Trying to be your father's Oldsmobile
Written: Dec 14 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice drive train, looks different than Japanese cars, plastic door panels
Cons: Not competitive with Japanese products, Feels like an Oldsmobile.
The Bottom Line: A competent car for those looking to buy American, but if you want the best look elsewhere. 2.7/5 stars
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| jfelten's Full Review: 2003 Saturn L-Series |
On a cold and rainy trip to Seattle I ended up getting a metallic red Saturn L series sedan. Overall it was an OK car, but I couldn't get rid of the visions of Oldsmobiles that kept running through my head.
The first thing that ran through my mind when I gripped the steering wheel was " hmm.. numb typical numb detached GM power steering feel." The car immediately brought back memories of the family 1985 Oldsmobile Custom cruiser station wagon I drove in high school. How GM could manage to make a German designed front wheel drive car feel like an antiquated Detroit designed rear wheel drive car is a mystery to me. The Detroit engineers who designed the full size rear wheel drive GM platform must be gone by now. GM still knows how to build cars with its trademark feel. I rarely drive GM products and it has been over 15 years since I last drove that Custom Cruiser, but I still know that GM feel.
By the way that Oldsmobile was a piece of junk. My family kept it for a little over 100K miles, but things like complete brake system failure at less than 30 K miles, an engine that wouldn't shut off when the key was pulled out, and numerous other things tarnished my opinion of GM products. Keep my personal bias against GM products in mind when reading this review, even though I will try to review it objectively. NOTE TO GM: Do you think all that junk you produced in the 80s might be having an affect on sales now?
Ranting over. OK back to the review.
Interior:
A tad bland in my opinion, but functional. The nicely laid out controls worked well, and the seats were comfortable. The one thing that caught my eye was large amount of cheap plastic on top of the dash board. It reminded me a of a Ford Contour I rented once. The interior fabrics seemed OK. Nothing too fancy, but nothing really bad either. The interior is perfectly acceptable for a family sedan, and seems durable.
Exterior:
The one thing this car doesn't look is Japanese. This is a plus if you want to differentiate yourself from the multitude of Japanese sedans out there. There is definitely something American about it, and that's OK. Styling is always subjective, and I found it to be nothing exciting, but handsome in it's own way. The metallic red paint on my rental car looked good on the body.
Engine and Drive train
My car had the optional V6, and it packed a nice punch. It had a nice sound and got up to speed quickly. The automatic transmission did its job well by shifting smoothly and down shifting when I wanted. More power is always nice, but I have no complaints about the drive train in this car.
Handling and Driving Experience.
Like I said in the beginning of this review: think mid 80s Oldsmobile. OK maybe it's not that bad. It actually gripped the road decently, cruised the Interstate nicely, and handled rain slicked roads acceptably. There was just this numbness that crept into your hands through the steering wheel, and blocked out road feel. It's the exact same feel I got from that 1985 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Station Wagon. I would term it the GM driving feel. That alone ruins the driving experience for me. Not only that but the sound of the power steering pump sounds eerily like an old Oldsmobile further reinforcing the GM driving experience for me. That Oldsmobile ruined my perception of GM products so whenever I get those GM sensory triggers like numb steering and GM power steering pump noise I think junk. Sorry GM your image is forever tarnished in my eyes.
Epilogue
In summary this is a perfectly competent car; a tad bland perhaps, but distinctive enough for those looking for something different than a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. The problem is that those two are just better cars, and worth the extra money. If you must buy American I'd probably get one of the big Chrysler family sedans. The L series is definitely better than the last Ford Taurus I drove in 1997, but I don't know how it stacks up against the new ones.
The Saturn line was originally developed to build cars that could compete with Japanese imports, and initially Saturn had a distinctive product line. Now it seems to be that they are trying to be more like the rest of GM, maybe even trying to replace Oldsmobile. If that is the case why didn't GM just keep Oldsmobile around. If Saturn would build a true competitor to the Accord and Camry instead of trying to be like Oldsmobile maybe sales would be better. Also maybe they should drop this no haggle price policy. Saving a couple thousand dollars is more important to me than a happy smiling sales associate.
As of 12/03 Saturn sales are abysmal, and there are plenty of L series sitting on lots. Since Saturn dealers won't haggle what's a car company to do? How about some more competitive products?
I give this car 2.7 stars, because it really isn't a bad vehicle. There are just many other better choices.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19/day
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Epinions.com ID:
jfelten
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Reviews written: 6
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