Saturn Outlook: The Cheapest In Its Family

Anthony Fontanelle
May 29, 2007

For the past years, it seems that General Motors has neglected its wholly-owned subsidiary Saturn. Recently, the Michigan-based car manufacturer decided to increase the offering of the Saturn brand with the crossover Outlook. The midsize crossover utility vehicle was unveiled at the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS).

The vehicle shares its platform with the GMC Acadia and the Buick Enclave. These two vehicles have already been released along with the Outlook. Another crossover utility vehicle will be sharing the platform of these three crossovers which will be manufactured under the Chevrolet brand. Among these platform-sharers, the Saturn Outlook is the lowest priced which gives it an edge in terms of marketing.

The platform shared by these General Motors vehicles is dubbed as the GM Lambda platform which is configured for front-wheel and all-wheel drive applications and with the Outlook using such, the vehicle now becomes a versatile crossover. Its relatively lower price is an advantage for car buyers looking for affordable crossovers. Its base model is priced starting at $27,990 which is $2,000 less than the GMC Acadia. The only difference the GMC Acadia and the Saturn Outlook is the standard dual exhaust for the Acadia which means a difference of five horsepower between the two crossovers. Aside from that, exterior and interior designs vary between the Acadia and the Outlook. For those who are after the performance of the crossover, the Outlook is a good choice due to its lower price. With its Saturn wiper blade, roof spoiler, fender design and other exterior details, the Outlook does not differ much from the higher-priced GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.

The Lambda platform used by the Outlook comes with a 24-valve direct overhead cam 3.6-liter V6 engine which can produce up to 270 horesp0ower for the base model of the Outlook. For models equipped with the dual exhaust, the engine’s power output is raised to 275 horsepower. In terms of torque, the engine produces 248 lb-ft without the dual exhausts system and 251 lb-ft with it. The transmission offered with these crossover vehicles sharing the Lambda platform is a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shifting capabilities. Although this combination gives the Outlook a respectable fuel economy, it still lags behind the Honda Pilot which is considered as the leader in its class. With General Motors pouring in money in the development of Saturn vehicles, it will not come as a surprise if the Outlook is improved and would be coming with fuel saving technologies in the near future.

Source:  Amazines.com