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Critics who insist General Motors’ design staff has been in a decades long slumber and that GM doesn’t build any cars consumers want should pause for a prolonged moment of apologetic silence.

This scribe admits to having been a card-carrying member of the Rip Van Winkle Runs the Styling-Studios Society. We stopped paying dues when GM rolled out the Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky and Chevy Camaro concept. The 2006 Solstice roadster was the first clue that GM had some styling verve. The 2007 Sky roadster leaves no doubt.

It’s one thing for people to stop and stare when they see a Solstice parked in the lot. But with Sky folks stopped shopping, walked out of stores and headed to the lot for a good look.

Sky is derived from the same small, rear-wheel-drive platform as Solstice but looks like a cross between a Chevy Corvette and a Cadillac XLR–in miniature.

Sky is high fashion, sorely needed at a GM division that specialized in bland from the day it started selling cars in 1991.

Long hood, short deck, the traditional profile of a sports car. Jewel-like headlamps, wide honeycomb grille, thinly chiseled side scoops in the doors and front quarter panels, large 18-inch radials that fill the wheelwells.

In back, “aero fairings,” or what look like headrests behind the seats that run along the deck lid are a nice styling touch borrowed from Formula 1 racers.

And the clamshell hood opens forward while the clamshell trunk lid opens rearward.

Sky is about the size of a Mazda Miata. It boasts a wide stance and wheels moved out to the corners for a solid, stable look as well as good road manners.

What’s important is that while Sky shares a platform with Solstice, they don’t look like clones.

The only exterior features Sky shares with Solstice are the windshield and soft convertible top. Body panels are all unique.

Yet while the attraction with Sky, like Solstice, is the stunning looks, the shortcoming is that, like Solstice, performance falls short of expectations.

Like Solstice, the 2.4-liter, 177-horsepower 4-cylinder isn’t a fire-breathing, tire-burner. Decent acceleration and decent power to pull out to pass, but the 4 cylinder is a little sedate for those who expect a roadster to act as spunky as it looks.

The mileage rating tells the story–20 m.p.g. city/28 highway–along with the fact the 2.4-liter was borrowed from the compact Chevy Cobalt.

Like Solstice, Sky also gets 2-liter, 260-h.p. 4 this fall. The performance Sky will be called the Red Line, the Solstice the GXP.

Because Sky is more the upscale, premium, luxury roadster and Pontiac the excitement division, the 177-h.p. 4 is more acceptable in the Saturn. But can’t wait for the Red Line, which will be capable of zero to 60 m.p.h. in 5.5 seconds with its turbo 4 versus 7.2 seconds now.

And sheet metal isn’t the only difference. So are the cars’ characters, thanks to a fair amount of tweaking by the engineers.

Solstice exhaust was tuned with a performance growl, Sky is far more hushed.

Engineers tweaked the Sky suspension as well as the wide-profile, 18-inch all-season radial tires to focus on smooth ride and acceptable handling.

Solstice is more stiffly sprung so you feel more road harshness filtering back into the steering wheel and seat.

Both are designed for having fun moving into and out of the twists and turns along country roads without any rear-end jitters, but Solstice is more nimble.

Sky is softer sprung and engineered to cruise the highways at leisure without getting bounced and bruised.

The Red Line and GXP will have far more power and a suspension/tire package aimed at far more precise handling at speed. But, of course, that means both will start at $3,000 to $5,000 more.

We tested the 2007 Sky with the standard 5-speed manual, which was silky smooth through every forward gear, but needed a little coaxing to slip into reverse, an occasional quirk of a prototype.

The primary appeal is open-top motoring. When the soft top is up, there are no squeaks, rattles or buffeting from the wind. The top has even more insulation than on the Solstice in keeping with its more upscale image.

The top is manually operated. Flip the lever along the windshield header and, because it’s too heavy to simply lift and flip, get out and load the top into the stowage hold under the trunk lid.

But with the top stowed, there’s not much room for more than a suit carrier and perhaps dop kit and pair of shoes since the fuel tank stands high in its location smack in the middle of the tiny trunk.

Need luggage for vacation? Send it by UPS.

There’s no room for a spare tire, so an air compressor and can of spray sealant are squeezed into the trunk in case of a flat.

Cabin stowage space is limited to a couple net pockets behind the seats, a small compartment in the wall between the seats, and a tiny glove box.

Two cupholders pop out of the rear wall, where they are difficult to see, much less reach. A single cupholder slides out of the center console–on the passenger side.

There’s decent leg, arm and even head room with the top up. And the seats are wide and supportive and hold two in comfort without fatigue after long distance travel. But this is a small, two seater so your thighs will often come in contact with the door trim.

A couple of annoyances. One is that the fuel gauge is deeply recessed in the instrument panel, making it nearly impossible to see. You have to rely on a warning light to flash when the tank nears empty.

Another is that the outside mirrors are very small. Seeing anything coming up from the side is tough.

In keeping with its more refined image, Sky has a higher base price than Solstice, though it also offers more standard equipment.

Sky starts at $23,115, Solstice at $20,490.

But Sky comes with air conditioning, power windows/mirrors/door locks, keyless entry and projector beam headlamps and fog lamps as standard. Most of those items are options (projector lamps and fog lamps are not available) in Solstice.

Also standard are four wheel anti-lock brakes, AM/FM radio with CD player and six speakers and rear-window defogger. A 4-speed automatic is an $850 option in Sky and Solstice. Power seats aren’t offered.

Bruce Kosbab, chief engineer for Sky, said the target buyer is 35 to 55 years old, mostly male (60 percent versus 75 percent for Solstice).

Sky output will be about half that of Solstice, or about 10,000 annually. Regardless of the numbers to be built, Sky and Solstice (Business, May 26) are sold out, Sky through the 2006 calendar year, Solstice through the 2006 model year. Want one? Put your name on the waiting list.

Sky got the styling right, but has some flaws that periodic upgrades should help solve. It’s not the best car GM ever built, but probably the best one Saturn ever did.

2007 Saturn Sky

Price as tested: $25,575*

Wheelbase: 95.1 inches

Length: 161.1 inches

Engine: 2.4-liter, 177-h.p. 4

Transmission: 5-speed manual

CITY 20 m.p.g.

HWY 28 m.p.g.

THE STICKER
$23,115 Base price
$795 18-inch, chrome-plated, aluminum wheels
$750 Premium trim package with leather seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, steering-wheel audio controls and stainless steel pedal covers
$590 AM/FM radio with CD/MP3 and Monsoon premium audio system
$325 XM satellite radio with three months free service
Add $575 for freight.

PLUSES
– Stunning styling usually reserved for sports cars that sell for twice as much. – Open-top motoring.
– Decent price and mileage.
– Not plagued by wind noise with top up.

MINUSES
– Could use more powerful engine, which is coming this fall.
– Nowhere to put luggage unless your passenger cabs it.
– Limited storage space.

Read Jim Mateja Sunday in Transportation and Wednesday and Friday in Business. Hear him on WBBM Newsradio 780 at 6:22 p.m. Wednesdays and 11:22 a.m. Sundays. jmateja@tribune.com