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When the weather is nice there’s no better place to be than the Pacific Northwest. That perfect sunny, but mild weather is exactly the kind of conditions the Saturn Sky roadster was built for. We haven’t had a lot of that weather lately, but it’s only a matter of time before it returns, which is great for Sky owners and owners of similar roadsters such as Sky’s sibling, the Pontiac Solstice and its chief competitor, the Mazda MX 5 Miata.
Hopefully people who buy a Saturn Sky own more than one car, because it’s not a great rainy season car. Driving beside an eighteen-wheeler in the low-slung roadster is like being stuck in a cloud of muddy rain.
Although the Solstice and Miata are the Sky’s most obvious competitors, Saturn also considers the similar sized Honda S2000 a key competitor. Putting the base Sky and its 2.4L 177 horsepower four-cylinder engine up against the pocket rocket S2000 and its 237 horsepower 2.3L I-4 seems terribly optimistic.
However, things have changed significantly for 2007 with the introduction of the new Saturn Sky Red Line model. The 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec I-4 engine produces a whopping 260 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. That makes it the highest horsepower per cubic production engine General Motors has ever offered. The ratio comes out to 2.1 hp per cubic inch of displacement (122 cubic inches). Those numbers should make Honda S2000 owners nervous.
That potent punch per pound factor should deliver zero-to-sixty times in the mid-five second range with quarter mile elapsed times near fourteen seconds flat. There are quicker cars on the market, but those times are still rapid and they seem even quicker in such a nimble little roadster.
Many people have labeled the Sky as a mini Corvette. Although it doesn’t have the brute power of a Corvette nor the macho exhaust note, the Sky is what the Corvette once was — a beautifully styled, high performance, affordable, two-place roadster. Now that Corvette prices are creeping up where expensive German roadsters used to roam, the Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice are GM’s entry-level sports cars.
Stylistically the Sky does remind us of a mini Corvette. It’s a very handsome car. Saturn says that the Sky is indicative of the brand’s new look. That’s good news for the entire Saturn lineup.
Interior and luggage space are limited in the Sky, but that’s to be expected in such a compact sports car. People don’t buy cars like this for home remodeling projects. A benefit of its compact size is how well the car handles country roads.
We were fortunate to drive a Sky roadster this summer on the winding mountain roads around Winthrop, Washington. It was ideal roadster weather and roads were perfect for putting the nimble Sky through its paces. We know many roads on the Olympic Peninsula that would be just as fun, such as those behind Lake Crescent.
The 2007 Saturn Sky is a niche vehicle. If you’re lucky enough to fit that niche the Sky could be a great fit.
Whines: A six-speed transmission would be a great addition to the new 260 hp Red Line Sky. The cockpit is a little snug for tall drivers. Luggage space is sparse is with the top up and worse with the top down. Interior storage space is also very limited. Pack wisely and light for a weekend trip.
Bottom Line: There are limitations to the Saturn Sky, many of them space related, but when the sun is out, the top is down, and the revs are up those peccadilloes disappear as quickly as the traffic behind you. The Saturn Sky is a great blue sky car. | 
