Saturn S-series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saturn S-Series | |
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| Manufacturer: | General Motors |
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| Production: | 1991–2002 |
| Successor: | Saturn ION |
| Class: | Compact |
| Platform: | FF Z-body |
| Similar: | Dodge Neon Ford Escort Honda Civic Mazda Protege Suzuki Esteem Toyota Corolla |
The S-series is a family of compact cars from the Saturn automobile company. This was the first series of Saturn vehicles. The automobile platform used, the Z-body, was developed entirely in-house at Saturn and shared very little with the rest of the General Motors model line. It implemented a spaceframe design, also seen on some Pontiacs, which meant that the side panels did not carry load and could use plastic pieces instead of metal. These polymer panels were dent-resistant—something that has remained a major selling point for Saturn through its later models. The S-series was sold from the fall of 1990 through the end of the 2002 model year, with redesigns in 1996/1997 and in 2000/2001.
The S-series debuted with SC (“sports coupe”) and SL (“sedan level”) models in 1990 as 1991 models. The SW (“sedan wagon”) debuted at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Taiwan and Japan were the only two foreign countries to where Saturns were exported. From 1992 to 1996, the first- and second-generation sedans plus the first-generation coupes were sold in Taiwan. In the late 1990s, second-generation, right-hand drive versions were exported to Japan.
A change partway through the 1999 model year gave the SC a small suicide door on the driver's side. This type of door had previously been used in extended cab pickup trucks, but was an innovation in coupe design. [1]
The S-series was replaced by the larger Saturn ION in 2003, which has yet to match the S-series' success.
Coupes and sedans equipped with a manual transmission were among the most fuel-efficient cars available at the time, reaching 40 miles per gallon (17 km/L or 5.9 L/100 km) in EPA highway tests.
Contents |
[edit] First generation SL/SW
| First generation | |
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| Production: | 1991–1995 SL/SW 1991-1996 SC |
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| Engine: | 1.9 L LK0 I4 1.9 L L24 I4 1.9 L LL0 I4 |
The first generation SL and SW were made from model year 1991 to 1995. The first Saturn to leave the assembly line in the Spring Hill, Tennessee factory was on July 30, 1990. It was maroon with a tan interior. Originally there were two available trim levels. The SL1 trim level featured a SOHC 1.9 L I4 LK0 engine that was rated at 85 hp, which was upgraded to the 100 hp L24 engine for the 1995 model year. The SL2 trim level featured a DOHC 1.9 L I4 LL0 engine that was rated at 124 hp. Both the SL1 and SL2 got 29MPG city, 35MPG Highway. The SL1 and SL2 had a 12 gallon fuel cell, which means that both cars got around 384 miles on a single tank (based on average of 32MPG.) After 1992, the sedan body style also came in a base SL trim level which was mechanically identical to the SL1 but with fewer available options. For model year 1993, the line expanded to include the SW1 and SW2 wagons, which were mechanically identical to their SL1 and SL2 counterparts. All models received an interior redesign for 1995.
All S-series cars were offered with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic transmission. The Saturn transmissions in the DOHC vehicles were geared to enhance acceleration, while the SOHC transmissions were geared toward economy.
There was also a special Homecoming edition of the SL2 which was released for 1994. It had special Pearl White paint, black saturn emblems, spoiler, leather/cloth interior, rear headrests, sunroof and power locks and windows.
[edit] First generation SC/SC2
The first generation SC was made from model year 1991 to 1996. Originally only one trim level, SC, was available, with a DOHC 1.9 L I4 LL0 engine that was rated at 124 hp. For 1993, the original SC trim level was renamed SC2, and an SC1 trim level was introduced. The first generation SC2 received a minor refresh for 1995. The lower front bumper, trunk lid reflector, and interior were redesigned.
[edit] First generation SC1
Introduced for model year 1993, the SC1 was created as a base-level coupe. The SC1 featured a SOHC 1.9 L I4 LK0 engine that rated at 85 hp. The SC1 engine was later upgraded to the 100 hp L24 engine for the 1995 model year. The first generation SC1 was notably different from the up level SC2, with a completely different front fascia lacking the pop-up headlights, and a slightly different rear end lacking a trunk lid reflector.
[edit] Second generation SL/SW
| Second generation | |
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| Production: | 1996–1999 SL/SW 1997-2000 SC |
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| Engine: | 1.9 L L24 I4 1.9 L LL0 I4 |
The second generation SL and SW were made from model year 1996 to 1999. The redesign resulted in a more curved look for the SL/SW, which gave a slight increase in interior room and doorway size as well as an updated appearance. Mechanically, very little was changed from the previous model, though 1996 was the first year for the OBDII PCM.
[edit] Second generation SC
The second generation SC was made from model year 1997 to 2000. For the second generation, the bodies of the SC1 and SC2 became identical, with only subtle paint and feature differences between the models, the most distinguishing being the presence of fog lights on the SC2 models. The second generation SC also moved to the longer wheelbase of the SL/SW models, resulting in an equal wheelbase across all models. The redesign resulted in a more curved look for the SC, which gave a slight increase in interior room and doorway size as well as an updated appearance. Mechanically, very little was changed from the previous model. For the 1999 model year, a small suicide third door was added to the driver's side. This door provides easier access to and from the rear seat. The door's latch is on its front edge, and is thus inaccessable unless the front door is open; this prohibits a user from opening (or closing) the rear door if the front door is not open.[2] An interior redesign occurred in 2000.
[edit] Third generation SL/SW
| Third generation | |
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| Production: | 2000–2002 SL/SW 2001-2002 SC |
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| Engine: | 1.9 L L24 I4 1.9 L LL0 I4 |
The third generation SL/SW was produced from model year 2000 until 2002. The third generation shares the same space frame design as the second generation, but features a redesigned interior and exterior polymer panels, resulting in an addition of 1.2 in to overall length. Mechanically, the car stayed nearly identical to the second generation.
[edit] Third generation SC
The third generation SC was produced from model year 2001 until 2002. Like the third generation SL/SW, the third generation SC remains relatively the same aside from exterior body panels, and using the newer interior introduced in 2000.
[edit] Trivia
The 1995 Saturn SL was the most stolen vehicle in 2003 (a design flaw that allowed the vehicle to be started simply by jamming a screwdriver in the ignition and turning probably contributed to this), while the 1994 SL (with the same flaw) took third place in CCC Information Services's 2003 most stolen vehicle report. [3]
[edit] External links
| Saturn, a division of General Motors, road car timeline, 1990s-present - | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | 1990s | 2000s | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| Compact | S-series | S-series | ION | Astra | ||||||||||||||||
| Mid-size | L-series | Aura | ||||||||||||||||||
| Compact SUV | VUE | |||||||||||||||||||
| Crossover | Outlook | |||||||||||||||||||
| Minivan | Relay | |||||||||||||||||||
| Roadster | Sky | |||||||||||||||||||
