1998 Saturn SL SL2 1.9L DOHC 16v I-4 from North America
Summary:
This car is purgatory with a steering wheel
Faults:
Engine sometimes overheats.
Radio only picks up some signals from time to time.
General Comments:
This is a car built in the late 90's with the driving dynamics of a car built in the mid 70's.
It has a thrashy, gutless engine with an automatic gearbox that is just horrid. The engine is so unrefined that it causes nearly every aspect of the cramped interior to rattle, even the seats.
The interior is made entirely of cheap black plastic, nearly all of which is hard to the touch.
The steering is completely devoid of feel, and the weighting is blatantly artificial.
The automatic drains the power from the engine and makes it annoyingly slow. To get the transmission to downshift, one must literally floor the throttle.
The car takes corners like a yacht and the ride is flinty. However, the handling can be blamed on the new tires.
This car is only quiet when the engine is turned off.
Brakes are hard to modulate because the pedal only slows down the car in its last inches of travel. Brake dive and acceleration squat are tremendous.
Only redeeming features: 30mpg, fog lamps, standard daytime running lights, and very legible gauges.
Buyers beware - purgatory is here, and it comes with alloy wheels and a moonroof!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 25th April, 2008
8th Jan 2013, 19:43
Sounds like a perfect college student car to me!