Honda Pilot vs. Saturn outlook

[MrBiz]

Greetings,

I looked at the Pilot a few months ago and liked them very much. I had to wait before I could purchase one, and during that time Saturn released their new SUV called the Outlook. They are so new that not all of the dealers have them yet. I had an opportunity to drive one of the XE models and I've got to say I was extremely impressed. It has more cargo room than the pilot which I like.

Ok, so now everyone knows that I like both the Pilot and the Outlook.

I would love to hear opinions from anyone that has driven the outlook and compared it to the Pilot.

Thanks in advance,

Biz

[jay]

Are they putting Honda engines in the Outlook like thet are the Saturn Vue Redline?

[BubbleSparkxx]

looks like the outlook is using a 3.6 v6 w/ VVT - i believe it's a european sourced motor given that the Saturn is a badge engineered Opel.

I sat in the GMC Arcadia (twin to the outlook) and I was pretty impressed by it. If it does have a larger cargo capacity than the Pilot, it wouldn't be larger by too much. Very similar in size to our CUV, and quality of the interior materials are leaps and bounds better than any previous GM products. If GM tries to keep these twins price comparable with the Pilot / Highlander / Murano, they should score a pretty big hit with their bread and butter customers - and maybe convert some others back to being domestic owners.

[GreenMachine]

From what I have read, it is substantially larger than the Pilot in terms of cargo room. It also had a 6 speed auto along with a more powerful engine with better gas mileage.

Just have to see how many first year bugs show up.

[tmurphy171]

"You may have read some reports on the web recently about a memo sent by Saturn to retail facilities around the country, asking them to halt sales of the Outlook sport-utilities that are just beginning to arrive on retailer lots (the same request was asked of GMC dealers for the Acadia). At the time, and depending on your source of information, the cause and effect of the "stop sale" was often speculated and sometimes even exaggerated. To put an end to the rumors and confusion, Saturn shared some of the details that lead to their decision to briefly suspend sales of the vehicle on December 8th with SaturnFans.com. According to the company, there were three issues uncovered in Saturn's test fleet that were discovered as part of the company's normal quality control process. GM has worked quickly and proactively to develop a plan for resolving these potential issues. Some vehicles were shipped to stores before the problems were caught, so they couldn't be corrected at the factory. None of the affected vehicles have been delivered to customers, and retailers will fix all of the issues before selling any of them.

Here's a rundown of the issues affecting the Outlook:


The primary issue involves the potential for moisture to not drain properly in engine mounts. In cold conditions, this can cause an issue that could lead to vehicle vibrations. This will be repaired by drilling water drain holes in the mounts.

Saturn is also going to have retailers re-enforce an area where a missed weld in the rear floor plan was found on a limited number of vehicles. While the issue is limited to only a small number of vehicles, Saturn is going to re-enforce all Outlooks to be certain.

While the vehicles are being serviced, Saturn technicians will also check for exhaust coupling that was found to not be aligned properly in some cases.
Production at the plant should have continued today and retailers were authorized to deliver vehicles to customers once the necessary repairs have been completed. A service bulletin detailing the procedures was to be sent out to stores today as well. No parts are required for any of these procedures."

[tmurphy171]

Originally posted by MrBiz
Greetings,

Ok, so now everyone knows that I like both the Pilot and the Outlook.
Biz

Start here if you are not familar with Saturns www.SaturnFans.com

I've owned two Saturns and the quality ranged from the worst car I've ever owned to very good.

[sjlee]

I did a quick comparison on Edmunds for both the Pilot EX and Outlook XR and found these differences:

- Outlook drivetrain warranty 5yr/100k mi vs. 5yr/60k mi
- Outlook rust warranty 6yr/100k mi vs. 5yr/unlimited
- Outlook engine is 3.6L DOHC V6 275HP/251 ft-lbs vs. 3.5L SOHC V6 244HP/240 ft-lbs
- Outlook has 18" wheels vs 16"
- Power outlets in the rear and cargo areas as standard on the Pilot
- Dual front climate zones in the Outlook
- Outlook has a compass standard
- Outlook has ventilated rear disc brakes
- Outlook has DRL standard
- Outlook has turn signals on the side mirrors
- Pilot comes standard with a 6-CD changer
- Outlook has a 40.4 ft turning radius vs. 38 ft
- Outlook has a max cargo capacity of 117 cu ft vs. 88 cu ft
- Outlook highway MPG rating is 25 vs. 22
- Outlook has a 22.4 gal tank vs. 20.4
- Outlook is bigger than the Pilot in every exterior dimension
Length: 200.7" vs. 188"
Width: 78.2" vs. 77.5"
Height: 72.8" vs. 71.7"
Weight: 4936 lbs vs. 4497 lbs
Wheelbase: 118.9" vs. 106.3"
Ground clearance: 7.4" vs. 8"
- Interior dimensions are fairly close in all areas... about an inch or so difference going in each other's favor
- Outlook luggage capacity is 19.7 cu ft vs. 15.9 cu ft
- MSRP for an Outlook XR is higher than a Pilot EX despite both model being similarly equipped

In the end, I think reliability will play a big factor in getting Pilot, Murano and Highlander shoppers to get an Outlook in the long run.

[catsailr]

I just received my new Motor Trend and there was an article about the GMC Acadia. Thought it sounded good until I saw the price as tested was $46k! $10k more than the Pilot. I could buy an MDX for that price. Maybe GM will end up giving a $10 rebate to make it competitive.

[sjlee]

Originally posted by catsailr
I just received my new Motor Trend and there was an article about the GMC Acadia. Thought it sounded good until I saw the price as tested was $46k! $10k more than the Pilot. I could buy an MDX for that price. Maybe GM will end up giving a $10 rebate to make it competitive.

Wow, that price is hefty, but I'm guessing that they model they tested was completely loaded (DVD, Bose system, NAVI, dual sunroofs, 19" wheels, Xenon headlights). Maybe they're going after the MDX rather than the Pilot since they offer many options not available on the Pilot?

[GreenMachine]

Originally posted by catsailr
I just received my new Motor Trend and there was an article about the GMC Acadia. Thought it sounded good until I saw the price as tested was $46k! $10k more than the Pilot. I could buy an MDX for that price. Maybe GM will end up giving a $10 rebate to make it competitive.

I would not be surprised. The new GM pickups are selling at about $500 over invoice already...

[jl_ss]

Originally posted by GreenMachine



I would not be surprised. The new GM pickups are selling at about $500 over invoice already...

That's actually pretty good, given that the truck market has slowed down a lot. Don't know where you got that info but Edmunds currently shows a TMV price of near MSRP for Chevy's Silverado Trucks while there are $2500 rebates on both the Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan. People are also starting to post near invoice deals on the newly redesigned Acura MDX......

[PILOTinginCO]

I took a look at the Outlook over the weekend and must say... it's an impressive vehicle. Even base models have very nice interiors, good plastics and the seats are very functional.

GM did a great job with this vehicle.

[rlapid]

Originally posted by catsailr
Maybe GM will end up giving a $10 rebate to make it competitive.

they're going to have to give back a little more than $10!

[dragoncoach]

Do a comparison after 5 years and see the differences. I think you will be amazed at how much less the Saturn will be worth, the build quality degradation, and how many times it's been in for recalls or warranty issues. I know the Pilot isn't perfect either, but I deem it a wiser choice...JM2C.

[GreenMachine]

Originally posted by jl_ss


That's actually pretty good, given that the truck market has slowed down a lot. Don't know where you got that info but Edmunds currently shows a TMV price of near MSRP for Chevy's Silverado Trucks while there are $2500 rebates on both the Toyota Tundra and the Nissan Titan. People are also starting to post near invoice deals on the newly redesigned Acura MDX......

It was from carsdirect.com. GM also supposedly priced their new vehicles lower so they wouldn't have to have those big rebates. I guess we'll see.

It will be interesting though how the Outlook and Acadia sell in comparison to each other since Saturn and their no haggle pricing policy doesn't sell below MSRP, unless there are rebates. GMC will sell below sticker regardless of rebates or not.