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Saturn Relay Car Review
What do
you get when you cross a SUV with a mini-van? General Motors calls it a
"Crossover Sport Van." In particular a Saturn Relay Crossover Sport
Van. Although it sounds outrageous as a concept, in reality it works
quite well. MSRP begins at $23,770 US for the Relay 2 and runs to
$29,885 for the Relay 3 with all wheel drive.
Not wanting lose the macho consumer who is married to the SUV image,
and knowing that room for seven and a dog or two are important to
families, General Motors did what any company would do; they put a SUV
nose on a van body. Thus those people who dig the SUV look and need the
convenience and safety of a van can have it all. And, to be honest, it
isn't a bad idea. Better yet, you get about 20 mpg on unleaded, the
superior safety ratings of a passenger van, and the owner doesn't have
to worry about your neighbors thinking they bought a mommy mobile.
Regardless
of how you feel, this is a as mainstream as any product GM has produced
and whey you throw in Saturn's dealer friendly ratings consumers just
might have a good reason to look at this new arrival with interest.
Besides, don't be surprised if Saturn places some outstanding lease
rates on the Relay to get them out there. We have heard of zero down,
39 month, and under $400 a month deals.
In reality, the Relay is essentially the same design as the Buick
Terraza, Chevrolet Uplander, and Pontiac Montana SV6. All of these
vehicles have a variety of tried and true features such as seats for
seven, a folding and removable second-row of bucket seats, and a 50/50
split folding third row bench seat that folds into a bay in the floor.
Our test vehicle also had power sliding side doors. One very important
factor with these doors is to check on make sure they stop if they
encounter an obstacle. Power doors are a superior option, but only if
they stop immediately when they meet resistance.
Mom's view: I liked the look of the Relay, and it had a quiet ride. The
inside is typical for a mini van with lots of storage, an available
entertainment center that is very well thought out, and good
visibility. It is a pleasant layout with some nice cosmetic touches,
but nothing that is going to fool you into thinking you are driving an
upscale vehicle.
Since these vans or whatever you want to call them are about families
the ease of moving the seats around is very important. The second row
seatbacks can tip forward and they are easy to unlock. However, you
need a strong arm to flatten the floor for that 135 cubic feet of room
to be most usable. The seatbacks on the rear bench are divided in two
and fold down separately. This is not so easy to do without practice.
You can remove the rear bench seat, but it is heavy. One option I did
not like was the multi-section cargo organizer that greets you when you
open the rear hatch. It has lids that fold up and give you a place to
put your packages. The problem is that it is too high for me to easily
reach. I think GM needs to hire shorter women.
Of the two trim levels, Relay 2, and the Relay 3, I would go for the 3
and its much more useful equipment level. I like power-operated sliding
doors because if you park on a hill it is very difficult to open and
shut them without this feature. It is also so handy to just push the
key fob and have the doors open when you arrive with shopping bags in
hand. I feel safer with this option, too.
Dad's
view: More power. It is as simple as that. The Relay uses the
ubiquitous 200-hp V6 and 4-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel
drive set-up, but you can also order all-wheel drive. The weakness is
the engine. The 200-horsepower has trouble initiating acceleration with
the 4300-pound Relay. The trade off is regular gas mileage around 22
mpg, which is quite good, but can't match the power or fuel stinginess
of the competition. If you order the all wheel drive be prepared to pay
at least a ten percent penalty in gas mileage, but it is still better
than any SUV that has the same room the Saturn offers.
Many people stopped and asked us about the Relay. The public clearly
liked its clean looks. But the question they most asked, after finding
out it was a Saturn, was if it had plastic side panels. It is
interesting that individuals
hold this feature in such high acclaim. The answer is that this is
Saturn's first all-steel sided effort and clearly readies the consumers
for more of the same.
General Motors has anchored the Relay on its revised GMT-200 minivan
chassis that it stretched nine inches. It works well, and is a nice
setting for the all wheel drive option that those in snowy climes might
consider. Either way you can tow up to 3500 pounds.
Driving in traffic is drama free. The brakes are a little soft to my
liking, and the ride borders on luxury rather than sport, but other
than that this is an excellent family oriented ride. The front
suspension is independent with MacPherson struts and coil springs and
the rear has an open-section twist axle with integrated stability bar
on the front wheel drive model, and an independent double wishbone
suspension in an aluminum cradle for the all wheel drive model. The
steering is rack and pinion system and the feel appropriate for such a
heavy vehicle. You don't want an overly sensitive steering response
when you are driving a heavy vehicle. That overboosted steering is what
causes so many SUVs to topple over as drivers overcorrect because the
wheel feels so disconnected from the road feel. Once we drove a huge
and gas guzzling Lincoln Navigator in Seattle in the rain when someone
cut in front of us and slammed on the brakes. I knew the lanes on both
sides were vacant and so I quickly turned the wheel knowing that the
huge weight of the Lincoln would never allow me to stop in time. The
wheel felt like it was not even connected as the Lincoln swayed into
the next lane and would have kept on heading for the shoulder if I had
not used the power of the engine and a slight steering adjustment to
straighten the beast. A less experienced driver would not have been so
lucky in this top-heavy vehicle. Naturally, as I passed I prepared my
best evil eye for the careless driver. Despite the rain, the driver was
not paying any attention to me as she applied eyeliner and held a cell
phone to her check with her shoulder. Anyway, with the Saturn Relay
such an emergency maneuver would be easier, but not less dramatic so I
recommend you consider the stiffer suspension.
General Motors calls its all wheel drive system Versatrak. It operates
in front wheel drive to save fuel until the wheel sensors detect
differences in tire rotation between the front and rear wheels. At that
time it immediately can transfer some engine power away from the
slipping wheels. In other words, this is not your get out and turn the
Warn hubs type of system and it is not designed for heavy off road use.
Honda, Chrysler, and Toyota all make superior minivans to the Saturn,
but they don't offer the unique appearance, versatile DVD system, or
the dealer network that Saturn has created. Another plus is that they
have a one-price system which seems to appeal to families shopping
together. I think that if the kids get into this van it is going to be
hard to get them out of it.
Young
working male's view: Strange brew, this Saturn. The bold, but clean
front end, is married with the traditional minivan rear and it takes a
while to assimilate. You sit quite high, get a nice look at what you
are about to pass over, and have a little table besides you to place
bits and pieces that are unbreakable because at the first sharp curve
or stop the assembled items pretty much follow the force and hurl
themselves, lemming style, to the floor.
The coolest thing about this van is that entertainment center. We are
talking major fun. The overhead console that houses the system slides
on rails so that those in both rows can see as well as the second row
crowd. In addition, the DVD based center is offered with a PhatNoise
mobile digital media system. What that means Phat-heads is that you can
store dozens of movies and thousands of MP3 tunes there. And, if you
are bored, there is also a 115-volt outlet to plug in your games,
laptops, and whatever else you dream of. This is really going to be a
great place to subdue the kids.
Young working woman's view: At present I am uncertain of the Relay. It
certainly offers a conflicting range of standard safety features and
options. For example, ABS, a year of OnStar, and front airbags are
standard but traction control is not, and they don't offer side
airbags. Saturn offers some quite unique features too such as remote
starting, rear park assist, which I highly recommend, dual sliding side
doors, a sport suspension, and XM Satellite Radio. Add to that list all
wheel drive, the standard and quite dynamic DVD entertainment center
with its infrared wireless headphones, and even folding center trays
for both the front and second row passengers is available. That is a
remarkable offering of features.
Standard equipment includes air conditioning, a remote keyless entry
system, cruise control, power to the driver's seat, power controls for
door locks and windows, heated external mirrors, an audio kit with
AM/FM/CD/MP3 and six speakers, plus the backseat DVD video unit. For
this very well priced Saturn you also get quad bucket seats, air
conditioning, cruise control, power windows and door locks, remote  opener, rear air conditioning and heater, outside temperature indicator, compass, and even a universal garage-door opener.
In other words, you are going to have to make a lot of decisions before
buying this Saturn. I highly recommend the Rally 3 and the sport
suspension, though, because it is just easier to live with on a daily
basis. I also wish that General Motors had put a little more engine
under the bonnet, or, at least a five speed automatic transmission in
this new van to help move its 4300 pounds.
In my business oriented mind Saturn still retains it one price strategy
and continues to get high customer service ratings. As such, this is a
nice family fit and certainly well priced and thus appealing to those
who frequent Saturn show rooms especially since it offers so much more
safety and convenience than large SUVs. I don't know how Saturn is
going to market it, but as noted elsewhere in this review, look for
some dynamic lease rates.
Family conference: This is a good cross over min van, but it still is
not up to the competition in terms of performance, handling and ride.
However, it is well priced and offers the Saturn dealer reputation,
which is a worthwhile consideration. The exterior isn't bad, the
available all wheel drive makes it handy for those who live in
inclement weather areas, and the multimedia storage and display unit is
superior. We would have liked to see standard side curtains and a power
tailgate opener.
Overall, this is a good move for Saturn to expand its line-up with the
least risk and expense. It has a distinct look and very family friendly
interior. We were sort of hoping that Saturn would have been given the
3.6-liter V6 in the new Buick LaCrosse that provides 240 horsepower at
a lower rpm to help move the Relay when it is fully loaded. However, as
it now stands, this is good value and worthy a trip to your Saturn
dealer. Do your homework and head to the Saturn story to start your
Relay (We couldn't resist).
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