October 23, 2007

Saturn Outlook Road Trip

The Saturn Outlook on the field at Hershey. Click image to enlarge

Story and photos by Jil McIntosh

Photo Gallery: 2007 Saturn Outlook

If you've ever admired an antique car, you may wonder where the owners ever find all those 40-, 50- or even 100-year-old parts to keep them running. Online sources such as eBay have made the search easier, but many enthusiasts - me included - still love the thrill of the hunt at flea markets. And the granddaddy of them all is the Antique Automobile Club of America's fall meet in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

I make the trip each October, racking up some 2,100 km in the process. Over the last 14 years, I've driven just about everything, including SUVs, minivans, station wagons, a Dodge Sprinter, a 1995 pickup truck I'd bought brand-new the week before, and even a 1979 Monte Carlo, with varying degrees of stress and satisfaction. This year, I was asked to try Saturn's newest offering, the Outlook.

The Outlook is one of three new GM SUVs, alongside its sisters GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave; its base price is the lowest of the three. My tester was the upper XR trim line, in front-wheel drive, with a base tag of $38,315, but it had all the bells and whistles added to it: nearly $14,000 in options, including navigation system, rear-seat DVD, leather seats, two-panel sunroof, 19-inch wheels, power liftgate, auto-dimming mirrors, Xenon headlamps and trailer towing package.

The Saturn Outlook on the field at Hershey. Click image to enlarge

That's a lot more than I would have added to it - $53,605 is a lot of money - but the Outlook would definitely be on my short list, should I be in the market for such a vehicle.

A "Hershey hauler" has a list of criteria it has to meet. I take two adult passengers with me, so there has to be enough legroom for the eight-hour drive. We each take a large duffle bag, and a wagon that we use for hauling purchases; all that takes up plenty of room on its own, and then we need cargo space for the stuff we buy. And since my passengers collect Hot Wheels toys (maybe I'm being too generous in calling them "adults"), I want the vehicle to be manoeuvrable in the crowded parking lots of the various Wal-Mart, Big K and Target stores where they like to stop.

I wasn't too sure when GM first mentioned the Outlook, since we'd taken SUVs before and had often found them wanting for legroom and comfort; we usually prefer minivans, which are easy to access, have lots of space, and so far have proven the best all-around vehicles. But I brought the Outlook home and we started to load it up. With all the seats in place, the cargo length was 48 cm; dropping the third row gave us a length of 124 cm, and folding the second row stretched it to 213 cm. My alarm went off at 3:30 a.m., and by 4:00, with wagon, bags, husband and friend packed in, I started out for the highway.

The Saturn Outlook's third row seats (top) and the Outlook at Watertown, New York. Click image to enlarge

We reached the U.S. border some three hours later, and the seats were still comfortable; I was pleased to find that they remained that way throughout the entire trip, as some seats that seem fine for a short journey turn out to be hard and unsupportive for longer spells. My husband had planned to fold the second row and sit in the third-row seats, with his legs stretched out, but the third-row cushions proved too flat and firm; he ended up in the second row, but had no complaints about the legroom. He also had his own climate controls, located in the back of the centre console, and so could change his settings without having to ask a front-seat passenger to do so for him (a button up front renders them inoperative, should second-row occupants be too young). The non-opening rear glass roof panel over him came with an electrically-operated sunshade, but the control for that was up front with me.

The privacy glass on the rear windows made our belongings hard to see from outside, but for extra security, I'd packed my laptop and camera into the removable cargo bin under the floor. It was a good idea at the time, until the wagon and all the duffle bags got piled on top. Under-floor storage is a great idea on trips, but be mindful of what you'll want to access when the vehicle is still packed.

The route through New York and Pennsylvania takes us through some serious elevation changes, including through the Pocono and Appalachian mountain ranges. The Outlook's 3.6-litre V6 had no problem with climbing them; for much of the trip I had the cruise set around 110 to 115 km/h, with a return of 11.6 L/100 km on regular-grade fuel.

The Saturn Outlook's second row seats (top) and second-row glass roof panel. Click image to enlarge

We reached our hotel some eight hours after our departure, without feeling stiff or cramped from the drive. On our first night we always have dinner at a local brew pub, which serves up a mighty fine dark beer called Milk Stout, and so we left the Outlook in its parking spot and called for a cab.

The alarm went off far too early the next morning, and it was out into the dark to get to the flea market, which is some 30 km from our hotel. This huge event, which has been held annually since 1955, contains some 9,000 vendor spots and takes three days to see, including the huge car show that's held on Saturday only. It happens regardless of the weather, and I've schlepped through it in everything from relentless heat, to torrential rain, and even once through a light coating of snow. The vendors used to be on grassy fields, which in wet weather would churn into a sticky red mud that once pulled me right out of my boots. The area is now completely paved, which was a blessing once the rain started on Friday; the Outlook was clad in light beige carpeting and although we'd put old blankets down under the wagon wheels, it wouldn't have been pretty if we'd had muddy feet.

Several times through the day it seemed like the rain was going to stop, but that was just to tease us; once we put our umbrellas down, the heavens opened again. With my shoes squishing - it had been dry when I parked, and so I didn't change to boots - we left the field early and figured we'd hit the stores. That's when we discovered one thing we disliked about the Outlook: its DVD-based navigation system.

Hershey, PA. Click image to enlarge

It was easy and intuitive to use, and I liked that, unlike many, it didn't require me to hit "okay" each time I started the engine, in response to its admonition to keep my eyes on the road. The problem was that it wasn't very good at finding things. When we asked it to locate specific chain stores or restaurants, either by typing in the name or through the "Point of Interest" list, it would frequently offer store locations anywhere from 50 to 300 km away, but couldn't find the one that was all but around the corner. Typing in our location and asking it to find ones close by didn't make any difference. At our stop in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, I wanted directions to the Bob Evans chain restaurant, which was only five minutes from our hotel but which required me to make a turn that I frequently miss. The system offered one 360 km away; I had to find our breakfast spot myself.

The navigation system also lacked continuity: on some directions it would start its voice guidance right at the beginning of the route, and give the name of the street where I had to turn. At other times, the voice stayed silent until I was on top of my first turn, and it wouldn't name the streets. I was certainly glad I hadn't paid for it.

My other complaint was with visibility: the Outlook has a relatively small back window and a wide C-pillar, and it can be a handful to put into a tight parking space. The automatic tip-down mirrors helped, but they took three seconds to start swinging down after I put the vehicle into reverse; that doesn't sound very long, until you're holding up traffic in a crowded parking lot waiting for them.

2007 Saturn Outlook. Click image to enlarge

My tester's optional backup sensors were very helpful, although for the vehicle's price, I really expected a backup camera. In the front, the combination of A-pillar and mirror was so wide that I momentarily lost a car behind them when I was pulling out of a driveway. Thankfully, the brakes have good bite.

No doubt due to high gas prices, relatively inexpensive airfares, and our busy lifestyles, the road trip has become a rarity, and people are far more inclined to buy their vehicles to suit a daily commute than a long-range excursion. Concurrently, I'm finding that fewer vehicles are really suitable to take a load of passengers and their cargo in comfort for a full day's driving. It isn't just size, either, but configuration, legroom and seat comfort that make a good road trip car.

I have to admit that I picked up the Outlook with trepidation, and ended up returning it reluctantly. Overall, GM has done an extremely impressive job on this Saturn, with a well-finished interior, strong engine, comfortable seats and good cargo space. A cross-country trek? Bring it on.

Jil McIntosh's automotive work and her garage includes cars both old and new; she writes for The Toronto Star Wheels, Old Autos, and Canadian Street Rodder.