Saturn Outlook

Specification:
Saturn is again in the debut spotlight with the first vehicle based on General Motors' Lambda platform: the 2007 Outlook, a large crossover that seats seven or eight. Like the new Aura midsize sedan, the Outlook uses two trim level designations, XE and XR. Front- or all-wheel drive will be available on either version.


Exterior
The Outlook is a nice-looking vehicle — free of the sliding doors that plagued the Relay, and designed to look more like a sport utility vehicle than a van or wagon. Compared to the Ford Freestyle, and maybe even the Toyota Highlander, it succeeds.

The Outlook is characterized by wedge-shaped side mirrors that, well, mirror the shape of the headlight clusters. The mirrors look like something you'd see on a concept car. One wonders if anything so distinctive can work without undue wind noise or other drawbacks. We shall see.

The Outlook has chrome door handles and bright 18-inch alloy wheels; 19-inch rims are optional. Where the XE has a single exhaust outlet, the XR has twins with slick, squared-off exhaust tips.
Interior
The news inside the Outlook is a third row that's comfortable for a 6-foot-tall adult, namely me. Whether equipped with a three-passenger bench or twin captain's chairs, the second seat row features what Saturn calls Smart Slide: To ease third-row access, a single lever slides the second-row chair (or 60/40-split seat segment) forward. The trick is that the seat cushion springs upward, allowing the seat to move closer to the front row's backrests.


The seats also adjust fore and aft to parcel out legroom where it's needed most. The second and third rows fold flat into the floor in a single motion. Considering how accommodating the third row is, there's decent cargo volume behind it, roughly 20 cubic feet. (Folding seats allow cargo and passenger areas to share space, but full seats often make for very little cargo room.) A bin under the cargo floor offers generous contiguous covered storage — not the pocket-here, pocket-there approach found in some vehicles. The maximum cargo volume with all seats folded is 117 cubic feet.

Interior options include leather upholstery, a fixed rear skylight separate from the front moonroof, a power liftgate, remote engine start, a DVD video system and a navigation system.

Under the Hood
The Outlook's sole engine is a 265-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6, which drives either the front or all four wheels through a new six-speed automatic transmission. Saturn predicts gas mileage of 17/25 mpg (city/highway) with front-wheel drive and 16/24 mpg with all-wheel drive.

Safety
The Outlook includes dual-stage frontal air bags, front-seat-mounted side-impact airbags for torso protection and side curtain-type airbags that provide head protection for all three seat rows. The curtains are designed to deploy in a rollover, both to cushion occupants and prevent their ejection, which often results in death.

Antilock brakes are standard. Traction control, StabiliTrak electronic stability system, tire-pressure monitoring and sonar park assist are available.

OnStar is standard with one free year of Safe and Sound service, which alerts authorities in the event of a collision and provides crash data.