Its upswept, mildly wedge-shaped body and clean, smooth surfaces continue to form Saturn's distinctive design. The style is only a year old and the exterior appearance is still fresh.
Since the beginning, S-Series sedans have had dent-resistant polymer body panels. These plastic body panels, bonded to a steel subframe, are flexible so that minor dings don't form lasting impressions. And they won't rust.
The reflector headlamps are designed to offer clear lighting at night. Taillamps have a contemporary wraparound look. Modern wheel designs help keep the appearance contemporary looking.
Last year's redesign went a long way in improving the functional but funky interior of the previous model. The current one is attractive and its styling reflects that of the exterior design.
The dash was designed to reduce squeaks and rattles. The instrument cluster provides useful information with a telltale display. The center console features storage for audio tapes, provisions for a six-disc CD changer and several cupholders. SL2 models include an armrest with fore-aft adjustment. The door panels offer additional storage space with a place for a 12-ounce soda can. Horn buttons are located in the center of the steering wheel and the cruise-control buttons are on the spokes.
Saturn S-Series sedans can seat five people, four comfortably.
SL1 and SL2 come fully trimmed in cloth, while the SL uses cloth and vinyl. Leather trim is available for the SL2 for $700, which includes a comfortable leather-wrapped steering wheel with contoured humps at the proper 10-and-2-o'clock hand positions. The gray leather in our SL2 was attractive and comfortable. Front seats offer built-in lumbar support as well as enough fore and aft seat travel to provide additional legroom for taller drivers.
Stereo performance is decent, but the small buttons make it a challenge to operate.
Reduced-force airbags are standard. Seatbelts include buckle and shoulder belt height adjusters that are easy to use. Top tether anchors for child safety seats are standard.
The power door locks have a system that won't let you lock the car with the key in the ignition. The horn complains if you try to lock the car with a door or the trunk lid open. The range of the keyless remote has been increased to 30 feet. Vandals and thieves are thwarted by an alarm that goes off if the doors or trunk are disturbed and an engine that won't start if the ignition is tampered with.
SL sedan trunk is big, but shallow, and offers 12.1 cubic feet of space. SW2 wagon offers nearly 25 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, more than 58 cubic feet with them folded down.
Our Saturn SL2 is substantially improved over the last model we tested. These cars have always handled well and that still holds true. Steering and handling is one of Saturn's strongest suits. The SL2 seems to provide more accurate steering response than a Dodge Neon. It comes with 185/65R15 tires that provide good roadholding in sharp corners. Though it rides well, the softly tuned springs allow the body to lean in turns. Softer springs also require slowing a bit more for rough roads to avoid bottoming out the suspension. It feels stable at high speeds, though strong crosswinds blow it around a bit.
Over the years, GM has worked to reduce noise and vibration in the Saturn engines. Pistons were made smaller and lighter, connecting rods were made longer, more counterweighting was added to the crankshaft, the block was redesigned and reinforced, the timing chain was made smaller. The cylinder head was redesigned on the twin-cam engine. The list goes on and on.
All that work paid off. The twin-cam engine is smooth. It's also much quieter at cruising speeds. The engine sounds you do hear are not as annoying as past Saturns. The SL2 engine now hums along happily with a pleasant roar in the middle of the rev range. It no longer feels like it's straining every time you hold the gas all the way down for an extended period. The muffler produces a pleasing sound. Road noise, engine noise and ride quality still do not match that of some of the more refined German and Japanese cars in this class, however.
Saturn's S-Series cars deliver excellent fuel economy. The SL gets 40-mpg highway, while the SL2 gets 38 mpg. The SL2 isn't as quick as a Dodge Neon, but it offers good performance in city traffic. Saturn claims the SL2 can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a respectable 9 seconds.
Unfortunately, to save money, Saturn changed the rear brakes from discs to drums on all S-Series models, something we don't think rates as progress. In all fairness, however, base Hondas and Toyotas make do with drums in back as well. Saturn refined its optional anti-lock braking system last year, and Saturn's tests indicate reduced stopping distances with ABS; independent published test results indicate these cars provide good stopping power. It seems like the ABS comes into play often. It's sometimes detectable when making normal stops at intersections. We don't know whether that's because the tires lack grip or if it's because the ABS is aggressive. It also kicks in when just one side of the car is on a slippery surface, which is a good thing.
The traction control system works aggressively as well. While standing on the throttle at the bottom of an ice-covered grade, the SL2 slowly and methodically motored to the top of the hill. (That's a good thing.) These are easy cars to drive. A switch on the console allows the driver to turn off traction control for those times when a bit of wheelspin is needed to get unstuck or to accelerate at maximum levels.
Saturn's S-Series comes in coupe, sedan, and a wagon body styles.
Saturn's sedan lineup consists of the SL ($10,570), SL1 ($11,485), and SL2 ($12,895). Saturn SC coupes include the ($12,535) and SC2 ($15,645). There's also a wagon, the SW2 wagon ($14,290).
One way to keep the nomenclature straight is to remember that the number in the model designation stands for the number of camshafts: For example, the SL1 sedan comes with a single-cam engine (sohc), while the SL2 is powered by a more powerful twin-cam (dohc) engine. The wagon only comes with the twin-cam engine.