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SATURN. Way back when, Saturns were the cars to go to for fuel efficiency and value. However, those past Saturns were nowhere near the best cars in their classes. The designs inside and out were horrid, and the cars were, just, bad. The only thing other than fuel efficiency that Saturn had going on were its dealerships, who treated and still treat its customers like family.
In 2005, Saturn shocked the industry by revealing the AURA concept. A dramatic departure from the "used-to-be" Saturn, the AURA concept was designed right. It represented how Saturn was going to resurrect itself from the ashes, and less so how it was going to fill the gap of the dearly departed Oldsmobile. It represented the first cooperation of Saturn and the European OPEL brand, also owned by GM.
The resurrection started in 2006. In 2006 for model year 2007, Saturn unveiled three vehicles that were gunned to lead the resurrection of the brand. The AURA, which was basically a toned-down version of the concept; the OUTLOOK, the first large crossover to be built off of GM's Lambda platform; and the SKY roadster, mechanical twin to the Pontiac Solstice. The industry's reaction? "WHOA."
The resurrection continued in 2007, when two more vehicles were introduced for 2008. The VUE, which was redesigned from the previous generation, and the ASTRA, which replaced the ION. However, even with the introduction of five vehicles in two years, the public wasn't ready for the new Saturn. Sales went down, and down.
This is my idea of what Saturn's lineup should be in the next few years. It consists of nine distinct vehicles. The vehicles will be revealed in groups. The first two are already on display now.
May I present the second of my Reader's dream lineups -
SATURN. Like always. Like never before.
Saturn AURA
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GM Platform - Epsilon II
Segment - Midsize Sedan
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury, Redline
Engines - 1.6L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.4L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L V6 (N,L), 3.6L V6 turbo (RL)
HP Output - 185 (I-4t), 180 (I-4t2Mh), 270 (V6), 315 (V6t)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic (V/N/GL/L), 6-speed manual (RL)
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L/RL)
Seating - 2 front, 3 rear
Most Similar Vehicle - Opel Insignia
Main Competition - Honda Accord, Volkswagen Passat, Nissan Altima
Saturn VUE
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GM Platform - Theta II
Segment - Compact SUV
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury, Redline
Engines - 1.6L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.4L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L V6 (N,L), 3.6L V6 turbo (RL)
HP Output - 180 (I-4t), 175 (I-4t2Mh), 270 (V6), 315 (V6t)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic (V/N/GL/L), 6-speed manual (RL)
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L/RL)
Seating - 2 front, 3 rear, 2 third
Most Similar Vehicle - Chevrolet Equinox
Main Competition - Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Volkswagen Tiguan
Saturn RELAY
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GM Platform - Long-wheelbase Epsilon II
Segment - Minivan
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury
Engines - 1.8L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.6L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L direct-injection V6 (N,L)
HP Output - 195 (I-4t), 190 (I-4t2Mh), 290 (DIV6)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L)
Seating - 2 front, 2-3 rear, 2-3 third
Most Similar Vehicle - Chevrolet Uplander
Main Competition - Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, Volkswagen Routan
Comments?
In 2005, Saturn shocked the industry by revealing the AURA concept. A dramatic departure from the "used-to-be" Saturn, the AURA concept was designed right. It represented how Saturn was going to resurrect itself from the ashes, and less so how it was going to fill the gap of the dearly departed Oldsmobile. It represented the first cooperation of Saturn and the European OPEL brand, also owned by GM.
The resurrection started in 2006. In 2006 for model year 2007, Saturn unveiled three vehicles that were gunned to lead the resurrection of the brand. The AURA, which was basically a toned-down version of the concept; the OUTLOOK, the first large crossover to be built off of GM's Lambda platform; and the SKY roadster, mechanical twin to the Pontiac Solstice. The industry's reaction? "WHOA."
The resurrection continued in 2007, when two more vehicles were introduced for 2008. The VUE, which was redesigned from the previous generation, and the ASTRA, which replaced the ION. However, even with the introduction of five vehicles in two years, the public wasn't ready for the new Saturn. Sales went down, and down.
This is my idea of what Saturn's lineup should be in the next few years. It consists of nine distinct vehicles. The vehicles will be revealed in groups. The first two are already on display now.
May I present the second of my Reader's dream lineups -
SATURN. Like always. Like never before.
Saturn AURA
GM Platform - Epsilon II
Segment - Midsize Sedan
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury, Redline
Engines - 1.6L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.4L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L V6 (N,L), 3.6L V6 turbo (RL)
HP Output - 185 (I-4t), 180 (I-4t2Mh), 270 (V6), 315 (V6t)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic (V/N/GL/L), 6-speed manual (RL)
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L/RL)
Seating - 2 front, 3 rear
Most Similar Vehicle - Opel Insignia
Main Competition - Honda Accord, Volkswagen Passat, Nissan Altima
Saturn VUE
GM Platform - Theta II
Segment - Compact SUV
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury, Redline
Engines - 1.6L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.4L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L V6 (N,L), 3.6L V6 turbo (RL)
HP Output - 180 (I-4t), 175 (I-4t2Mh), 270 (V6), 315 (V6t)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic (V/N/GL/L), 6-speed manual (RL)
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L/RL)
Seating - 2 front, 3 rear, 2 third
Most Similar Vehicle - Chevrolet Equinox
Main Competition - Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Volkswagen Tiguan
Saturn RELAY
GM Platform - Long-wheelbase Epsilon II
Segment - Minivan
Trims - Value, Natural, Greenline, Luxury
Engines - 1.8L I-4 turbo (V/N), 1.6L I-4 turbo 2Mhybrid (GL), 3.6L direct-injection V6 (N,L)
HP Output - 195 (I-4t), 190 (I-4t2Mh), 290 (DIV6)
Transmissions - 6-speed automatic
Drives - FWD (V/N/GL/L), AWD (N/L)
Seating - 2 front, 2-3 rear, 2-3 third
Most Similar Vehicle - Chevrolet Uplander
Main Competition - Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, Volkswagen Routan
Comments?
