Saturn’s ‘Outlook’ calls for success
A guy drives a lot of fancy cars in this racket, but until recently none had induced a female to follow me home.
It took a Saturn to get the job done. A Saturn crossover, no less; not even a sexy little Sky, which is exactly the kind of car old guys drive hoping to make young women look.
But the damsel who pursued me to the foot of my driveway didn’t need a Sky; there wouldn’t be room for the car seat or its miniature occupant.
Not only do women not follow me home, those who do are moms.
“My husband and I are looking at new cars,” she said. “What do you think of this one?”
What Do I Think of the New Saturn Outlook?
Forgetting for a moment that it’s a CUV, a genre that holds minimal appeal for me, I give the Outlook a double thumbs-up. It looks great, rides well, offers more interior and towing capacity than the competition and goes (relatively) easy on fuel.
Our front-drive tester garnered EPA ratings of 18 city/26 highway. Hardly hybrid territory, but commendable for the size and weight of the vehicle.
All-wheel-drive models get 17/25.
Here’s the thing about the Outlook, though: It’s not priced like a Saturn. Not like the Saturns of yesteryear.
This one holds its head high and marches into battle with a price tag that lands it squarely in the heart of the pack.
The entry-level XE is priced at $27,990, including destination. Our up-level XR tester carried some popular options (leather seats, rear park assist, satellite radio, etc.) and hit the streets at $32,809. AWD would have bumped the price some two grand.
That’s more than a Honda Pilot, less than a Mazda CX-9.
New All the Way Up
The Outlook is built on a General Motors platform developed exclusively for CUVs. Its all-new, 3.6-liter V-6 engine makes 270 horsepower in XE trim and 275 in XR models. It’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission that’s programmed to downshift quickly and make smooth up-shifts.
With its shield-shaped grille, topped with a horizontal chrome bar, the Outlook inherits the new design motif that the Sky established.
At 200 inches overall, it’s a little larger than the competition, which includes such rigs as the Chrysler Pacifica and Toyota Highlander. It also offers true eight-passenger seating; well, seven, actually, unless your friends are built like beanstalks.
Where the Outlook really shines is in sheer capacity. With the second and third rows folded flat, it offers a cavernous 117 cubic feet of cargo space, about 30 percent more than the leading competitors.
Saturn also makes rear-seat access easy, with a new Smart Slide feature that, with the release of a single lever, moves the second-row seat up and out of the way.
Nicely Equipped
The base XE trim gets full-power accessories, heated mirrors, cruise control, OnStar, an MP3-capable CD player and air-conditioning, with separate rear-seat unit. XR models add a trip computer, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, eight-way power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control and reasonably convincing faux wood trim.
Standard safety gear includes rollover-sensing stability control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, anti-lock disc brakes and a full set of airbags.
Load up an XR with 19-inch wheels (18s are standard), power liftgate, xenon headlights, navigation, leather and more and you’ll punch that price tag to well past the $40,000 mark.
Rare air, indeed, for a Saturn.
On the inside, the Outlook lives down GM’s old reputation for slapdash construction and substandard materials. My Audi-driving friend, who has become a snob in all things automotive, lavished praise on the interior.
The cabin is surprisingly quiet, with little road or wind noise to disrupt the proceedings. The seats are comfortable and well shaped and there’s even an oversized dead pedal for the driver’s left foot.
I found fault only with the size and uniformity of the audio and HVAC controls. With greater variety in size and shape, they’d be friendlier to users.
The Real Experience
It’s one thing to build a vehicle that looks and feels good; it’s another to build one that rides and handles as well.
The Outlook’s demeanor equals its appearance. Despite its size and a 40-foot turning radius, it drives smaller than it is. It’s nimble and confident in traffic, yet stable and confidence-building at freeway speeds.
Steering is precise and offers good on-center feel, an indicator of an aptitude for long-distance driving.
It has a 4,700-pound curb weight, but the engine is up to the task, with 0-60 times of 8.2 seconds and a 4,500-pound towing capacity. The gear selector offers only D and L settings, but a button on the shift-lever handle allows manual shifting, a boon in the hills and when towing.
The Outlook joins a growing list of Saturns destined to rescue the company from oblivion. There’s no guarantee you’ll be followed home if you buy one, but it’s no longer such a preposterous notion.