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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 16, 2008 - 23 Saturn has a new Outlook on CUVs By Jim Robinson OAKVILLE BEAVER Saturn continues to expand its universe with, now, a total of seven vehicles on showroom floors. I won't belabour the tale of Saturn's complete makeover four years ago from a quasi-Japanese clone with an environmental streak featuring polymer body panels as a signature design cue. With the corporate decision to reposition Saturn as a global brand, came the need to offer vehicles with verve. The first was the Sky roadster, then the Aura mid-size sedan (that was named North American Car of the Year at last year's Detroit auto show) and most recently the Astra compact that was named the 2008 Best New Small Car in the Canadian Car of the Year awards (CCOTY) conducted by the Automotive Journalist's Association of Canada (AJAC). Saturn, wisely, has not abandoned its focus on the environment by offering the mild hybrid Saturn Aura Green Line sedan and Saturn Vue Green Line CUV. I found it interesting that the brochure for this week's tester, the 2008 Saturn Outlook CUV, is the size and shape of a broadsheet newspaper and printed on chlorine-free 60pound stock made from 100 per cent post-consumer fibre. See, all that recycling you're doing is paying off. Saturn Canada says printing all its 2008 brochures this way using biogas to supply the energy saved 428 mature trees, reduced solid waste by 12,436 kg, reduced water usage by 1,165,985 litres, reduced air emissions by 27,067 kg and natural gas use by 1,761 cubic metres. At the top of the Saturn lineup is the 2008 Outlook CUV. And while Outlook shares more with the 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 allwheel-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 base XE FWD as tested here starts at $34,195 with the XR FWD starting at $37,535. The XE FWD has a starting price of $38,480 and the XR AWD, $41,430. Depending on model, there are a number of options like three entertainment systems in addition to the standard AM/FM/MP3/CD with six speakers. There is leather seating, two types of 19-inch chrome alloy wheels and the list goes on. The only options fitted to my tester were the ($295) auto dual zone climate control that comes in very handy with a vehicle this big with so much glass, and the ($260) XM Satellite Radio with service free for the first three months. That all added up to $34,810 included a $1,220 shipping fee. With both rows of seats folded there is 3,313 litres (116.9 cu ft) of flat cargo floor cargo area that I thought I was going to need on a trip down to the Picton area over the Christmas holidays to get the family farm cleaned out and ready for the new owners. Surprisingly, after loading a table saw, wrought iron table with glass top, boxes of books and an oil heater, I had plenty of space left over. It proved once again that vans (which the Saturn really is) and station wagons make more sense for the one or two times a year when you really need the cargo capability. Heading down and back from Toronto, the Saturn was plugged into cruise and that was that - no drama at all to report. What is noticeable is how the engine and six-speed automatic respond. GM could have got away by using its triedand-true four-speed but they didn't. Not only does the Outlook get off the line more smartly, you notice at normal highway speeds there is no hunting up or down for the right gear and this is particularly true in cruise control mode. About the only odd thing to happen had nothing to do with the car. Somehow, I got a sidewall puncture on the right rear tire that I did not notice until the next day thanks to the standard tire pressure monitor system. I pumped up the tire and it took 22 pounds to fill to the recommended 35 psi. So I called OnStar (standard on all GM vehicles) because it's the best service in the world as far as I am concerned. Realizing it was the Friday before Christmas (Christmas falling on the following Tuesday), I called in and a tow truck was sent to change the tire because all the dealers in my area has closed a noon. The spare turned out to be a donut stuck so far under the truck, the tow truck guy really didn't want to do it. And neither did I because I could not see myself driving 100 km return on Christmas evening from a family dinner with a donut on the back. What followed was (looking back) a comedy of errors punctuated by Christmas operating hours of tire suppliers that didn't see the tire being replaced until two days after Christmas but, luckily, in time to get to the farm. I have to add, my closest GM dealership, Wilson-Niblett Chevrolet went overboard trying to make things happen even if it wasn't their car or problem. The lesson here is to always check to see where your spare is stowed and how hard it is to change the tire. My 2008 resolution is to include this in every road test. Despite this glitch, I really like the Outlook especially in the base model because it looks big and beefy without including lot of things I never use, like drop down DVD entertainment systems and buttons and switches for things I have to look up in the owner's manual to find out what they are instead of them being intuitive. The other thing that stands out is how solid the body/frame is and how the independent suspension supports the weight of such a big piece while keeping the steering response and feel direct and communicative. GM has learned the hard way that there's a big difference between giving the people what they want instead of what GM thinks they want. That's why you're seeing vehicles like the Chevy Malibu and Saturn Astra that are as good, and in some ways, better than the Japanese competitors. 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.