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2004 Saturn ION Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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The 2004 Saturn Ion added some excitement to the lineup with two new variations: the Special Edition sedan and the Red Line coupe. The Special Edition sedan has a black exterior with a refurbished leather interior and special standard features including a compass and outside temperature gauge. The Red Line coupe maintains the same 4 door design as the original quad coupe. However, the new trim's modestly altered appearance belie the 205 horses running under its hood. Besides the Red Line, the Ion has kept its original 5 trims: Sedan 1, Sedan 2, Sedan 3, Coupe 2, and Coupe 3. All 5 still use a 2.2 L, 140 hp I4 engine with standard 5 speed manual transmission. The sedans seat 5 and have optional 5 speed automatic while the non-Red Line coupes seat 4 and offer optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel consumption generally ranges from 24 mpg in the city to 32 mpg on the highway. Cargo space for all trims averages out to around 14.5 cubic feet, with sedans coming in at 14.7 and coupes giving you 14.2. The main differences in the original Ion from 2003 to 2004 come in steering, handling, and road noise. Drivers appreciate the electric variable-ratio steering, a technology that helps the car make tighter turns. New materials have deadened sound and vibration to a level equal to other compact models. Despite the improvements, consumers would like more durability, less road noise, and a more stylish interior in the Ion. The 2004 Saturn Ion gives consumers solid performance for their dollar but may disappoint anyone looking for anything more.
Published Aug 8, 2022 by CarGurus Editorial Team
User reviews for 2004 Saturn ION
Write a reviewUser rating:
by Anonymous
Apr 26, 2022
No...not good at all. Other vehicles were not in good shape either. Apr 26, 2022
by Rafael M
Feb 04, 2021
I took it for a test drive and it drove well. I am purchasing it.Feb 04, 2021
by Anonymous
Jun 24, 2013
I was super sad to see this car sell... I loved driving this car! It got great gas mileage! Had room in the trunk to put groceries, It was fun to drive, I only wish they still made Saturn Ion's.Jun 24, 2013
User rating:
by Anonymous
Apr 26, 2022
No...not good at all. Other vehicles were not in good shape either. Apr 26, 2022
by Rafael M
Feb 04, 2021
I took it for a test drive and it drove well. I am purchasing it.Feb 04, 2021
by Anonymous
Jun 24, 2013
I was super sad to see this car sell... I loved driving this car! It got great gas mileage! Had room in the trunk to put groceries, It was fun to drive, I only wish they still made Saturn Ion's.Jun 24, 2013
by Anonymous
Jan 23, 2013
This car was so easy to drive and great on gas for if you have to travel long distances. Its also a good first car for a teenager its stylish and is a great price. It has a extremely spacous back seat.Jan 23, 2013
by Jessie H
Sep 24, 2012
building the car into a show car. it has a reverse opening hood, a grand am spoiler.
in the process of painting it oxford blue. will soon have a 240w mp3 deck in it with 2
500w amps and 2 12" subs molded into the rear doors. currently working on a
custom fiberglass center console that will house 4 6.5" speakers. Performance
mods that are planned are: underdrive pulleys, lsd, cobalt ss lowering springs,
short throw shifter, rear disc brake conversion, slotted rotors, cold air intake.Sep 24, 2012
by Anonymous
Feb 10, 2012
This is the 4th saturn i have owned....i really like the saturn but this one is plan jane to my other ones there is no keyless entry remote starter or cruise control.....other those down falls this car is really good an i like it....makes for a good family car Feb 10, 2012
by John W
Apr 25, 2011
Pretty good on gas milage for being a bigger sized car. its only a 4
cylinder and braking is pretty good. I barely have to put any money into it
except for gas since i drive a lot but it gets around 25 mpg. overall its a
fun car to drive i am the cars second owner i bought it from a family that
bought it new. it currently has around 128,500 miles on it.Apr 25, 2011
by Michael P
Dec 23, 2010
the performance of this car is fairly high in terms of acceleration and braking, although for handling, my tires could be better
the build quality is what one would expect from north america, not to good...
it looks damn good
it is cheap to buy and the gas mileage could be worse
but it is a blast to driveDec 23, 2010
by Adam B
Sep 25, 2010
Performance: acceleration, braking, and handling are all well behind the
competition.
Build Quality: plastic car...beware.
Appearance: looks ok inside and out. Nothing to brag about.
Cost of Ownership: gets great gas mileage and is cheap to buy parts for.
Fun Factor: fun at first but that wears off pretty quick.Sep 25, 2010
by Dave G
Nov 27, 2009
personally i think that my saturn ion is a peice of crap it handles like a boat it has absolutley no power for acceleration i guess it brakes good. the front shockes are junk. it looks like a kids toy just in larger form. it is boring to drive. The only good things i can say about it is its good on gas and gets me from a to b. sorry to those jobless people out there but if all you can afford to pay for the gas in a car you shouldent be driving it at allNov 27, 2009
by Malissa L
Nov 18, 2009
Sound system is fantastic. Good acceleration but can be jumpy at times. I love the color of my car. I got the car for a great price which was within my buget. I love driving this car. I dont know what i would do without itNov 18, 2009
by Geoffrey T
Oct 25, 2009
it was an awkward car, but enjoyable to drive. typical GM vehicle, but it traveled well. also highly capable of towing around 5 stoner skateboarders around the state of CA looking for skateparks. the clutch was weak and the original tires wore out really quickly.Oct 25, 2009
by Drew P
Oct 18, 2009
well i was first looking for a new car a two door coupe with a 5
speed and sun roof. found the saturn test drove it and loved
it. i kept it only for 10 months cause i needed to get my truck.Oct 18, 2009
by Robert S
Aug 25, 2009
The car is a good car and i would recommend it to people.
I like that is has a 6 disc cd changer.
That there is not that much leg room in the back seat.
The car cost is not that high and it gets good gas mileage.
Aug 25, 2009
by Craig B
Jul 09, 2009
150 horse power, short ram intake, blue neons under dashboard, racing pedals, sounds system pending, under glow going on soon, a lot of painted interior ( radio bezel, rear seat divider, air vents, and many more), Nokie arctic white headlight and fogsJul 09, 2009
by Martin v
Jul 07, 2009
Overall I love its performance and handling. It has good build quality inside and out. People are surprised to find out it is a Saturn as some think it is a much more luxurious car. My dog is a little tight in the back but he likes sticking his head out of the window anyway.Jul 07, 2009
by Matthew S
Feb 05, 2009
Well, you get what you pay for. In the fall of 2003, my options were a 4-yr-old Civic, or a brand-spankin' new Ion. The promise of a warranty brought me to the Saturn dealer. Well, that and a rediculously high trade-in on my barely-running Subaru. What I hate most about this car is that while it really does nothing terribly, it also doesn't do anything else more than just ok. Being a pre-Lutz era GM product, it "Runs Bad Forever". It's like an old cat that you just want to die so that you can get a new kitten that won't piss on your clean towels, that just keeps pissing on the towels, and NOT dying... Every morning I wake up hoping that it's been stolen and set on fire... It will get you from point A to point B, but don't expect much more. Feb 05, 2009
by Kayla S
Oct 02, 2008
I love my car its great havnt had any problems with it so far. (knock Knock) great on gas. Great breaking pretty good acceleration, really good at speeding, i havnt had to repair anything yet, good in all weather, the payment are a little pricy but its worth it. I would drive my car all day long if i could. Oct 02, 2008
by Jean-François R
Sep 17, 2008
J'ai acheté l'auto usagé en avril 2008! Elle avait au
départ 54 845 kilo! Et j'était 2ième proprio et je
peux dire que je suis très satisfait dans l'ensemble
du véhicule! Il s'agit de ma première auto donc je
me dit très satisfait de l'achat! Côté performance je
peux dire que pour un 4 cylindres 2.2L je
m'attendais à mieux mais quand même je ne
chialerais pas! Donc j'adore conduire cette auto! Et
côté de la consommation du gaz, je suis
extrêmement satisfait! Quand même pour la
grosseur de l'auto elle consomme pas vraiment!
Sinon de l'apparence, le dessus de moteur avec le
petit creux et les lignes sur les côtés font donner
beaucoup de style quand même! À date je n'ai
jamais eu besoin de lui faire de réparation!
Simplement que je trouve dommage que l'intérieur
sois comme il l'est! Je le trouve très adéquois mais
disont qu'il aurait pu se forcer plus! Sinon pour le
reste je dis que c'est une superbe voiture! Très
satisfait dans l'ensemble! Simplement dommage
que je n'ai eu que très peu d'option dessus! Mais j'ai
déja ajouté beaucoup d'argent dessus et disont
qu'il est déjà plus fun pour moi de le conduire avec
son nouveau système de son! Sinon je souhaite
apporter quelques amélioration du moteur
prochainement! Bref je l'adore mon bébé!!!!Sep 17, 2008
by Andrew T
Sep 11, 2008
Acceleration isn't bad for 4 cyl. quality for the ion level 3 is not great, but not poor either, the car holds together, but the tint is peeling away. Steering wheel squeaks, Overall ok car gas mileage is pretty good Ive gotten 33 average between city and highway if you drive it carefullySep 11, 2008
by Dillon C
Jul 24, 2008
the acceleration is very good in my opinion, better than the old saturn we used to have. the brakes are smooth, and they don't jerk at all, and they are quick when pressed. handling is quite easy, steering is very good. not to hard or rough. build quality is ok. it needs some repairs like the rear window doesnt roll down. the battery did die once over the first year, but thats because it was used and it is 4 years old now, so it probably needs a new battery. appearance is what drew me to it. the electrick blue color, the unique shiny wheels, the leather upholstery. 6-disc CD changer (thank god). interior is much more modern than older saturns. love that the speedometer is the middle of the dash. gas mileage is good. only get gas maybe 2-3 times a week. it does need attention in the maintenance. it is very speedy and very smooth, and an all around fun car to drive.Jul 24, 2008
by Joseph M
Jun 23, 2008
It's peppy on the highway, but has major flaws in interior build quality, comfort, handling, and general part selection. It has reliability issues with the transmission, and no way to refill it without going to see either the dealer, or an ACDELCO specialist, because your standard Pep Boys won't know how to touch that thing. It has excessive amounts of body roll, and issues with aerodynamics. A slight gust on the highway will want to propel it into the other lane, and also limits its top speed to 100mph. Seats are exceedingly uncomfortable on long trips. Even an hour and a half drive to my ex-gf's house made me want to pull over and rest my butt. And the styling on the sedan? Positively super-gleeful looking. Not aggressive whatsoever. And don't even get me started on blind-spots.
On the plus sides: It has pretty good stock speakers. And the instrument "pod" in the middle is a pain at first, but now I'm so accustomed to it that it bugs me not to drive with the instruments situated there. And, like I said. Peppy acceleration. It won't win any drags or anything, but it will get you from point-A to point-B relatively effortlessly.Jun 23, 2008
by Heather J
Jun 17, 2008
No cupholders! I had to buy them separate! And, the seats stain REALLY easily. Jun 17, 2008
by William W
Jun 15, 2008
The first car the I bought personally, and loved every minute off it. I would have held on to it longer if i hadn't gotten such a good offer on it.
There is a bit of lack in performance upgrades so you have to get a little experimental or just go all custom from the shop.Jun 15, 2008
by Angie W
Jun 11, 2008
Very reliable car. Jun 11, 2008
by Daryl M
May 15, 2008
The interior is comfortable enough, maybe a little snug, especially in the back seat. The 2.2 four cylinder has good acceleration, but doesn't get the same mileage as the 2.0 did. It handles very well for a sedan and is a decent looking car. For a Saturn sedan, the Ion 3SE is a nice little ride.May 15, 2008
by Anonymous
May 01, 2008
Since this is day one of my saturn ownership Im not able to review it yet however for years i have heard that it is a great carMay 01, 2008
by Anonymous
Mar 13, 2008
This was my first car. I'd be lying if I said I missed it. It was about as base as one could get a
new car these days; manual windows and locks. I DID have A/C and a CD player though! Build
quality was poor. This car was cheap to buy and certainly felt like it. It eventually met it's
demise.Mar 13, 2008
by Cheryl H
Jan 27, 2008
Its a 4 cylinder, 2.2, fully loaded, never had problemsJan 27, 2008
by Nick S
Dec 31, 2007
Incredible car that looks like a two door, but has two rear doors that open suicide style.Dec 31, 2007
by Anonymous
Dec 25, 2007
The Saturn ION is backed by General Motors and has a very good build quality. he body is carbon composite which means no dings. The interrior is very roomy and has a medium-sized trunk for a car.Dec 25, 2007
by Kendra F
Dec 14, 2007
The only thing that I've changed in my car was the air in-take and it gave me more power and great gas mileage. It's been a fabulous little car. I also love the suicide back doors and that there is no center post. It makes it easy to get into the back seat.Dec 14, 2007
What users have asked
2004 ion the front passenger side ?
rim gets hot and shakes bad after about 35 to 40 miles driving. changed the axel checked brakes. what eles could it be
7 views
help pls my 2004 ion loses power everytime I try to start it
So I just bought a 2004 ion 3 and when I turn the key on everything turns on all the services and warning lights come on the dash. But then. When. I turn the key to start it. And only while I hold the key what should be the. Starting. Position all my power goes away but the moment I click the key back even just the one click my power and all the lights are back on can anyone someone pls pls pls pls help me I have to work in the am and this is my only way to work
38 views
where is the transmission fluid and what color is the dipstick
Where is the transmission fluid at in his car and what color is the dipstick
282 views
MY steering column is locked on my 2004 Saturn Ion the key will not turn on. What do I do?
Light with a car and lock shows up on the dash
1279 views
Top Comparisons
Have you driven a 2004 Saturn ION?Compare this car
2004 Saturn ION Pricing
Original MSRP
$10,995 to $16,800Price range
N/AAverage price on CG
N/AYoY price change
N/ATrims & specs
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Front and rear head airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Rear Seats
Type: split-bench
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: steel
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Front and rear head airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Cupholders: rear · Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable · Steering wheel mounted controls: multi-function screen controls
Headrests
Front headrests: adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power · Inside rearview mirror: electrochromic
Rear Seats
Type: split-bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Front and rear head airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: keyless entry · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power · Inside rearview mirror: electrochromic
Rear Seats
Type: split-bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheels: alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Front and rear head airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps · Headlights: Auto on/off
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power · Inside rearview mirror: electrochromic
Rear Seats
Type: split-bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: cloth
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent
Airbags
Dual front airbags · Front and rear head airbags
Audio System
Single disc in-Dash CD · MP3 player: CD MP3 Playback · AM/FM radio
Brakes
ABS: 4-wheel
Convenience Features
Multi-function remote: trunk release · Steering wheel: tilt-adjustable
Lights
Exterior entry lights: security approach lamps · Headlights: Auto on/off
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors: power · Inside rearview mirror: electrochromic
Rear Seats
Type: split-bench
Roof
Sunroof: power glass
Seats
Front seat type: bucket · Upholstery: leather
Tires
Type: all season
Tires and Rims
Wheel type: aluminum alloy
Windows
Front wipers: intermittent