Should Saturns Next Midsize Car Be Offered as a Sedan or Wagon?

[Charlie]

Should Saturn's next midsize car, rumored to be called the Saturn V, be offered as a sedan or wagon? Early reports indicated that it would be a sedan, then rumors had it as a wagon only... now Automotive News in its August 4th issue says that the "L-Series will be replaced by a stretched sedan based on Epsilon architecture for the 2006 model year."

Which would you prefer?

Charlie

[FL ION BY]

They need to have a sedan that can really go after the Camry and Accord market.

[swoker183]

Originally posted by FL ION BY
They need to have a sedan that can really go after the Camry and Accord market.

i was thinking the same thing. a sedan would be a good move

[Galileo]

I think the VUE already fills the midsize "wagon" segment in Saturn's product line better than the current L-Wagons anyway..... at least it sells better. An L-Sedan replacement would let Saturn concentrate on the midsize sedan market with a better focus than just a wagon model.

[bibliotech]

Why not both?

[bennett9000]

I want a V6 coupe. Something like the Grand Prix, before the 2-door was phased out, or the IS300, or the 3.2CL, or...well, the Cougar. 4-doors are overrated. Saturn's line, since the demise of the S-series, is becoming more and more geriatric. The Red Line is nice, but there's no substitute for a highway-searing V6 sport coupe. That's why I'm considering a GTP for my next car.

edit: I didn't vote, BTW...

[rossao1]

I voted "wagon".

I don't want an SUV type of car. And I don't want a mini van.

Sedans are OK, but why not offer both?

[eRic 02sc2]

a sport coupe would be nice. coupe as in two doors and a shorter wheelbase than the sedan.

[SpeedPlayer 97sl2]

Both would be nice, but if only one could be offerred...make it a sedan. Not everybody wants a wagon.

[Nuke-Em]

Both!!! Offer an alternative to an SUV and a minivan. Very few automakers produce station wagons in the U.S.

Matt

[thatjerryguy]

A regular sedan (not some stretched Euro-style wagon sedan thing) is a gimme, since Saturn needs such a car to successfully compete in the midsize market. And while I prefer a sedan, I think Saturn should also offer a wagon. I think there's definitely a market for midsize wagons (small now, but it seems to be growing), and Saturn shouldn't give it up just so they can jump back in years later after everyone and their grandmother is building mid-sized wagons. The Opel Vectra wagon is a nice looking car, and since it's built on the Signum's platform, quite roomy. I think it's second only to Mercedes Benz E-Class wagon (in the European market, where there are a lot more wagons) insofar as interior room is concerned. If I were calling the shots, I'd offer Saturn's new midsize line in a sedan and a wagon. And I'd offer a five-door hatchback (think Vectra GTS) as the sporty model, instead of a coupe. Don't get me wrong, coupes are nice, but there's simply no market for them. The coupe market seems to be drying up while the wagon market is revving up. I think the only reason Toyota and Honda offer coupe versions of their midsize models is due to strong Camry and Accord sedan sales. Later I'd offer an AWD wagon along the lines of the Audi All-Road/Volvo Cross Country/Subaru Outback/Holden Adventra.

Yeah, that's what I'd do. :grnjump:

:flag:

[bennett9000]

AWD seems to be where it's going. Nobody will buy a wagon these days, in favor of a van or a spute-depending on their space needs. The "crossover" market is revving up- with the Infiniti FX series, the Nissan Murano, and the Pacifica. It seems to me that a hybrid wagon/SUV is where it's at. Maybe that would be a good move. But a non-compact "station wagon" is suicide for an automaker these days.

[GR898SL2]

I would like to see the L-series replacement come in three flavors: a conventional four-door sedan, a five-door sport sedan with rear hatch, and traditional station wagon, not unlike the European Vectra or Mazda6.

Oh yeah, the Red Line sport sedan gets the high feature V6 from Buick and Cadillac, and is available only with a six-speed manual transmission.:grnjump: (I can dream, can't I?)

If forced to choose, go with the sedan and make five thousand worthy of the Red Line badge on the rear decklid.

:flag:

[Xanatos]

I think it should be offered as a Sedan. Much more attractive. One thing I would also like to see is a Hatch offering resembling the Vectra GTS

[100KSW2]

A midsized sedan is the bread and butter part of the car market, but a stylish and sporty wagon is what I would buy. I prefer it to NOT be tarted up as a faux SUV (Outback, Allroad, the Volvo X-thingy). I need the cargo capacity more than the 4 doors so I would settle for a Saturn that looked like the Chevy Nomad concept of a few years back, which was a 2 door coupe wagon (see picture below). Of course we would not get the Corvette engine from the prototype, but I can live without that. Just don't try to sell me no SUV!

[John10]

Both. Give consumers choice and let the market decide if both can be sustained economically.

[SilverNickelQC]

I would like a mid sized sedan, but maybe its just me but V means 5 in roman numerology so i bet that is what there intentions are. They are gonna make a 5 door wagon/crossover type vehicle. We will see.

[VTHokie00SL2]

Definitely both. Why take away the number of choices?

Well, we know the answer to that question - cost savings. That's why this car won't offer dent resistant polymer panels. Of course, that savings won't be passed on to the consumer. Expect to pay just as much for the car despite the elimination of features such as polymer.

Regardless of what form the car ends up taking, I refuse to purchase a "Saturn" (i.e. rebadged global GM platform) without polymer panels. I realize the competition doesn't offer dent resistant polymer either, but I think it's a shame that Saturn is eliminating that feature. So, just based on principle, I won't support that decision by giving GM any more of my money.

[David 93 SL2m]

I checked off both boxes and voted for both! But if the polymer paneling gets dropped and/or the fixed pricing strategy gets dropped then I might start shopping elsewhere for my future vehicles...

In a way the fixed pricing sort of got dropped when Saturn started offering the various discounts and incentives. Financing was one thing but lowering the prices by different amounts on a monthly basis for different subsets of the car buying population (sometimes overlapping subsets) did away with the fairness of fixed prices.

[PAGuy77]

I think that both options should be offered to the consumers. Give them both a chance to see how they do in the market. Personally for me, I would opt for the sedan considering both of my cars have been sedans.

[mongoos150]

My Saturn dealer told me that Saturn's next two cars will be a hybrid VUE and a minivan.

[youngbishop]

It needs to be a sedan in order to stay with the Big Dog. Also to keep me as a customer, a wagon or a hatch-back will not work for me. If so I will be getting a SUV.