The Getrag’s tall and evenly spaced gearing is intended to keep the engine in its sweet spot throughout the gears, but combined with the ION’s 2,950-pound curb weight, curtails quarter-speed times. Indeed, we found power delivery via the electronically controlled throttle to be immediate.Ī five-speed, short-throw Getrag gearbox ties the power plant to a pair of equal-length half shafts. General Motors prefers supercharging to turbocharger because it eliminates turbo-lag, delivering power more smoothly across a broader torque band. Cooling shouldn’t be a problem, as the Red Line gets an enlarged radiator core and bigger cooling fans. With its truncated stroke and reinforced crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons, the engine is potentially capable of greater rpm and more power. Fitted with a Roots-type supercharger, Laminova air-to-water intercooler and high-flow air intake and exhaust systems, it pumps out 205 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque at 4,400 rpm. You can tell an ION Red Line by its distinctive front fascia, body sill extensions and 17-inch low-profile tires, but the heart of the package is a beefed-up and de-stroked (from 2.2 liters) 2.0-liter Ecotec engine. No late nights on cold, concrete floors installing balky custom exhaust systems, no wrestling with ill-fitting aftermarket body add-ons and, perhaps most important, no warranty hassles. The tuner category has been dominated by the Asians and was mythologized in the 2001 movie “The Fast and the Furious.” Unlike the over-the-top, owner-modified cars lionized by the film, though, the ION Red Line is a “factory tuner,” a car ready to romp right off the showroom floor. We drove an ‘05 Saturn ION Red Line ‘06 editions are essentially unchanged.īased on the innovative ION “quad coupe,” the ION Red Line competes in the same tuner space as Dodge’s Neon SRT-4, the Civic Si, the late lamented Ford SVT Focus and Chevy’s Cobalt SS, itself a mechanical cousin to the Red Line. The up-level “Red Line” editions of the ION coupe and VUE SUV featured supercharged power plants, sport-tuned suspensions and a bagful of cosmetic upgrades. Maybe swapping out the crunchy options for a couple more acoustic models would have made it even more useful, but this remains an appealing six-string multi-tool and a genuine problem-solver for many gigging players.Saturn builds solid cars, sells them in a customer-friendly environment and services the heck out of them.Īmend that: Saturn didn’t build exciting cars.Īnxious to grab a chunk of the youthful tuner market, Saturn introduced two new performance models for the ‘04 model year. “The launch of the Acoustasonic Player Telecaster feels like a no-brainer move for Fender, spreading the potential appeal of what is virtually a whole new category of guitar. The feel of the bevelled arm rest and fingerboard edges says quality and comfort this is an inviting guitar and that Modern Deep-C neck will feel familiar to anyone who has played the electric Player series models.” A lovely dark rosewood fingerboard and bridge replaces the US version’s ebony, but that’s not anissue for us. “In terms of feel and build, we honestly can’t find a compromise between this Ensenada-made Player and the US Acoustasonics we’ve tried. MusicRadar: The onboard voice options might have been scaled down but the Acoustasonic Telecaster sticks the landing as a Player Series model, in what could be one of the guitars to make the hybrid build truly go mainstream.įender Player Series Acoustasonic Telecaster: The web says That, in sum, is the sort of thing the Acoustasonic format encourages. That said, it can be pressed into service of many different kinds of styles, perhaps some that are all your own. It is warmer, with a little more width than you’d expect from a Tele’s bridge pickup. Fender promises twang but this isn’t Pete Anderson levels of twang. Park yourself on position one for a more traditional electric guitar experience, but don’t necessarily expect a traditional Telecaster experience. In a sense, this is a sound that almost exists outside of the spectrum of acoustic/electric tones, and is sure to support pedalboard experimentation. The sound is just coming from the piezo and as you turn the blend control it adds drive. Here is where the true hybrid tones are, and as such, there are fewer references for what we are hearing.
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