2008
SATURN NEW CAR MODEL GUIDE
 Originating
as a line of economy cars from General
Motors, today Saturn now offers a variety
of dynamic vehicles including a raucous,
roadster sports car called Sky and a full-size
crossover utility vehicle (CUV) named
Outlook. New to the 2008 line is the Astra,
a sporty three-door and five-door compact
hatchback, and the newly redesigned, mid-size
Vue CUV.
 Aura
Saturn's premium sports sedan — constructed
on GM's mid-size Epsilon architecture
— arrived in 2007. The vehicle continues
this year with two trims, two different
V6 engines and a carload of safety equipment
including curtain-style side air bags.
The Aura XE draws from a 3.5-liter, V6
with VVT (variable valve timing) for 224
horsepower using a Hydra-Matic four-speed
automatic transmission. The Aura XR gets
GM's dual-cam, 3.6-liter VVT V6 with a
six-speed automatic. The model's tastefully
trimmed passenger compartment provides
lots of new amenities and seating for
five.
 Astra
A new compact-class hatchback pops up
in Saturn's 2008 line, appearing in two
configurations — a five-door, sedan-like
version and a sporty, three-door coupe.
The Astra's standard powertrain is GM's
economical 1.8-liter Ecotec dual-cam four-in-line
engine, which makes 140 horsepower in
concert with a standard five-speed manual
or optional electronically controlled
four-speed automatic transaxle. There
are two trim designations for the five-door
Astra (XE and XR) and one trim (XR) for
the three-door Astra. Six air bags, including
curtain-style side air bags, go into every
2008 issue.
 Sky
Saturn's two-seat roadster convertible
is gorgeous with rippled skin stretched
like flexed muscles over a long, broad
structure, which features a prominent
prow, mid-ship cockpit and roly-poly rump.
The convertible top tucks into the rear
compartment and leaves only smooth lines
on the deck. The Sky's 2.4-liter Ecotec
in-line-four engine delivers 173 horsepower.
Mechanical assets include a rear-wheel-drive
(RWD) chassis and independent suspension
designs front and rear using lightweight
aluminum for upper and lower control arms.
GM's StabiliTrak skid controls and a limited-slip
differential come as standard equipment
in 2008, as does XM satellite radio.
 Sky
Red Line
Red Line comes in as a performance version
of the Sky roadster. It packs a punched-up
powerplant, performance-tuned suspension
and special aerodynamic body accents.
The engine for the Red Line is a twin-cam,
2.0-liter Ecotec four-in-line with direct-injection
turbo-charging and air-to-air inter-cooling.
At 130 horsepower per liter, this plant
has the highest specific output ever for
GM. It soars to 260 horsepower. The Red
Line also stocks electronic stability
control (ESC), a dual exhaust system with
polished aluminum outlets, 18-inch polished,
aluminum alloy wheels and brake cooling
vents cut into front fascia.
 Outlook
Based on GM's Lambda platform, the eight-passenger
Outlook CUV drives and handles like a
car, but functions like a large SUV. Inside
the large cabin there are three rows of
seating, plus cargo room at the rear.
Access to the back row is made easier
due to a Smart Slide second-row seat.
The base powertrain is GM's twin-cam,
3.6-liter VVT V6 rated at 270 horsepower,
while the uplevel XR model gives 275 horsepower
and dual exhausts. A fuel-saving, Hydra-Matic
6T75 six-speed automatic transmission
applies, and the Outlook also offers front-wheel-drive
(FWD) or new Active-On-Demand all-wheel-drive
(AWD) traction.
 Vue
Saturn's 2008 mid-size CUV sports new
exterior styling that's sculpted and clean
with large jeweled headlamps up front
and sweeping lines over the roof. The
2008 Vue comes in XE and XR trims, in
addition to a performance-oriented Red
Line and Green Line hybrid electric vehicle
(HEV) models. The Vue XE FWD and the Vue
Green Line stock a 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder
engine worth 169 horsepower, while the
Vue XE AWD uses a 3.5-liter V6 with 222
horsepiower. However, the Vue XR and Red
Line score GM's 3.6-liter V6 with VVT
for 257 horsepower. A traction control
system (TCS) and StabiliTrak go into all
2008 models.
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