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Driving Impressions
The Saturn Outlook offers a nice ride and it feels stable on the road. To gain interior space, the Outlook uses a long wheelbase with short overhangs as well as a wide track. Pushing the four wheels out to the corners like that also results in a better ride and more stability on the road. The overall weight of 4,700 pounds contributes to that smooth ride, though that weight pales in comparison to that of a 5500-pound Tahoe.
The 3.6-liter engine handles the weight, with 275 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. That torque peaks at a conveniently low 3200 rpm, so the acceleration happens early. While never felt the need for more power. The acceleration was always there, and at 80 miles per hour it felt very smooth and extremely quiet.
Fuel economy compares easily beats that of traditional SUVs and compares well to smaller crossover SUVs. The Outlook's EPA-rated 16/24 mpg City/Highway (16/22 mpg with all-wheel drive) is comparable to that of the Ford Edge with its similar and comparable V6, but the Edge is smaller and only seats five.
Steering and handling is above averagefor a vehicle this size, a benefit of its car-like structure.
The six-speed automatic works well and usually left it in Drive. However, a button on the side of the shift knob can be pressed with your thumb for manual shifting when driving in changing terrain or in traffic. We enjoyed using the manual feature and liked the tight gear changes.
The all-wheel-drive system sends 60 percent of the power to the front wheels and 40 percent to the rear on dry pavement, and adjusts that ratio when the sensors detect slipping. That 60-40 split is more balanced than most; some systems are heavily balanced to the front, some as much as 95-5. The Outlook's system is better balanced than those.
It's not uncommon to detect a difference in the ride, between a front-wheel- drive and all-wheel-drive version of the same vehicle, and it's usually the front-wheel- drive that's smoother. In this case, we think the front suspension of the AWD model felt tighter and less jouncy, firmer and more comfortable at the same time. That contributed to the good handling.
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