Picture this: Masses of seemingly normal, educated people looking forsomething better take personal time to come together thanks to a common life experience that is mediocre in reality but rapturous in their minds. Fueled by propaganda that rivals the recruitment methods of Hare Krishnas, Amway, and Mary Kay, they drive for miles to worship en masse at their idol's origin. Is it a jungle retreat in central America? A dilapidated farm in Montana? A Pat Buchanan rally in rural West Virginia? Nope, it's Spring Hill, Tennessee, the home of the Saturn assembly plant.
A little over a year ago, Saturn owners were invited to attend a big barbecue at the factory, meet the people who built their car, and tour the assembly plant. This was big news, and Saturn got lots of mileage out of the folksy publicity stunt. Since 1991, Saturn has strived to cultivate a down-home image of its business practices and employees. A revolutionary way of selling cars was put into place from the start; ata Saturn dealer, you don't get hassled. Nobody pounces on you the moment your car comes to a halt. Salespeople aren't looking for big commissions, since they are paid a salary. Service advisors are eager rather than argumentative. Yes, the people staffing Saturn dealerships are, for the most part, very knowledgeable and friendly types who believe in the product they're selling and customer service. The down side of this bend-over-backwards approach is that the customer pays sticker price for a car that, while competitive, is not all it's cracked up to be. Don't bother shopping different dealers in an effort to get a better price, because it's not gonna happen. The Saturn dealer in Los Angeles is charging the same price as the Saturn dealer in Wichita. The results of this new way of selling cars are positive; hundreds of people from around the country actually drove to Tennessee for the barbecue, spending their own vacation time to do it. If that isn't cultish, I'm Matthew McConaughey.
We've had a week and several hundred miles of seat time to size up thelatest Saturn sedan. But first, a bit of background on the car. After five selling seasons, it turns out that the Saturn is a rather reliable conveyance. While it doesn't match the best from Japan in terms of trouble-free operation, it soundly trounces equivalent domestic models. Better yet, it proves to hold its value quite well over time. A 1991 Saturn SL1 is worth approximately 62% of its original value. Compare this figure to a Ford Escort LX,which retained only 40% of its original value. Additionally, the Saturn's body side panels are constructed of a ding- and dent-resistant polymer material which won't rust. In these respects, the Saturn combats Japanese makes on a level playing field, and leaves the domestic competition on the bench.
With this in mind, and impressions generated driving a 1996 Saturn SL2,we understand why hard-working people are attracted to the Saturn coupe (SC), Saturn sedan (SL), and Saturn wagon (SW). These are affordable, economical, reliable cars built in the good 'ol U.S. of A. Best of all, dealerships treat customers with dignity and respect. Econo and sport models are available with a wide variety of luxury touches available to those who are willing to shell out the extra green. What's not to like?
We'll tell you momentarily. This is what we like about the Saturn SL2. This thing is screwed together tightly, though some parts look and feel quite flimsy. On the rough, patchwork pavement of one portion of our test loop, the Saturn uttered few squeaks and zero rattles. Premium speakers emit satisfactory sound at decibels high enough to easily drown out wind roar on the highway. The large, analog instruments are quite legible, and are housed in an attractive half-moon pod directly in front of the driver. In a departure from GM tradition, washer and wiper functions have been separated from headlight and turn signal controls, each set getting its own stalk on either side of the steering column. Cruise control switches are located in a handy location inside the right half of the steering wheel, and are easily read, understood, and operated. The wheel rim is sized just right, and the wheel itself is not too big and not too small. The rear split folding seat is actually comfortable, now that engineers increased seatback angle and raised the bottom cushion off the floor a bit. Leg support is adequate, and there is acceptable room for six-footers in back, though we wouldn't want to ride there all day. The twin cam engine in our test car was mated to a five-speed manual transmission, and was quite responsive. Noisy at upper revs, the engine was nearly imperceptible at highway speeds in top gear. The sport-tuned suspension on our test car provided excellent damping without numbing communication between road and driver. Cornering was flat, with little body roll, and only hints of typical understeer despite a nearly 62/38 front/rear weight distribution. Saturn has done a wonderful job with the variable-effort steering found on the SL 2, which communicates effectively without too light or too heavy effort. The only handling compromise this writer found was the Firestone Affinity touring tires mounted on attractive alloy wheels. They howled at the slightest provocation. Otherwise, the SL2's driving manners were more European in feel than American, and the car was a hoot to drive with the manual transmission. We suspect, however, that an automatic gearchanger would rob much of the fun.
One thing that definitely robs fun in the SL2 is long legs. Seat travel is limited, and the front wheelwells intrude on leg room. Additionally, the flimsy feeling front seats are mounted low and do not offer a height adjustment. Thigh support is minimal, and a high cowl, combined with a scooped dashboard mounted excessively low, makes occupants feel like they are sitting about three inches off the road. Shorter drivers, like my wife, find the Saturn comfortable and sporty feeling. Personally, I prefer to step into a car that has a high, chair-like seat rather than fall into a car whose driving position mimics that of a soap-box racer.
Another complaint revolves around the design of the center stack controls, and the materials used to house them. Radio and climate controls represent an ergonomic disaster. Radio buttons are small and identically sized. To adjust heating and air conditioning, you must select a variety of slide levers, push buttons, and rotary dials to adjust air flow, temperature, and fan speed. Moreover, the climate controls are mounted ridiculously low, and are marked by tiny symbols that would be difficult to see and decipher even if the stick shift wasn't in the way. Surrounding this mess is a thin, brittle strip of plastic that squeaked and chirped at every opportunity.
The center console offers little in the way of storage. Power window switches are mounted here, as well as the power controls for the right exterior mirror. We don't like this arrangement, and found ourselves rolling down windows and readjusting the mirror every time we rested a hand or braced an arm on the center console. It's too bad the Saturn interior suffers from inconsistency in design and materials. The gauges are perfectly placed and displayed, but the center stack is a virtual and visual nightmare. The padded vinyl covering most of the upper dash looks and feels good, but the cheesy plastic all over the center console and surrounding the stereo/climate controls wouldn't be acceptable in a $10,000 Kia. The button to activate the air conditioning feels substantial and operates smoothly, but click on the rear defroster and it feels like your finger might snap the button and push right into the dashboard. The wiper stalk features silky operation, but the turn signal stalk requires too much effort to activate and feels fragile. Power window buttons are composed of thick tabs of plastic with a pleasant tactile characteristic, but the release button for the parking brake is about as substantial as a piece of wet balsa wood.
We don't think Saturn offers a good value here. At $17,300, we can think of several other cars we'd consider before setting foot in a Saturn showroom. Drop the leather interior, fog lights, and the rear spoiler to get the price down to a more reasonable $16,200, but you can haggle as good a price on better cars built by other manufacturers. Aesthetically, we're put off by the front styling of the car, particularly when the daytime running lights give the SL2 a buck-toothed countenance. We're also displeased with the supremely dorky rear spoiler, which looks to us like a hair barrette. The repulsive shade of purple our test car was painted didn't help first impressions any.
Still, we understand why Saturns sell in large numbers, even the purple ones. Our quibbles might not bother some buyers, and others might resign themselves to adapting to these design faults in exchange for the Saturn mystique. Those who come out of older cars like the first-generation Escort probably find the Saturn to be a masterpiece of design and construction in contrast to their old, oil-burning Ford. Would we buy a Saturn? No, although we think it's essentially a good car and might even recommend it depending on who you are and what you want from an economical sedan.
Aside from the extreme discomfort we suffered from the SL2's front seats and the dumb center stack controls setup, most of our complaints are admittedly subjective. Those who find it comfortable, and want a sporty, reliable, thoroughly American sedan with the added bonus of pleasant buying and servicing experiences should definitely investigate the SL2. In the meantime, we'll be shopping the Dodge Neon Sport, Ford Contour GL, Geo Prizm LSi, Honda Civic LX, Mazda Protege ES, Plymouth Breeze, Pontiac Sunfire SE, and Volkswagen Jetta GL.
