it cost prohibitive, and reduce use through economics. Perhaps you didn't see the multiple pages, or perhaps you were blinded by the fact that you do not wish to see any other side but your own.

Oh BTW.. in case YOU need glasses you said way more than just "tax" them. You cried out about our perceived wasteful usage and on behalf of our children's futures for what your OPINION (not just the facts) says is wrong.




http://forums.gotapex.com/showthread.php?t=99085
it is ppl like you, who whine about small cars, and then go buy the biggest damn tanks they can find, that are causing the problem. if people stopped being so self-centered and egotistical, then we wouldn't be where we are. let me repeat that, people like you caused this. it is YOUR fault for buying ags guzzling hogs when you didn't need to, take some personal reaponsibility.

furthermore, when profits are constrained by whiney abusers is when this country goes to crap. I am sure you would welcome 50 cent gas with open arms as you gas that behemoth, but the rest of us just might want a nice planet to give our grand kids. if you don't, send yours to the biggest smog zones and let them get asthma, while mine enjoy decent childhoods.





http://forums.gotapex.com/showthread.php?t=99085
I am not saying people should go out an buy a Prius, I am saying they should consider a I4 or v6 instead of a V8. They shlould consider a large sedan with a V6 instead of a Hemi powered monster. Many don't think relative decreases like 5 mpg matter, but they do, in many cars thats a 30% increase in efficiency.

If the entire country saved, on average, 25% and there was a 1:1 ratio to oil, then our oil consumption would go from what? 32 million barrels a day down to 24 million, that is huge.

If everybody, on average, drove a car with 30mpg, we could probably get that number under 20m barrels.

Some say that only small cars can do that. Well geez, if you stopped enticing auto makers to build tanks with craptacular gas mileage, they might just build a large sedan with good technology that will hit 30mpg. It's all about what the market wants, right now, they want to be self centered and gas hoggish.
Sure sounds like you said nobody should have a V8 right there. No mention of taxes there, but later on you do use "taxes" as your next focus of attack. :D

My glasses are just fine btw LK... you even admitted in this thread that if you had 60k to blow to do horsepower mods, you would (something a true "ecologist/conservist" would NEVER say) Hence most of your rhetoric before just became HOGWASH in front of all of us.



Furthermore, just because I admire it, doesn't mean I would get it. On top of that, even if I did, I'd happily pay the taxes associated with my misuse.

So underneath all of your justifications, deliberations, reprovals, and prognostications towards what you consider the "wasteful" use of gasoline... you still support the wasting of said resource with aftermarket mods that essentially do the same thing... yet yours might even be worse as it is done all in the name of "fun" instead of "functionality" (a point that you argued furiously... over and over again.)



http://forums.gotapex.com/showthread.php?t=99085
all I gotta ask is sfw? a guy who owns two hemis and says bigger is better complains....and...? I have no sympathy for anybody who owns a vehicle that gets less than 22mpg when they aren,t using that extra power the majority of the time

Yeah... so I guess if I actually used my vehicles for RACING, then it would be ok right? BTW... other than racing, what other use is 400 HP+ (I don't even have that...) :D If that were the case, then NOBODY would have a justification to own said vehicles right? Yet I have yet to see you lambaste anyone other than me and my HEMI. Just too funny on your part mang....

I guess you actually go along with it as long as you are having fun (which I am in my car and truck... and not really complaining either (except for those profit mongering oil refineries.) At least I'm consistent... unlike yourself. :D


You know what LK... you say some FUNNY stuff sometimes. And the longer you go, you eventually end up tripping yourself up....





http://forums.gotapex.com/showthread.php?t=74539
Speaking of Hemi, saw a Hemi 300C the other day, silver with black tinted windows and nice tires on it. Damn, that thing looked good.

LK

Ha ha ha... that about made my day. :heh: :laugh: :hihi:

[LegendKiller]

I have to justify my stupidly stupid expense and egotistical purchase by turning admiration of a vehicle into the inability of anybody to criticize it:


Wow DF, you caught me there. I said, if I had 60k to blow, I might consider getting that. As a matter of fact, I could buy that, I could buy 4 of your cars without issue (and I could probably buy 2 of these cars). However, does that mean I actually would? Admiration != purchasing. I admire lamborghinis also, but i'd never buy it. I admired the hemi you quoted, but I still think it's overly abusive and I'd never buy it. I never claimed to be a environmentalist or a ecological person, I just claimed that America's unabashed consumption tendancies are ruining the planet. Now, you can go apply that any way you want, which is obvious. I view everything as a unified decision. Is something really worth what I do? Wow, that Mallet LS7 is nice, but is it really worth it? Some people cannot be rational, nor can they be intellectually strong enough to weigh facts, advantages and disavantages, and come to a logical conclusion. I guess, since you cannot understand that I probably do this, you probably don't do it yourself.

Now, you can go ahead and justify your consumption any way you want. However, when it comes down to it, my actions speak louder than words. We own 1 car, despite making enough to own 2+ v8's, that car has an I4 and is driven ~20mi a day. Otherwise, we use public transit or car pooling.

So, go ahead, try to counter that DF, but in the end, we all know that you are nothing but a consumptive person who only can blame their own issues on other people. Want to find out why oil is so expensive? Don't blame "the man", as so many do, blame yourself.

[DarkFury]

Heh... a little creative quoting up there LK... how cute. Trying to just dismiss your hypocritical nature we see with a little bit of your OWN opinions again?

If you did purchase that modded up Skye... would that be "egotistical" and a stupid expense? If so,then why promote and admire it.. rather than denouce it like you do my car nowadays? But alas... that is the true nature of the 'crite... only their opinions count as all others are "wrong". :heh:

Sure... we know you have one car, in a city where it really doesn't pay to own a car if you have to commute to the metro area (with traffic and parking being such a hassle). I've even admitted that I wouldn't have my current "fleet" in a bigger city like that... but for me, I don't commute to work and my driving habits are well within reason for the vehicle types I've chosen to buy. And you know what... that's fine by me.

But surely you can see how your words are really contradictory/hypocritical... if you gonna point the finger at one... then point at them at all. You can't pick and choose on a battle like that and expect to be vindicated just because you currently don't own one, but have underneath aspirations to having one.

As a matter of fact, you really didn't have much to say about the HEMI until I bought one, which leads me to believe that you only hate it now because I actually own two. As a matter of fact, by the last quote I posted, you actually liked it... BEFORE I bought one. Go figure. :rolleyes:

You can HATE all you want... but don't hate the player... HATE THE GAME!!!!

Thank you, goodnight... and GOD BLESS. Have a most restful night and enjoy your day off later today (don't burn too much fuel in pleasure driving though... for the children and taxes sake. :D )

[Houdini]

Some people cannot be rational, nor can they be intellectually strong enough to weigh facts, advantages and disavantages, and come to a logical conclusion. I guess, since you cannot understand that I probably do this, you probably don't do it yourself.
...
So, go ahead, try to counter that DF, but in the end, we all know that you are nothing but a consumptive person who only can blame their own issues on other people.

LK, do you have to attack everyone who doesn't agree with you? Why all the insults? I, for one, am growing tired of them. I like the automotive forum. Reading your recent insulting posts attacking DF has become very annoying.

[clutchy]

I don't really follow cars anymore, atleast to the point where i'm drooling 2 years in advance for a release. So was pleasantly surprised when i picked up a rag and found the solstice/sky in there. I thought it was pretty cool that american companies are trying out new markets. I just wish they'd give us a sporty reliable 4 door 4 banger... one can only hope.


I was a little down on the HP figures for these vehicles though. 177 is a little low.

[Houdini]

I don't really follow cars anymore, atleast to the point where i'm drooling 2 years in advance for a release. So was pleasantly surprised when i picked up a rag and found the solstice/sky in there. I thought it was pretty cool that american companies are trying out new markets. I just wish they'd give us a sporty reliable 4 door 4 banger... one can only hope.


I was a little down on the HP figures for these vehicles though. 177 is a little low.

A 4 door 4 banger would be nice, if they kept the weight down. Otherwise you'll just have an underpowered and gas thirsty car, regardless of cylinder count. I think it's pretty neat that a lot of companies, especially for SUVs are switching to I6 instead of V6 models. They seem to be more efficient, though I'm not sure why. The Euros have been using inline models for years, and we used to build them with almost everything as stock in the laste 60's, etc. The last I checked, the GMC Envoy base had an I6 with about 270 hp. And the engine isn't even that big.

The 177 hp doesn't bother me that much, as the power/weight ratio is still pretty high on such a small roadster. Hell, my 4 door only has 184, but it's torquey as hell and gets great highway mileage, and, when driven hard, can out-accelerate most things on the road. It's all about the torque curve. My problem is that my car is a lot heavier.

Look at the HP numbers for the Lotus Elise or the Exige. They are eye-popping low, but the cars are so small you'd miss them if they didn't look so strange and were painted bright colors. I saw an Elise the other day and I don't even think my 6' slender frame could fold into one easily. But it's bare-bones and meant for track runs, so even though it looks "underpowered," it will still keep up with the massive turbo/SC'd monsters, and out handle just about anything in existence. Which is another advantage to my Bavarian Civic. Sure, it's a little underpowered with <200, but when I want to turn or stop, regardless of speed, the car simply turns or stops. Quickly and cleanly. Then again, I have the sport package, which helps a lot. That's why I'd like to mod it in a year or two to boost my HP to 250-300 and fix my only drawback (besides the damn slushbox...I really wish I had a real tranny with a real clutch, electronic or otherwise...so much power is wasted by a torque converter.

[clutchy]

A 4 door 4 banger would be nice, if they kept the weight down. Otherwise you'll just have an underpowered and gas thirsty car, regardless of cylinder count. I think it's pretty neat that a lot of companies, especially for SUVs are switching to I6 instead of V6 models. They seem to be more efficient, though I'm not sure why. The Euros have been using inline models for years, and we used to build them with almost everything as stock in the laste 60's, etc. The last I checked, the GMC Envoy base had an I6 with about 270 hp. And the engine isn't even that big.

yeah the car would definitely have to be light. Whenever i think of nice light cheap transportation civic comes to mind. US companies need one of those, the cavalier doesn't cut it. I've heard that I6's produce more torque than v6's and i've always wondered why. I also didn't know they were more efficient... Doesn't make sense to me, but then again i don't know very much about those engines.

When i went to Europe for a month after highschool, my former GF's grandparents had a bmw 320 5speed which was an absolute dream. It was still a straight 6, but it had gobs of power and torque, and i've never driven a smoother shifting transmission. I had an incredible time driving that car through france and spain, unbelievable roads unbelievable car. I really wish more companies would produce smaller displacement 6's. like a 2.0-2.4 would be great.


The 177 hp doesn't bother me that much, as the power/weight ratio is still pretty high on such a small roadster. Hell, my 4 door only has 184, but it's torquey as hell and gets great highway mileage, and, when driven hard, can out-accelerate most things on the road. It's all about the torque curve. My problem is that my car is a lot heavier.

i thought the car was a little heavier than 2860, 177 sounds completely reasonable now. the heaviness of bmw's give it that solid road feel, i like it, but yeah i sometimes wish they were lighter.


Look at the HP numbers for the Lotus Elise or the Exige. They are eye-popping low, but the cars are so small you'd miss them if they didn't look so strange and were painted bright colors. I saw an Elise the other day and I don't even think my 6' slender frame could fold into one easily. But it's bare-bones and meant for track runs, so even though it looks "underpowered," it will still keep up with the massive turbo/SC'd monsters, and out handle just about anything in existence. Which is another advantage to my Bavarian Civic. Sure, it's a little underpowered with <200, but when I want to turn or stop, regardless of speed, the car simply turns or stops. Quickly and cleanly. Then again, I have the sport package, which helps a lot. That's why I'd like to mod it in a year or two to boost my HP to 250-300 and fix my only drawback (besides the damn slushbox...I really wish I had a real tranny with a real clutch, electronic or otherwise...so much power is wasted by a torque converter.

good luck with your mods, i can honestly say you missed out, those german manual trannies are really top notch. as far as torque converters go, my pops has a 5 speed auto, and it does pretty well. I was actually really suprised at how good it actually is, but again there's no substitute for full control. germans really have the suspension aspects down they are a real pleasure to drive.

[Houdini]

good luck with your mods, i can honestly say you missed out, those german manual trannies are really top notch. as far as torque converters go, my pops has a 5 speed auto, and it does pretty well. I was actually really suprised at how good it actually is, but again there's no substitute for full control. germans really have the suspension aspects down they are a real pleasure to drive.

Yeah, so I've heard. I love manual trannys, but the only CPO I could find (I wanted to let someone else eat the depreciation - my car only had 8k miles on it when I bought it for about $9k less than a new one optioned with nearly everything like mine is) that I liked (color, options, etc) was an auto. It's very smooth, has a sport mode, and a very intuitive manumatic mode - better than what I've seen and/or driven before. But I still wish it had a 3rd pedal. Then again, I drove a new M3 about a year ago with the SMG tranny, which is really a manual (with a clutch) that is computerized with paddles or a little knob shift thingy, and it was really nice. It "felt" more like a manual because it was one. It doesn't even shift automatically like mine does when you hit redline. It just bounces off the rev limiter until you realize what just happened (the tach moved faster than your eyes) and squeeze the paddle on the right. Scary fast though...chirped the tires going into 3rd, and that was on the "easiest" clutch mode. I didn't even try the sportier or race modes. It's way to easy to get up to 140 or so without even really trying. I didn't try, and when I looked down at the speedo, it was, well, a weird experience. It also has an "automatic" mode for people who aren't comfortable hitting paddles or shifters all day, but it's a little jerky.

The new M5 has a 7 speed SMG I think. Couple that with a big 4 door sedan, 400 hp, and a magic button that gives you 100 more, and you have a really awesome and stealthy 4 door. Kinda like a Maybach, but a little smaller and cheaper. :)

Btw, I'm only halfway serious about modding my car. I really want to get some longevity out of it so even if I did mod it with a SC, I wouldn't push it all that much. But just having a little more power on tap would be nice, as long as I don't shred my gears or my torque converter. And I'd probably have to upgrade my brakes. So that's a year or two off if it even comes to fruition. I've heard of it being done, and I know there are companies that make such things specifically for my car - bolt on basically, but I'm a little wary of them.

[zero2dash]

We saw a commercial for this car last night...looks ok. Decent styling on it, but..."it's a Saturn". :shrug:

I've known 3 Saturn owners in my life, and all 3 had problems. (This consisting of a SC2, a car I once almost purchased, as well as the SL 300 or whatever the 4 door was called, and finally, a Vue.) I used to be big on Saturns and (again) almost purchase one a few times, but ultimately decided not to. I hate to say it but I don't have much faith in de-facto "American" cars anymore to take the plunge. I own a 2003 Focus right now and it's been an excellent car with no problems so far...I just hope it stays that way.

Depending upon if I go into the electricians union or not - my next car could be an import. (If I go into the union, lord only knows what I'll buy; if I don't, we'll probably get either a Toyota or a Nissan.)

[mcs328]

I went to the Saturn dealership yesterday to check it out. Looks very nice indeed for a base price around 24K. A turbocharged model they said is coming in the fall.

[InfiniteNothing]

The Miata has a much better offering. It's faster, it communicates very well with the driver, it turns better thanks to weighing 400 lbs less, the interior is better, it brakes better.

[LegendKiller]

The Miata has a much better offering. It's faster, it communicates very well with the driver, it turns better thanks to weighing 400 lbs less, the interior is better, it brakes better.

and it still looks like a boring blob.

[InfiniteNothing]

Looks are only skin deep. Poor performance goes all the way to the chassis.

[mcs328]

And sometimes looks is what they want and are willing to pay for regardless of how it performs to other models or if they ever utilized that performance. I think the sky is just one of those cars you buy for looks because it sure isn't a practical choice :)