2007 Saturn Sky Review

The early 2007 Sky is Saturn's first sports car, and General Motors wants it to be the image leader that kicks off long-neglected Saturn's revival.

The Sky is better equipped than the similar, year-old Pontiac Solstice. It's also more refined and elegant, besides being a kick to drive.

The new Saturn drew lots of stares and compliments. It has an aggressive looking body, with a wide stance and short overhangs for a sporty appearance, enhanced by large 18-inch wheels. The Sky also has flatter surfaces than the curvy, almost bare-bones Solstice body.

Both rear-drive two-seaters share General Motors' Kappa platform and four-cylinder, 177-horsepower "Ecotec'' engine. However, the Sky looks larger and more substantial than the Solstice; it's about four inches longer and a bit wider, although it has the same 95.1-inch wheelbase as the Pontiac.

The Sky is built alongside the Solstice at a Delaware plant, although the cars share no body panels, except for the windshield surround and mirrors. They also share a convertible top, which is bothersome to work.

The cloth top requires you to lower it from outside the car and needs multiple steps to put down or up. And it must be pushed down hard to get it under the rear-hinged trunk lid that encloses it. The rich-looking top fits snugly when raised, but it takes extra effort to put its stylish rear fabric "wings" into place after erecting it. The rival Mazda Miata two-seater's top can be quickly flipped open or closed with one hand without leaving the driver' seat.

The Sky feels heavy and solid, with good fit and finish, but the doors sometimes must be slammed several times to completely shut them.

Both cars have retro-style twin trunk lid fairings -- found on 1950s sports/racing cars -- behind the headrests. But the Sky body has forward-canted front fender side vents, shiny faux hood vents, multiple grille openings with pieces of chrome, a rear undertray with a backup light and chrome detailing on the taillights.

One must "fall into" the Sky's low supportive bucket seats and "climb out" of them. The low seats and high body sides might make shorter drivers feel too low in the car, but the body sides help protect occupants from wind buffeting with a lowered top.

The Sky's roomy interior is more upscale than the Solstice's, with a different dashboard and console. It also has more glitz, with various chrome accents and available two-tone seats. The top is insulated with an extra layer of acoustic material for better noise insulation. Controls are nicely laid out and easy to use.

From the driver's seat, the Sky reminded me of a Corvette because of its sharp front fender peaks. As with the 'Vette, the Sky's long front body section flips forward to allow easy access to the engine compartment. However, deeply recessed small, dark gauges are often difficult to read. And a sports car should have more instrumentation than a speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge.

Power window controls are set too far back, as are the main cupholders. There's little interior storage space. And the gas tank sits squarely in the middle of the trunk, consuming nearly all its space -- especially with the top down.

The rather bare-bones Solstice starts at $19,915 because GM product czar Bob Lutz vowed it would have a list price of less than $20,000. But the Solstice costs about the same as the Sky's $23,115 base price when equipped with the Sky's standard items.

Those items include air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, power windows, mirrors and locks and remote keyless entry.

A $750 Sky Premium package contains leather upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, stainless-steel pedal covers and metallic-finished door sill plates.

Both the Sky and Solstice have a standard AM/FM/CD sound system, but neither offers side air bags or an anti-skid system.

The Sky has an easily used short-throw five-speed manual gearbox, which calls for a downshift to third gear for the best 65-75 mph passing time. The car requires a fair amount of shifting for the best performance because, although willing, the Sky engine is not a sports car unit -- it needs more low-end punch and its exhaust even sounds flat. The short-throw clutch has a rather firm, springy feel.

A five-speed automatic transmission is an $850 option, but seems out of place in such a rakish looking car. Also, the Sky is heavy for its size at 2,892 pounds (the Miata only weighs 2,441 pounds) and thus needs the more direct power delivery of a manual gearbox for the best acceleration.

The 0-60 sprint takes 7.3 seconds with the manual and your throttle foot down hard. But the chassis can handle a lot more power, and a (more expensive) Sky is scheduled to arrive this fall with a turbocharged 260-horsepower four-cylinder engine.

The Sky is all about driving fun. Its rather heavy steering is fast and extremely accurate, and handling is superb, partly because the engine is set way back and thus helps weight distribution.

The Sky corners and changes lanes quickly with virtually no body lean. Braking is strong, and the Sky's revised suspension provides a supple ride that's more comfortable than the Solstice's. Handling also is a little better because the softer suspension allows the tires to maintain slightly better contact with the road.

So here's an affordable, zoomy looking sports car that's docile enough to drive daily. And not one person who asked about the car guessed that it came from Saturn.

2007 SATURN SKY

PRICE: $23,115

LIKES: Racy styling. Sharp handling. Nice ride. Generally fast. Well equipped.

DISLIKES: Nearly useless trunk. Toilsome manual top. Hard-to-read gauges.