Saturn Outlook
Encyclopedia
The Saturn Outlook is a crossover SUV
Crossover SUV
A crossover SUV is a vehicle built on a car platform and combining, in highly variable degrees, features of a sport utility vehicle with features from a passenger vehicle, especially those of a station wagon or hatchback.Using the unibody construction typical of passenger vehicles, the crossover...

 that debuted at the New York International Auto Show
New York International Auto Show
The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in New York City in late March or early April. It is usually held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It usually opens on or just before Easter weekend and closes on the first Sunday after Easter...

, and is based on the new GM Lambda platform
GM Lambda platform
Lambda is General Motors' full-size crossover SUV automobile platform. It is largely derived from the GM Epsilon platform, which underlies the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and similar models....

, which it shares with the Buick Enclave
Buick Enclave
The Buick Enclave is a full-size crossover SUV launched in May 2007 as a 2008 model by the Buick division of General Motors. The Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse, and Saturn Outlook all share the GM Lambda platform. The Enclave was previewed at the 2006 North American International...

, Chevrolet Traverse
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a seven/eight seat full-size crossover SUV built on the GM Lambda platform that underpins the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. It is a successor to both the Uplander minivan and Trailblazer SUV...

 and GMC Acadia
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a full-size crossover SUV from GM. The GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook share the new GM Lambda platform. The Acadia went on sale in the United States in December 2006, and in Canada in January, 2007...

. The Outlook features the second-lowest sticker price among GM's Lambda SUVs, slotting between the baseline Chevrolet Traverse
Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a seven/eight seat full-size crossover SUV built on the GM Lambda platform that underpins the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook. It is a successor to both the Uplander minivan and Trailblazer SUV...

 and the mid-line GMC Acadia
GMC Acadia
The GMC Acadia is a full-size crossover SUV from GM. The GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse, Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook share the new GM Lambda platform. The Acadia went on sale in the United States in December 2006, and in Canada in January, 2007...

.

Following the withdrawal of a bid by Penske Automotive
Penske Automotive Group
Penske Automotive Group , headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is the world's second largest automotive dealership group.PAG operates 327 retail automotive franchises, representing 42 different brands, and 26 collision repair centers. PAG is a member of the Fortune 500 and Russell 2000, and...

 to acquire Saturn, the Motors Liquidation Company
Motors Liquidation Company
Motors Liquidation Company , formerly MTLQQ on OTC Pink, was the company left to settle past liability claims from General Motors Chapter 11 reorganization...

 of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...

 announced in September 2009 that it expected to phase out the Saturn brand by October 2010.

Driveline

The Outlook is powered by the 3.6 L V6 DOHC 24-valve
Multi-valve
In automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...

 HFV6 engine
GM High Feature engine
The 3600 LY7 are members of General Motors' new High Feature engine family of modern DOHC V6s. This new family of engines was introduced in 2004 with the Cadillac CTS. Holden sells the HFV6 under the name Alloytec. The High Feature moniker on the Holden produced engine is reserved for the twin...

 with Variable Valve Timing
Variable valve timing
In internal combustion engines, variable valve timing , also known as Variable valve actuation , is a generalized term used to describe any mechanism or method that can alter the shape or timing of a valve lift event within an internal combustion engine...

, available in two versions:
  • XE - 270 hp (198 kW) and 248 ft·lbf (331 Nm) of torque
  • XR - 275 hp (199 kW) and 251 ft·lbf (335 Nm) of torque (dual exhaust)

Both versions use the Hydra-Matic 6T75
GM-Ford 6-speed automatic transmission
General Motors and Ford Motor Company cooperated in 2002 to create a new automatic transaxle, designed for transverse engine applications in cars and light trucks...

 six-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...

, and are available with either front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...

 or all-wheel drive.
TrimEnginePowerTorqueTransmission
XE 3.6 L LY7 V6 270 hp (198 kW) 248 ft·lbf (331 N·m) 6-speed 6T75
XR 3.6 L LY7 V6
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a V engine with six cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of three cylinders, usually set at either a right angle or an acute angle to each other, with all six pistons driving a common crankshaft...

275 hp (199 kW) 251 ft·lbf (335 N·m)

Yearly American sales

Year Sales
2006 144
2007 34,748
2008 25,340
2009 13,115

Seating configuration

The Outlook can seat eight in a three-row setting. The front row consists of two bucket seat
Bucket seat
A bucket seat is a seat contoured to hold one person, distinct from bench seats which are flat platforms designed to seat multiple people. Bucket seats are standard in fast cars to keep riders in place when making sharp or quick turns...

s, and the second row is available as either a 60/40 split-folding three-passenger bench seat
Bench seat
The bench seat was the traditional seat installed in American automobiles. This seat featured a continuous pad running the full width of the cabin...

 or two individual "captain chairs." The third row is a 60/40 split-folding three-passenger bench seat.

In the press release accompanying the Outlook's launch, GM emphasized the "industry first" SmartSlide second row. In case of both bench seat or captain chairs, the seat cushion flips forward while the seat is being slid forward, which allows for "compression" of the space used by the seat in the foremost position. If the third seat is folded, this allows for expansion of the cargo area. The system also allows for fore-aft adjustment of the middle seat to change the spacing between the second and third-row seats for more legroom.

Manufacturing and marketing

The Outlook, along with the other Lambda-based vehicles, was built in the Delta Township Assembly plant near Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...

.

The first pre-production
Pre-production car
Pre-production cars are vehicles that allow the automaker to find problems before a new model goes on sale to the public. Pre-production cars come after prototypes, or development mules which themselves are preceded by concept cars...

 Outlook rolled off the assembly line at the Delta Township plant on May 24, 2006.

In December 2006, all sales of the first batch of the Outlook (and the GMC Acadia) were temporarily stopped due to the engine mounts not having holes drilled to release accumulated water, as well as an issue with potentially faulty rivets in the load floor just forward of the rear hatch. The assembly process was quickly adjusted, and dealerships were told to fix the problems themselves before offering the Outlook for sale again. Sales resumed within days of the notice.

Production of the Outlook was halted in late 2009. However, for a few weeks starting in February 2010, GM resumed production of the Outlook to use up remaining parts. It is not known how or where they were sold.

Crash test ratings

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation...

 (NHTSA):

Frontal:

Side:

The Outlook was an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers, established in 1959 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It works to reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes, and the rate of injuries and amount of property damage in the crashes that...

Top Safety Pick for 2008 and 2009.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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