The 2007 Outlook crossover utility vehicle (CUV) is one of seven vehicles available from GM's newly energized and modernized Saturn division. When I tested the 2008 Saturn Vue on these pages recently, I noted that May truck sales for Saturn were up 37.3 per cent.
It's a long cry, but a short time, from March 2006 when Canadian Saturn dealers had just three vehicles in the showroom: the Relay minivan, the Vue compact crossover and the Ion sedan.
With the corporate decision to reposition Saturn as a global brand came the need to offer vehicles with verve. The first was the Sky sportscar late last year and more recently the Aura mid-size sedan, that was named North American Car of the Year at this year's Detroit auto show.
By December of this year, the Ion will be gone, replaced by the Saturn Astra compact. With the Outlook SUV already in showrooms, Saturn now has an offering of seven vehicles compared to only the three in March 2006. The newest in the mix is the 2008 Vue crossover utility vehicle in the red-hot compact CUV/SUV segment. Lastly Saturn is keeping some of its "green" appeal with the Aura Hybrid sedan.
It hasn't been easy for some of Saturn's longtime and loyal buyers to accept the change. Saturn was conceived as being more Japanese than the Japanese. Saturn did this with over-engineering touches like the no-dent, no-rot, and no-fade polymer body panels. Pushing the green agenda, Saturn, by its own choosing, appealed to a narrowly-defined customer base.
But the onslaught of relentless competition from around the world meant GM had to push out into Europe and Asia much as the Europeans and Asian brands were pushing into North America. Ergo the decision that Saturn would become a world marque with close engineering ties with GM's Opel subsidiary in Germany.
And while Outlook shares more with the homegrown GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, Saturn's version is different, looking more like a 4X4 SUV while it is, in fact, a minivan.
And that's the clever part of the Outlook. It has all the people carrier utility of a van, while having that rugged SUV look that is so in vogue these days.
As has become practice at Saturn, there are two basic models separated primarily by trim, the base XE and the more lavishly equipped XR. Both have one engine, GM's ubiquitous 3.6-litre, DOHC V6 with variable valve timing. In the XE it produces 270 hp and 248 lb/ft of torque, while in the XR it is slightly higher at 275 hp and 251 lb/ft. The Outlook has a six-speed automatic transmission and both XE and XR can be had in front-wheel-drive (FWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD). Fuel consumption in AWD is listed as 13.0L/100 km (22 mpg) city and 8.3L/100 km (34 mpg) highway. In AWD, fuel consumption is 13.8L/100 km (21 mpg) city and 8.9L/100 km (32 mpg) highway.
With four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes, the Outlook comes standard with anti-lock brakes and StabiliTrac, GM's take on stability control. A battery of airbags is standard as is front and rear air conditioning, cruise control, power locks and windows with lockout protection, tilt/telescope steering wheel, and eight passenger seating with second row "Smart Slide" flat folding 60/40 seats and third row 60/40 folding bench seat.
The XE starts at a base price of $33,990 with the XR starting at $38,315. My test XR AWD had $14,000 worth of options, pumping up the wallet damage to $53,605 that included the $1,220 shipping charge.
In discussing the options, it's not so much what was included as what was left off. There was the premium leather seating package at $1,695 and the double power sunroof setup at $1,685 not to mention $5,585 navigation/entertainment group with nine-speaker premium sound system and eight-inch overhead DVD monitor with wireless headphones. The satellite navigational system does allow for two upgrades by the purchase date anniversary that is a plus. DVD-based navi systems can get out of date real fast. Sure, the highways don't change but finding gas stations, ATMs and street addresses in new subdivisions can defeat the usefulness of a navi if it's not kept up to date.
The Outlook I drove was better equipped than most Cadillacs, with seats for up to eight with as good or better fuel economy.
With the DVD monitor and the optional 110-volt outlet at the back, this is one vehicle in which my Nintendo-mad son can pay his Wii and not grumble about how long it is taking to get to our destination.
The V6 in the XR FWD tested here packs a lot of punch especially off the line. Credit this to the gear spacing in the six-speed automatic that gets the 2,155 kg (4,905 lb) heft of the Outlook moving quite briskly. GM's long serving four-speed automatic could have done the job, but not with the seamlessness of the six-speed.
Again, with the weight plus the height and width, having StabiliTrak as standard equipment is a good move.
Battling the frenetic traffic of Ontario's Highway 401 is a unique test of any vehicle. You can put tens of thousands of kilometres on a vehicle on a test track, but nothing can equal the demands on man and machine that the 401 dishes out.
Having the ability to brake and bring the vehicle down quickly while changing a lane is a must here, so the big discs and ABS are much appreciated. But StabiliTrac is important because it can keep the vehicle from going out of control when an accident starts unfolding before your eyes and you panic steer and brake.
GM has learned the hard way that there's a big difference in giving the people what they want instead of what GM thinks they want.
With the time and effort it is putting into Saturn, you have to say GM has a good 'outlook' on the future of its youngest division.
SATURN OUTLOOK 2007 AT A GLANCE
BODY STYLE: Full-size CUV.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, front-/all-wheel-drive.
ENGINE: 3.6-litre DOHC V6 (XE 270 hp, 241 lb/ft; XR, 275 hp, 251 lb/ft).
FUEL ECONOMY: XE FWD, 13.0/8.3L/100 km (22/34 mpg) city/highway; XE AWD 13.8/8.9L (21/32) city/Highway; XR FWD as tested, 13.0/8.3 (22/34) city/highway; XR AWD 13.8/8.9 (21/32) city/highway.
PRICE: XE base, $33,990; XR base, $38,315, XR FWD as tested, $53,605
WESITE: gmcanada.com