my first post

[blacklock]

I currently have a 04 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab ZQ8. I am thinking of trading it in for a Ion Red Line, Cobalt SS or a Vue Redline. What do you guys think of the interior space between all these? Wife will be having baby eventualy and thought the Ion was cool with the Quad doors. I know the vue would be bigger but its also a little more in price. Which one has the better performance of the three?

[urbanmonkeygod04]

Well, the Ion Redline, but you ARE on a Redline forum

Seriously though, if you're adding a baby, do the Ion Redline. It won't cost you the extra $6-7000 premium that the Vue Redline does, the Vue Redline doesn't offer any extra performance, just body bits & big shiny wheels. If you get the Cobalt SS, good luck trying to get the baby seat in the back (unless you're a gymnast and you're good at that kind of stuff). Quad doors are awesome.

Welcome aboard by the way, good luck!

[Blue04RedLine]

Agreed about the quad doors. If you're looking for space for a car seat, I would stay away from the Cobalt, only cuz of the 2 doors. The rest, depends on what you're looking for. The Vue is decently quick and has a good amount of power. The Ion is also quick, and will be able to be modded, and still has the quad doors in the rear for functionality. Well, you know which one I chose.

[clownhair]

Originally Posted by blacklock

I currently have a 04 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab ZQ8. I am thinking of trading it in for a Ion Red Line, Cobalt SS or a Vue Redline. What do you guys think of the interior space between all these? Wife will be having baby eventualy and thought the Ion was cool with the Quad doors. I know the vue would be bigger but its also a little more in price. Which one has the better performance of the three?

In all honesty I am cramped in my Redline. My right knee constantly rests on the center dash and it bugs the crap out of me. I am 6'1" BTW. Performance wise the SS and RL are gonna be about dead even, VUE will be tagging behind. If your looking for practicality I would honeslty go with the VUE. My wife is about to have a baby as well and I still think its going to be cramped getting that baby seat in and out.

[TXRLU]

One thing to consider, is insurance. If I'm not mistaken, I think many Insurance agencies still haven't figured out that the Ion Redline is the same as the Cobalt SS (yes I know some people here and at Cobalt forums still can't come to grips with it) thus the insurance on a Cobalt SS with the "SS" designation may be a little more expensive than with the Ion Red Line. I've driven a Vue Red Line and they are great performance SUVs, but then you have to consider the extra insurance premium for it being an SUV, extra price in gas (which may even out if you use premium fuel in the Cobalt or Ion). Oh and on another note, I'd steer clear of the darker colored vehicles, if you are fixing to have a child that keeps you awake at all hours of the night, the last thing you want to do is to spend hours trying to keep a dark vehicle looking clean when you've been up all night with a crying baby

[Icon]

I bought my Ion as a second vehicle due to the then approaching birth of our son. One of the the concerns that I've discovered is that there's not a lot of room between the front and back seats. Consequently, it would be very difficult to put a rear facing infant seat (they jut forward into the front seatback) in the vehicle. I haven't had my baby in the Ion (other than the avatar in the corner) yet, but when I do, it will probably be:

A) With the front passenger seat located all the way to the front, putting me in "Jeeves" position with my wife and baby in back, or

B) Wait for my son to be big enough to fit into a forward facing seat

Still love the car! Just a wrinkle that I had not anticipated.

[Moosehead115]

yes fitting the baby seat in is difficult ... however it is possible, and much more so then with say a cobalt SS, one of your seats has to be approx 1/2 forward ... i'm 6"0 and 220 pounds, i managed a 2 1/2 hour drive with a baby seat behind me, so its not impossible. If your wife is a bit shorter, or she wants to watch the baby, the back seat behidn the driver would be perfect, also keep in mind that due to side airbags and there not being a shutoff for passenger airbags in this thing a baby in the front seat is not a good idea.

[Moosehead115]

if you really want to figure it out, take your baby seat to a dealership ... if you want any speed with a vue, i'd recommend the 2wd VUE ... the AWD version adds approx 800 lbs to the equipment, and i doubt your going to be doing any offroading with your kid :P

[pclear9061]

hell im 6'2" @ 210 and i have an ion RL and i fit comfertably in the driver seat even 1/2 way up you just gotta adjust your angles correctly. the farther you scoot up the more of a back angle you have plus take the front handle bar on the door side of the seat that adjusts your height and lower it all the way. trust me ive done it plenty of times with another 6'1" person behind me for over 300 miles. i love driving this car so i just kinda ignore the incofortability (sp) if there is any.

[Icon]

Originally Posted by Moosehead115

...a baby in the front seat is not a good idea.

I agree with you. I believe that statistically, the rear seat is a much safer place to be for any child (with or without Automatic Occupant Sensing / Airbag Suppression) :

"AIR BAG KILLS INFANT IN CRASH
By ROCHELLE BRENNER Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
308 words
5 April 2005
The Palm Beach Post
FINAL
1B
English
Copyright 2005. The Palm Beach Post, All Rights Reserved.
A 2-month-old baby boy died in a car crash after an air bag deployed into the back of his car seat, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
William Brown died shortly after midnight Monday at Delray Medical Center, while his mother, Daisy Natal, was treated for minor injuries.
Natal, 19, who lives west of Greenacres, could face charges for the crash, said investigator David Rander.
Natal was driving a 1997 Saturn without a license when she failed to stop for traffic on South Congress Avenue south of Lake Worth Road around noon Sunday. She rear-ended a stopped Pontiac Firebird, and the impact was hard enough to push the Firebird into a stopped vehicle in front of it, the sheriff's office said.
The other drivers were not injured, but the Firebird and Saturn had to be towed from the scene.
Even though there is no law banning children from traveling in a seat with an air bag, all child carriers have warning labels and brochures instructing people not to place children in a front seat equipped with an air bag.
William was in the front passenger seat next to Natal in a rear-facing child carrier. Rander said he is still investigating, and could not immediately say whether William was strapped in at the time of the crash.
Rander said the sheriff's office will investigate what charges Natal could face, but prosecutors will most likely consider that Natal has already suffered serious consequences.
"She's paid the ultimate price already," Rander said. "She's understandably distraught and upset."
Relatives at Natal's home on Lucerne Lakes Boulevard declined to comment.
"