1998 Saturn SL SL2 review from North America
"This car is purgatory with a steering wheel"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
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!
Recommended reviews
| A poorly made piece of junk |
|
| A good car if you stay on top of the maintanence.. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.9L DOHC 16v I-4 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 1 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 88000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 112000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 25th April, 2008 |