What is it?
Saturn Sky
What's special about it?
Saturn means sensible, right? Sedans, wagons, the occasional small coupe or SUV, and that's it. Now the sensible car company would like to stir up a little excitement inside your sensible brain — without giving up much of the functionality. And so Saturn gives us a roadster that seats two or four, depending on your whims and needs.
The Sky looks a bit like Audi's TT roadster, but it still bears the Saturn family resemblance and therefore fits neatly into a middle-class neighborhood. From a distance, it might be a droptop for two, but lift its tonneau cover, and two child-size rear seats are at the ready — just in case the babysitter cancels on you at the last minute. In keeping with the S-Series coupe design, the driver side of the roadster has a rear access door to simplify the loading and unloading of passengers. And unlike other less practical roadsters, the Sky offers ample trunk space for the spoils of shopping trips.
A low-boost supercharger enhances the potential of GM's fuel-efficient Ecotec 2.2-liter inline four, allowing it to generate 180 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. The Sky employs a simple independent MacPherson strut suspension front and rear; also included are front and rear disc brakes and 18-inch wheels and tires.
Inside the Sky, you'll find a center-mounted gauge cluster, so as to keep the driver's eyes closer the horizon and allow the use of a smaller, sportier steering wheel. The gear shifter can actually be folded into the center console when the roadster is parked, thus providing unobstructed access to the rear seats.
Why should you care?
You might think that a car like this is a bit too whimsical to ever see the light of day at a Saturn dealership. However, Saturn maintains that the Sky is a response to consumers' requests. Further, with the use of GM's versatile Ecotec engine and the simple suspension components (as in the Pontiac Solstice roadster concept introduced at the 2002 NAIAS show), it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to produce a roadster like the Sky. So yes, you may one day see a production Saturn droptop at your local dealer. — Erin Riches
Saturn Sky
What's special about it?
Saturn means sensible, right? Sedans, wagons, the occasional small coupe or SUV, and that's it. Now the sensible car company would like to stir up a little excitement inside your sensible brain — without giving up much of the functionality. And so Saturn gives us a roadster that seats two or four, depending on your whims and needs.
The Sky looks a bit like Audi's TT roadster, but it still bears the Saturn family resemblance and therefore fits neatly into a middle-class neighborhood. From a distance, it might be a droptop for two, but lift its tonneau cover, and two child-size rear seats are at the ready — just in case the babysitter cancels on you at the last minute. In keeping with the S-Series coupe design, the driver side of the roadster has a rear access door to simplify the loading and unloading of passengers. And unlike other less practical roadsters, the Sky offers ample trunk space for the spoils of shopping trips.
A low-boost supercharger enhances the potential of GM's fuel-efficient Ecotec 2.2-liter inline four, allowing it to generate 180 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission is standard. The Sky employs a simple independent MacPherson strut suspension front and rear; also included are front and rear disc brakes and 18-inch wheels and tires.
Inside the Sky, you'll find a center-mounted gauge cluster, so as to keep the driver's eyes closer the horizon and allow the use of a smaller, sportier steering wheel. The gear shifter can actually be folded into the center console when the roadster is parked, thus providing unobstructed access to the rear seats.
Why should you care?
You might think that a car like this is a bit too whimsical to ever see the light of day at a Saturn dealership. However, Saturn maintains that the Sky is a response to consumers' requests. Further, with the use of GM's versatile Ecotec engine and the simple suspension components (as in the Pontiac Solstice roadster concept introduced at the 2002 NAIAS show), it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive to produce a roadster like the Sky. So yes, you may one day see a production Saturn droptop at your local dealer. — Erin Riches
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