2003 Saturn LW300 Wagon

New white-face gauges, brushed-aluminum-look inserts and "European-style" upholstery provide a pleasant, upscale look and feel.

Otherwise, the new L-wagon looks pretty fine to my eye: very Euro and slightly sporty, like a sleek sport sedan with a long roof. Compared to the previous version, the nose and hood are taller, the rear end lower and the fenders more flared for a wider, less wedgy look. New 16-inch wheels (vs. the previous 15-inchers) also contribute substantially to both looks and dynamics, especially the chrome 6-spoke versions on our test car.


Inside, new white-face gauges, brushed-aluminum-look inserts around the radio and heater/AC controls, "European-style" seat upholstery (in fine, gray leather with darker gray soft-touch dash and door trim in our test car) provide a highly pleasant, upscale look and feel. Rear seat legroom is surprisingly good, enough for a tall passenger behind a tall driver.


A few complaints: the speedometer can be a tad tough to read in bright light, and the sound system defaults to nothingness whenever the car is started, instead of what you were enjoying before. The glovebox is deep, and there are two great cupholders between the seats (and two more in back), but door pockets are small, and—with the optional DVD player in the way—there's little console storage. The climate system offers "Auto," "Off" and "Econ" modes but insufficient fan-speed control to keep it from blowing way too much air at its lowest setting.

Rear cargo room is about as expected, with a window-shade security cover and useful hidden storage in the spare-tire compartment underfloor.

Rear cargo room is about as expected, with a window-shade security cover and useful hidden storage in the spare-tire compartment underfloor. The right-side seatback folds forward to accommodate long items (while the left-rear seat remains in place), or both fold forward, though not quite flat, to maximize capacity. While it may be a useful feature for some, we found it annoying that the rear hatch locks itself whether you want it to or not and must always be unlocked for access, even when the doors are left unlocked in your garage at home.


Dynamically, Saturn's L-cars are mostly excellent. Ride is supple, steering precise, handling secure and agile. From the driver's seat, at least when it's lightly loaded, you're seldom aware it's a wagon. I found myself in the center lane at a red light one day, just a few feet away from the freeway on-ramp I needed for a quick vector home. The light turned green, I stepped hard on the gas, the front tires spun, then grabbed, and we rocketed away in plenty of time to signal right and sweep up the ramp before the folks beside me knew I was gone.