Update: Impressions after 3,000 miles

Having driven this car for 3,000 miles now, I would like to make some observations beyond my initial review.

After doing some extensive research and test driving 9 different automobiles, I decided on the Saturn LS1. The main reasons for buying the LS1 were:

1. The European family ties. This car is based on the Opel Vectra, the 5 speed manual is the same one used on the Saab 9-5, and the engine was newly designed by Lotus.
2. The engine is smooth for a 4 cylinder. It revs smoothly with increasing torque to about 5,500 rpms. However, I have noticed a decided drop in torque between 5,500 and the redline of 6,500 rpms.
3. Decent Performance. According to Car & Driver, the car went from 0-60 in 8.7 seconds and it did the standing quarter mile in 16.8 seconds at 84 mph.
4. The 5 speed manual transmission has a sporty feel to it. It loves to be shifted and downshifted hard.

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I have found some faults with the Saturn, although not enough to make me regret my decision at all.

The panels inside and out do not fit tightly. I had heard this to be the case with American cars. However, neither of my two Dodge Caravans had a loose panel. One example of this was when I accidently walked into the front bumper panel. I was alarmed at how much it moved. ...almost to the point where I was afraid it was going to fall off.

I've also noticed that the gap between the glove box and the dash is uneven. And, the other day when I was vacuming, I put the nozzle between my seat and the center console; it moved a quarter of an inch.

Inspite of these problems, I have experienced no rattles. In fact the car is very quiet, even on bumpy surfaces. Even with the sunroof open, there is only minimal wind noise. GM put a nice deflector right into the sunroof. So, I wouldn't recommend buying the optional deflector that sits on your roof in front of the sunroof.

Another issue that I have with the fit and finish is with the seat fabric. The outer layer is easily damaged when a rigid article rubs against it.

The seats are very firm and offer excellent sports sedan support. However, the front seats have a disproportionate swell behind the lower back. This makes it uncomfortable to completely lean back in these seats.

Another shortcoming with the seats is that they aren't as substantial as the seats on, say, the Accord. They are about 2/3rds as thick and, as you might guess, they don't feel as strong. Also, the rear seats do not have an adjustable headrest and the built-in headrests are too low for most people.

My only other complaint is with the gas tank. It's only 13.5 gallons! But, somehow Saturn managed to design the overflow mechanism so that the tank will be completely full after the first time the gas pump automatically shuts off. ...no more topping off!

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Now, on to the good...

As far as gas mileage, it is right in line with Saturns predictions 25/32. After hard driving, and running the AC continuosly, the worst reading was 24 mpg. And, my readings for highway driving only (with no AC) were a respectable 31 mpg. That time, I went 396 miles between fillups. Since automobiles generally get better gas mileage after they have reached 10,000 miles, I expect my figures of 24/31 to only go up.

This is definitely the drivers car that I expected. The suspension is very firm and you will feel bumps in the road. The flip side of this is that the car doesn't bounce like some softer riding cars.

Taking turns is a joy. I usually throw it down to second and let the downshift slow it to about 20 mph, then as I'm hitting the turn I gun it and it and let the throttle take the car to about 30 as I'm exiting the turn. It barely leans and it never squeals.

Another thing that I'm falling in love with is the engine. Although you have to give it a lot of throttle to really feel it accelerate, it always does so smoothly. One of my passengers asked if it was a 6 cylinder because he thought it sounded like one. The great thing about this engine is that it never complains when you want to run it hard.

The alloy wheels are beautiful. But, the front disks give off a lot of dust. Which means that you have to take a wet cloth and rub off each of the 20 or so little holes. note: never scrub an alloy or aluminum wheel with anything abrasive because you will rub the finish off and that will make them much harder to clean in the future.

The optional eight speaker stereo with CD and Cassette sounds wonderful. Even without the optional subwoofer, you can get very deep bass out of this vehicle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one to roll down the windows and sit at lights with my car going BOOM BOOM, BOOM BOOM! But, this stereo has given me a new appreciation for music that I haven't had in a long time.

Just as I suspected, the LS1 has an abundance of storage space. The huge trunk can easily handle 3-4 boxes of my sales materials, and a couple of suitcases with room to spare. Both front interior door panels have storage bins that can handle pocket maps, pens and other items. The back of the passenger seat also has a magazine pocket for your big road-maps.

The center console storage bin is just right for my CD case and a Nokia cell phone. It even provides enough of a gap to run your power cord through the opening. And, instead of running the power cord through the cigarette lighter, and having it get in the way of the gear shift, you can plug into an extra power adapter that is behind the console. It even charges when the car is turned off!

The glove box is also huge and can fit much more than the hard-bound owners manual. The glove box and trunk can be locked so that only the main keys will open them. Saturn includes a valet key that will only open the doors and turn the ignition.

I am very pleased with my decision to buy this car. Although I doubt that people turn their heads when I drive by, this is an attractive car. The green paint sparkles like none of my neighbors new cars. It also stands out because it's the only one around. In all of my travels this past month, I have only seen 6 other Saturn L's. 4 of them were in New Jersey, one in DC, and one here in Richmond. And none of them were Green!!

That's it for now. Maybe I'll post another update when I hit 50,000 miles.