Saturn Outlook Judged "Highly Competitive"

Anthony Fontanelle
July 4, 2007

The effort of General Motors in revitalizing the Saturn lineup continues to show good results. The premium midsize crossover SUV is one of the newest offerings by the American import fighting car manufacturer. It is based on the General Motors Lambda platform which it shares with the new Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia.

Recently, the Outlook received a much appreciated boost from Consumer Reports. The publication showed that the Outlook is indeed a flexible utility vehicle by putting it in two categories. The said classification of the Outlook is published on the latest issue of Consumer Reports which will hit newsstands this Tuesday.

The new Saturn Outlook is built at General Motors’ Lansing Delta Township Plant. It is one of the newest vehicles from Saturn which General Motors hopes will boost their popularity among car buyers thus increasing their market share which have been steadily dwindling in the past years.

Consumer Reports ranked the Saturn Outlook third in the midsize SUV segment. The only midsize SUVs ranked higher than the Outlook are the Toyota Highlander Hybrid and the Honda Pilot.

Aside from being ranked in the midsize SUV segment, the Outlook is also judged as the second best large SUV. The Outlook only trailed the Mercedes-Benz GL450 in the said class. Although classified as a midsize SUV, the Outlook’s roomy interior gave Consumer Reports the reason to place the Outlook in the large SUV class ranking.

According to David Champion, the senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center based in East Haddam, Connecticut, the Saturn Outlook is the best-performing General Motors nameplate in recent years. That in itself is a distinction that the Outlook has under is belt. Aside from being the least priced of the Lambda platform vehicles, the Outlook’s performance in the reviews conducted by Consumer Reports will go a long way.

The result of the rankings according to Consumer Reports is based on the result of 50 tests and evaluations conducted on the vehicles. During these tests and evaluations, Consumer Reports study various attributes of the vehicles including acceleration, braking, handling, comfort, interior noise level, and user friendliness. The interior of the Outlook is designed to give comfort and to be user friendly. Components such as the Saturn cabin filter make the cockpit of the car friendly to its occupants.

“It's extremely competitive in terms of the way it drives,” said Champion about the Outlook. “It has nice steering, good handling and reasonable fuel economy. The interior fit and finish is up to the competition. It's very roomy inside. It just does what the market is looking for in many ways.”

According to Champion, the only thing that the Outlook needs to prove now is its durability. Since it was only released recently, Consumer Reports has insufficient date concerning the reliability of the Outlook.

“With the Outlook, they seemed to have got it all right,” said Champion. “The only thing we cannot say at the moment is whether it's going to hold together.”

The positive review of Consumer Reports of the Outlook is welcome news for the Detroit automaker. Given the huge number of Americans consulting Consumer Reports’ publications and website, the Outlook will be given a good boost in terms of marketing.

“Our research tells us that Consumer Reports is the most influential by far of all the third-party surveys and rankings that are done,” said Tom Wilkinson speaking for General Motors.

Source:  Amazines.com