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Saturn doesn’t come up too often in discussions of performance cars, but the 205-horsepower Ion Red Line should make sport-compact drivers take notice.

Introduced in 2004, the Red Line version of Saturn’s bread-and-butter compact made plenty of good impressions, especially with a price tag hovering just over $20,000. For that, you get a sporty car with decent styling, a nice interior with racy Recaro seats and plenty of power.

Red Line’s supercharged Ecotec four-cylinder is a smooth-running engine that’s shared with the similar Chevrolet Cobalt SS, another bargain leader in the compact class.

With a five-speed stick shift and tight suspension, Ion Red Line is an enjoyably sassy package aimed at entertaining young drivers.

Though essentially a coupe, Ion includes Saturn’s signature clamshell rear doors, which open rearward to improve access to the rear seat. Saturn calls it a “quad coupe.”

Red Line is Saturn’s quirky designation for its performance division, which includes a sports version of its Vue compact sport utility vehicle. Ion Red Line hasn’t received as much as attention as, say, Subaru Impreza WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, but its moderate price and good execution should boost its fortunes.

Ion received some favorable upgrades for 2006, including a more-refined interior and better-looking 17-inch alloy wheels on the Red Line. There’s also a new optional engine for the standard Ion quad coupes and sedans, a 2.4-liter four with variable valve timing that generates 170 horsepower. The standard 2.2-liter engine produces 140 horsepower, not bad for an economy compact.

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THE LOWDOWN

PERFORMANCE: Red Line has strong pickup right from the get-go, revving nicely and pulling the compact to 60 in just over six seconds. Acceleration is accompanied by a mellow drone from the tailpipe.

The downside to the engine muscle is annoying torque steer that yanks the steering wheel. That needs to be tamed.

DRIVABILITY: Aside from the torque steer, ride and handling are good, especially at this price range. The suspension is fairly stiff, sometimes getting harsh on rough pavement, but no sport-compact aficionado should mind that.

The four-wheel disc brakes are strong, and the steering is quick and direct.

STYLING: The sleek body seems generic despite stylists’ efforts to add some flare. Still, the design has enough aggressive edge for a sporty attitude.

The clamshell doors are very useful, but they create a thick and clumsy look to the roofline.

INTERIOR: About those Recaro seats: Only the small and skinny will find comfort here. The seats are too narrow, and the hard side bolsters that add support in cornering maneuvers are nasty for those of us who wear extra-large T-shirts.

The dashboard is just too weird, especially for a sporty car. The center-mounted gauges are difficult to see without taking your eyes way off the road, especially the tachometer that’s set far right.

The “competition package” added to the test car includes a supercharger boost gauge and engine-rev warning lights on the steering column, which strikes me as pure pretension. It would be better for actual drivers if the relatively unimportant boost gauge was over to the far right and the tach moved to the steering column.

BOTTOM LINE: A sharp little performance car that’s inexpensive enough for its young target market.

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RELATED

Vehicle type: Four-passenger, “quad coupe,” front-wheel drive.

Engine: 2-liter supercharged inline four, 205 horsepower at 5,600 rpm, 200 pound-feet of torque at 4,400 rpm.

Transmission: 5-speed manual.

Wheelbase: 103.5 inches.

Overall length: 185 inches.

Curb weight: 2,945 pounds.

EPA rating: 23 city, 29 highway.

Highs: Engine power, moderate price, clamshell rear doors.

Lows: Torque steer, weird gauge setup, painfully narrow seats.

Pricing

Base price: $20,885.

Price as tested: $23,705.

OPTIONS

* Competition package, including limited-slip differential, supercharger boost gauge, “ladder” tachometer, projector-beam fog lamps, $1,470.

* Aero wing rear spoiler, $380.

* XM satellite radio, $325.

* Floor mats, $80.

* Shipping, $565.

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For more on the Saturn Ion Red Line, go to autos.azcentral.com.