2007 Saturn Outlook Review

PROS
Good passenger and cargo room, Comfortable ride, Refined interior

CONS
Clumsy transmission, No Bluetooth

Playing catch-up no more Since it's inception in 1991, Saturn was known for selling economical and affordable cars in one-price hassle-free dealerships. For a while, the strategy paid off. Saturn stole sales from like-priced vehicles at Honda and Toyota.

Over time, Honda and Toyota diversified their brands--selling SUVs, convertibles, and pickups. Saturn did not react as quickly. For more than a decade, they sold but two cars--a compact and a midsize.

That's changing now as General Motor tries to reinvent Saturn and better position the brand to take on Japanese and South Korean competitors. In the past few years, Saturn has added a compact SUV, a minivan, and a convertible. This year, the brand adds a midsize SUV to the stable called Outlook.

The Outlook is one of three new midsize SUVs from General Motors, all sharing the same basic chassis and engines. Outlook offers seating for eight passengers and competes with vehicles like the Ford Freestyle, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Veracruz, Nissan Pathfinder, and Toyota Highlander.

Standard safety features include antilock brakes, stability control with rollover sensors, and front, front side, and curtain side airbags. XE standard equipment includes front and rear air conditioning, OnStar, tilt-telescope steering wheel, cruise control, split-folding second- and third-row seats, power doors, windows, and mirrors, keyless entry, theft-deterrent system, and rear privacy glass.

XR adds to XE automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, power driver seat, signal mirrors, trip computer, day/night mirror, roof rails, fog lights, and Homelink remote garage door opener. Key options include rear-obstacle-detection system, power liftgate, leather upholstery, rear-seat entertainment system, power sunroof with additional glass panel over the rear seats, and remote starting. XR models offer optional second-row bucket seats that reduce seating capacity to seven.

XE has a base price of $27,255 and XR lists for $29,555. All-wheel-drive versions cost $2000 more. Both models have a destination charge of $735.

Get up and Go
Outlook features the same 3.6-liter V6 that's found in Saturn Aura, Cadillac CTS, and a number of other General Motors vehicles. It's a smooth engine that is as refined as any powerplant in import competitors.

On the highway, the engine gains some legs and provides good passing response--provided you're willing to put your foot to the floor as the transmission is again reluctant to downshift.

The all-wheel-drive system does a seamless job of delivering power to the wheels with the most traction. On rainy or slippery pavement, there's nary a slip from the front tires in hard acceleration as the all-wheel-drive system silently goes about its job.

Also on the plus side, the V6/six-speed combination is very frugal given the Outlook's size and weight. Outlook is EPA rated at 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Those numbers are comparable to other midsize SUVs and better than you might expect for a vehicle with eight-passenger capacity. In routine city driving expect to average about 17 mpg, in a typical city/highway commute perhaps 18-19 mpg would be a realistic number. Saturn says that Outlook's engine will run fine on regular-grade fuel.

Taken as a whole, the powertrain has the smoothness, verve, and economy to be class competitive, but the transmission needs a bit more refinement.

On the Road Make no mistake, Outlook is a large vehicle. It has a wheelbase of 118.9 inches. That's larger than many full-size SUVs and the largest of any midsize SUV. Saturn engineers have made the most of the wheelbase to provide a smooth and stable ride that's devoid of traditional SUV bounciness. Small bumps are well filtered and large bumps only register with a mild jolt. In addition, the long wheelbase helps quell oscillating body motions on scalloped surfaces.

Outlook is a quiet vehicle. On the highway, there's little wind noise and almost no tire noise. The engine is subdued and has an expensive-sounding growl in hard acceleration.

Behind the Wheel Inside, Outlook blends contemporary design with quality materials to create an inviting yet very functional interior. Gauges are backlit day or night and are easy to read. The instrument panel also features a large digital readout for trip-computer information. General Motor's corporate radio unit is among the best in the business in terms of ease of use and functionality. It's placed high in the dash and is easy to reach. Climate controls are a touch lower, but still clearly marked.

Front seats are armchair comfortable. Head and leg room are adult generous, meaning there's plenty of both. Tilt-telescope steering wheel and height adjustable seat make it easy for drivers of all sizes to get comfortable. Above-average outward visibility is helped by large outside mirrors and hide-away rear-seat headrests.

Second-row seats are also quite comfortable although the seat bottoms lack contouring. Leg and head room are generous. The seat is also adjustable for and aft. Three adults can sit abreast thanks to a perfectly flat floor.

Third-row seats aren't the penalty box you'd expect. Two adults can ride in a modicum of comfort and three children will fit no problem. There's not a lot of room between the seat cushion and the floor, so adults will have to get used to riding "knees up." Getting back there is easy as the second-row seatbacks tip forward with the flip of a lever and then the entire seating unit folds forward flush with the front seats.

Interior storage is excellent with large front-seat map pockets and a thoughtful cell-phone holder in the center console. Sadly, Outlook does not offer a Bluetooth cell-phone connection. This is an obvious ploy to help sell OnStar, which offers pay-per-use cell-phone minutes. However, it really comes across as a slap in the face because all of the hardware to activate the Bluetooth connection already exists in the vehicle except the wireless receiver. GM should realize that all of its competitors offer Bluetooth connectivity and make it standard on vehicles of this caliber if for nothing else than the added safety of hands-free cell-phone operation.

Bottom Line Outlook debuts after the successful introduction of Aura, which garnered North American Car of the Year honors. Everywhere I went, people asked what it was and how I liked it. (Remember this is a big SUV, not a sports car!) General Motors is positioning Outlook as an alternative to the minivan with the utility of a truck. Outlook is bigger, more competent, and clearly more refined than most competitors. In fact, save the recalcitrant transmission, there's very little question that there's a new top dog among midsize SUVs.

Add to Outlook's overall competence its aggressively low base prices and impressive list of standard features and you get a vehicle that's a must see for midsize SUV shoppers. No bones about it, Saturn is on a roll.