Saturn L300 4-door sedan, 2002

America Still Can Build Good Cars!

About twelve years ago I visited a friend of mine in Laprairie, Quebec. He was one of the first Saturn dealers in Canada.

He had a small but very nice showroom; I also liked the way his service area was set-up it seemed that it was very customer oriented.

When he asked if I wanted to take one for a spin, you know that I immediately accepted this invitation and proceeded to the sales department for the key.

The car I was offered to drive was a L-300 4-door sedan. At first glance of this early Saturn I was impressed and two reasons. The first was that I did like the look of this car and the second was that it was manufactured in America.

The car was not fancy in anyway, but looking at it and particularly at the interior I could see that attention to details and care was put into manufacturing this automobile.

After I took it out, my opinion of the Saturn L-300 was, reinforced. I do like that car. The Saturn handles the road very well It is not a race car but it will offer you a very comfortable ride within the city limit and an adequate drive on the highway. I did feel That it could have used a stronger engine but aside from that it was fine.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

I believe that the 2002 Saturn is the type of car that is either liked very much for its exterior appearance or simply will not turn a person on.

I do not think that the lines of this car will displease any one in particular. The line of the 2002 Saturn sort of remind me of the looks the Chevrolet Vega of the mid-seventies and again either people loved the Vega or simply were not turned on by the lines of it.

But no one then disliked the Vega for its looks; some disliked it because of its engine problems and with good reasons.

Well as I mentioned above, it feels good to see that America still can put out a very good automobile that the average person can afford and I think that the Saturn L300 sedan for the model year 2002 is one car that General Motor can be proud of.

THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR

The interior:

The first thing I noticed after sitting in the drivers seat is that even thought this is not a luxury automobile the interior is actually very impressive.

I particularly like the wood grain trims. Yes, they are plastic but the wood imitation does not have the look of cheap plastic.

Being 5 feet 9 inches, I do not have very long legs so felt very comfortable sitting behind the steering wheel. I am not so sure if a person with long legs would feel comfortable going for an extended trip.

The grip around the padded steering felt comfortable and the seat were also easy to adjust to any position a driver may chose.

All the gauges and the controls can easily be seen and reached by the driver and this makes driving the 2002 Saturn a pleasurable experience.

The rear offers sufficient rooms for 2 small passengers to sit comfortably, but again if any one has long legs and is going for a long trip you might consider a few stops for stretching the legs.

The car had a very good sound system that included a CD player; it also had power windows and door locks and adjustable mirrors.

The car was also equipped with an alarm system, I am not certain if it was a factory installed alarm system or an after market but during our 3 hours visit it went off twice in the parking lot of a local restaurant where we stopped for lunch.

The exterior:

I personally like the clean lines of the 2002 Saturn, maybe it will never win a designer prize but this car looks like what a family car should like.

Another thing I like about this year’s Saturn is the bright exterior colors offered to consumers. The one I drove was a beautiful Royal Blue and it was one of the best paint jobs I have seen on a new car in a long time.

I am a bit concern with the side view mirrors; to me they seem to give bigger blind spot than what I would consider safe.

Aside from this the car is very well proportioned and all the components seem to fit very tight.

THE ROAD TEST

I had the opportunity to drive this car for a few hours. Most of the driving was within city streets. I find that the 2001 L300 Saturn to be an excellent car to drive within a city limit. The car handles real well, it cam turn on a dime, it is easy to see in the rear view mirror and parking it is a breeze.

The closest I got to drive it on a highway was the 20 minutes ride on a beltway. It is hard for me to evaluate how it would perform on the highways but that is what is so great about Epinions; probably another member can give his/her thoughts about this aspect of driving the Saturn 2002.

As for the first time I drove the Saturn, I believe that the 2002 version is still under-powered. Not that you would want this car to be a race car but a few extra HP under the hood would go a long way.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

The 2002 Saturn L300 sedan I drove was equipped this way:

Engine: A 6-cylinder, 3.0 liters developing 182 horsepower.
Transmission: automatic.
Brakes: 4-wheels disc brakes.
Wheels: 15 inches alloy wheels.

Amount Paid (US$): Loaned
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Sedan L-300