1996-2002 Saturn Sedan/Wagon: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

Saturn sedans and station wagons got a fresh look for 1996. Coupes took another year to get their equivalent redesign. Front and rear styling on the sedan echoed Saturn's initial themes, but the sedan got a more rounded roof, which created more head room for front and back seats. As before, all vertical panels (doors, fenders, and front/rear fascias) were made of plasticlike polymer material. The roof, hood, and trunk were made of steel. Lower-level models wore graphite-colored bumpers, whereas bumpers on upscale models were body-colored. Wheelbase of both the sedan and wagon was unchanged at 102.4 inches, but the new bodies were slightly longer and narrower. Doorways were enlarged. Dual airbags again were standard, and front seatbelts were now height-adjustable. Engines were carried over from the 1991-95 generation. A 100-horsepower, single-camshaft 1.9-liter 4-cylinder went into the SL and SL1 sedans and the SW1 wagon. A dual-overhead-cam version, rated at 124 horsepower, went into the SL2 sedan and SW2 wagon.Optional antilock brakes now included traction control, whether the car was equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission or the optional 4-speed automatic.