Stunned, Stupefied and Thoroughly Satisfied

It seems we live life, gain experience, cry, learn, laugh and live a little more, and through the process develop beliefs and opinions about everything from Middle Eastern politics to which company makes the best styling gel, what TV programs are worth watching and which religion to dedicate our lives to, or not.

Although I try to keep an open mind when it comes to my job, there are some brands that keep missing the mark, Saturn used to be one of those. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

I, like the next person, have some pretty entrenched opinions about a variety of subjects, and due to my profession have developed what I believe to be warranted biases toward new vehicles, their nameplates and the automakers that build them. I try to keep an open mind, believing that like every person can make positive changes to a healthier lifestyle, carmakers can adapt and modify their respective models and brands to improve and become more competitive. But for some reason there are manufacturers that keep missing the mark and resultantly get poor reviews from yours truly. Saturn was one such brand.

Everything I believed to be true about Saturn was in jeopardy after driving the new Red Line tuned ION Quad Coupe. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Was? I have to admit to having my belief system shaken to its roots recently, during my first drive of the new Red Line tuned ION Quad Coupe. Red Line, if you haven't already heard, is the M, AMG, SVT or Type R of Saturn, the internal organization, which goes by the name of GM Performance Division, responsible for spicing up a brand that might be associated a little too much with middle of the road conservatism. The idea is hardly new, with most major nameplates having either created a stand alone skunkworks tuning team, or at the very least made up a racy logo and affixed it to the trunklid, side panels and floor mats of one or more performance enhanced vehicles.