Saturn SL Midsize | Compact

Saturn SL Midsize | Compact 

DESCRIPTION

The Saturn SL is offered as a 4 door sedan with a 1.9-liter, 100 hp 4-in-line or a 1.9-liter, 124 hp 4-in-line, both with a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic. ABS is optional.

USER REVIEWS

Showing 211-220 of 252  
[Jan 10, 2000]
Andrew
Model Reviewed: SL

Strength:

Base model SL was very affordable and solidly reliable

Weakness:

Not a lot of zip in the base model, undistinguished handling, lousy turn ratio, noisy

This was a very good first car, and far better than anything else in its price range at the time. It was basically functional transportation to and from work. On the other hand, it really wasn't all that fun to drive, and I'm in the process of purchasing a Mazda Protege ES that's a lot more enjoyable. Of course a high-end Protege is several thousand more than a base model SL, so it's not really a fair comparison. A great value, and a very decent car that held up well for 6 years of moderate use (more, if I hadn't been rear-ended).

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Corolla, Mazda Protege

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 21, 1999]
cindi

Strength:

comfortable, handles well, pretty good pick up, dent resistent panels

Weakness:

lots of rattles inside and out

paid $14,100
i've put a little over 60,000 miles on my SL2 in the 3 years i've owned it and i think it's had more problems than it should. loud rattle behind the back right fender, crappy engine mounts caused a vibrating under the hood and i could actually hear the engine rock back and forth when i accelerated and decellerated, trunk lid has never seemed to work properly, rattles inside, scews coming loose, plus i have been getting shocked everytime i get out of that car for the last 3 years.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 08, 1999]
Darrell

Strength:

Price, power, transmission, looks, buying experience, ride, handling, gas mileage, 15" wheels, instrumentation and stereo.

Weakness:

Cup holders and seat comfort.

This car has been terrific from the start. The buying experience is incredible. The car has excellent power and shifting while still maintaining great gas mileage (33+). It's hard to believe that you can get this much "get up and go" from only 124hp. It looks terrific and really handles great. I'm sure the 15" wheels help. I've never even heard the tires squeal and I've driven all types of roads, including Lake Tahoe. The stereo is great but could use more bass. The instruments are very easy to read. The only things I would change are the cup holders and the seats. They're not bad, but could be more comfortable on longer rides. The only problem I've experienced with this vehicle was shimmy during braking. Saturn turned the brake rotors under warranty and eliminated the problem. Great bunch of people to have on your side. I would highly recommend this car to anyone who enjoys getting the "most bang for your buck."

Similar Products Used:

Test drove Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 16, 1999]
T. Johanson

Strength:

Dent resistance, strong engine, good controls

Weakness:

Reliability, rear seat confort, leg/foot room for driver, sub-par handling

The buying experience was great. The car has survived three low-speed impacts with nothing more than a few scratches. However, it cannot make up for a car that has to go into the shop every 2 months for things such as a new front end, transaxle work, seats, disfunctional locks on trunk, doors and ignition as well as a lighter assembly that fell apart and a myriad of rattles, clunks and whines.

Look at a Toyota or Honda please.

Similar Products Used:

Ford ZX2, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Nov 29, 1999]
Darren Iannuzzelli
Model Reviewed: , SL2

Strength:

Reliability, Gas mileage

Weakness:

Stereo, Engine, Transmission, Quality

This car is strictly for transportation. The engine and transmission combine to make acceleration a loud and rather deliberate experience. In fact, this car is loud all the time. Engine noise is untolerable, road and wind noise, however, aren't as problematic. The stereo is designed for news programs, music is asking too much. Handling feels tight at first, but even modest curves elicit tire squeal. The brakes are fair, ABS helps, but the peddle feels spongy. Room, everywhere is at a premium. The trunk is small, the rear seat is small, the front seat is small. Everything about this car is small, except the turning radius, which could be bested by a mack truck. The heat and ac are good. The cup holders are wierd. The whole interior feels cheap. The dashboard doesn't mesh with the carpet very well. There's a virtual sea of plastic surrounding the driver, the whole thing feels cheap.

Similar Products Used:

Honda Civic, Acura Integra

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
2
[Nov 29, 1999]
Chris K
Model Reviewed: Saturn SL2

Strength:

Responsive, quick DOHC engine that gets good fuel economy. Very smooth automatic transmission. Quite car except for under hard acceleration. Smooth ride and good handing. Dent resistant door panels. Good climate control system and decent stereo. Trunk space adequate.

Weakness:

Interior could be dressed up and seats become uncomfortable on long drives. Engine loud at high revs. Car feels too light and its not hard to squeal tires in turns. Back seat too small for large adults. Exterior looks could be redesigned.

good points
-good engine provides plenty of power for this lighweight car
-smooth auto
-nice smooth ride and handling
-fuel enconomy
bad points
-engine loud under high revs
-small plain interior
-could be more attractive

Similar Products Used:

Ford Probe GT and SE. Ford Festiva, Chevy Cavalier

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
3
[Nov 24, 1999]
l r
Model Reviewed: SL2

Strength:

Reliable, Strong, Inexpensive (given the features), safe, low insurance costs, great paint, audio, cool looking spoiler, more.

Weakness:

Suspension is rough.....Squishy room in back seat.

We love our Saturn. Has 65000 miles and the most expensive thing so far has ben the 50000 tune-up. We change oil every 3000. Great Audio system, Power Locks, Dent resistant panels. Twice we've been lightly rear-ended with no air bag depoyment (I think thats good??) Insurance Co. said it was one of the safest cars on road and thus, we have better rates. Suspension is a bit on rough side, we live on dirt road with washboards though. Good power on hills coming up from Phoenix. Good air-conditioning. We're definetly looking at becoming a returning customer. Oh, and everytime we've needed customer service, they've been they're for us.....

Believe the HYPE!!! Saturns are absolutly the best economy-midsize car. Best value for the buck, IMHO. My Nissan did great also; for a while loved only rice burners (no American's for me). Saturn has changed my mind.

Similar Products Used:

Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 04, 1999]
DJ ArcSin
Model Reviewed: SL2

Strength:

Inexpensive, polymer panels, fold-down back seat, economy/performance switch

Weakness:

Piss-poor power, cheap brakes, not very comfortable

To be brief, a 124-horsepower pop-bottle. Absolutely horrid pick-up, no lock cylinders on the rear doors (no power lock switches on them, either), gas mileage is not much better than my old 90 Ford Taurus (which was a 3.6 litre V6). It was an impulse buy after my taurus trans blew and I was taking the bus to work.

Similar Products Used:

Hyundai Elantra, Pontiac Sunfire, Ford Escort

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
2
[Nov 12, 1999]
John
Model Reviewed: SL2 (5-Speed)

Strength:

1) Strong engine 2) Luxury amenities 3) Best dealer experience in industry

Weakness:

None significant

No other car in its class offers what the Saturn does. My 1999 SL2 has the twin-cam engine, 5-speed manual transmission, leather seats, casette player with CD changer, and traction control and ABS (try finding BOTH of those on cars in this class!). The dealer has been wonderful, both for this car and my old 1992 SL2 with 120,000 miles on it. Both cars have been extremely reliable. The dealer prices on service are reasonable, and everyone I talk to is trustworthy (I am an engineer for General Motors, so I would know if they were lying). I take both of my Saturns in every 3,000 miles at the scheduled maintenance interval, and the dealer gives the car a wash every time. I may not be picky about the engine noise that everyone likes to complain about on Saturns, but I think it's not an issue. The Sunfire GT we looked at was definitely louder. Saturns are wonderful cars that hold their resale value.

Similar Products Used:

1) Pontiac Sunfire (too unreliable) 2) Chevrolet/Geo Prizm (too cheap inside)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 27, 1999]
Ms.Bassett at Ridge View High School
Model Reviewed: SL1

Strength:

Because the car is small, it is easy to maneuver.

Weakness:

The car can't go up hills!!!!! There is very little horse power.

Overall the car is adequate; however, I don't believe I will ever purchase another Saturn again. There are many more better cars on the market. Thank you for your time.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
Showing 211-220 of 252  

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