Relay [Archive] - SaturnFans Forums

Spazie

09-28-2004, 04:59 PM

I think most of the buyers will probably be people who are out buying a minivan and don't really have an opinion either way about Saturn. Hopefully they'll be blown away by Saturn's superior customer service and therefore pick the Relay over the other identical models under different names.

If I were in the market for a minivan, I'd personally rather buy a VUE than a Relay. But I'd take a Relay over a Pontiac or a Buick any day!

wlhawk

09-28-2004, 05:32 PM

The initial relay owners will be former saturn owners.

John10

09-28-2004, 07:02 PM

I also think most Relay customers will be repeat Saturn owners. One constant theme I have heard from sales consultants over the years has been how customers already very happy with Saturn wish Saturn produced a larger capacity people mover. I believe that the Relay will do that at a low development and production cost to the company and at least provide a Saturn alternative until the next generation of mini-van derivative arrives on the scene.
I am amazed at how many multiple Saturn housholds there are within a few miles of where I live. Having a minivan available will create more IMO

piney

09-28-2004, 07:25 PM

They will come from current Saturn owners but there will not be too many winovers from other brands.

They won't sell a lot of them - not with the non-competitive prices while its siblings offer rebates galore and whatnot to move theirs.

Wonder how kind the car rags will treat it compared to its competition from the Orient?

John10

09-28-2004, 07:35 PM

Originally posted by piney
They will come from current Saturn owners but there will not be too many winovers from other brands.

I wonder how many mini-van customers Saturn has lost because they didn't come out with a mini-van somewhere around 1994.

piney

09-28-2004, 08:41 PM

Originally posted by John8
I wonder how many mini-van customers Saturn has lost because they didn't come out with a mini-van somewhere around 1994.

Probably quite a few but the Relay and its sextuplets are based on a early 1990s platform and chassis & powered by a early 1990s motor... the next best thing to actually having one on the market back then :dazed:

04AWDV6VUE

09-28-2004, 09:21 PM

Most Relay owners will be previous Saturn owners. I read some where that was one of Saturn's main objectives with the Relay. Saturn wanted a 7-Passenger vehicle for Saturn owners who needed such a vehicle, then they wouldn't have to leave the Saturn brand.

................
'04 AWD V6 VUE (Current)
'00 SC2 (Former)

Galileo

09-29-2004, 06:39 AM

Like 04AWDV6VUE said, this is stop-gap vehicle to keep current customers in the Saturn fold. I've been told that Saturn's first model year sales goal for the Relay is quite low... under 30k. ;) It'll be nice for Saturn to compete in a new market but at least they're being realistic about how good the competition is this time around. I'm still excited to see the interior since it's supposed to showcase the high quality direction of future GM interiors.

haypops

09-29-2004, 10:02 AM

Originally posted by piney
Probably quite a few but the Relay and its sextuplets are based on a early 1990s platform and chassis & powered by a early 1990s motor... :

Isn't the motor new for 2004 just like Chysler's hemi.

unkle bik

09-29-2004, 12:05 PM

Without sounding too negative, I think it will last about as long as the L-Series.

I don't find anything unique or innovative about the Relay at all. It looks like a half-baked attempt to get Saturn into the minivan market. However, ten years, too late.

You would have thunk Saturn would have stuck to their guns and at least kept the polymer panels. Chevy had em for Chrissakes.

Sorry, guys.
Just my .02.

EnglishSL2

09-29-2004, 12:33 PM

I think the Relay will sell to a mix of old and new customer. How many will be sold is a different matter entirely, but I hope it sells well for Saturns sake.

I don't mind the Relay. It's not a traditional Saturn, but it seems like a fairly good product all the same.

Qlara

09-29-2004, 05:01 PM

I think they should drop-in a Honda V6 to the Relay, then more potential Odyssey/Sienna customers will buy Saturn.

eRic 02sc2

09-30-2004, 08:20 AM

they could put an ls2 (400hp v8) in the relay, but i still won't buy one ;) i'm not in the market for a van.

02OrangeSC2

09-30-2004, 10:05 AM

Originally posted by eRic 96sc2
they could put an ls2 (400hp v8) in the relay, but i still won't buy one ;) i'm not in the market for a van.

Hey, RELAY REDLINE

rossao1

09-30-2004, 10:34 AM

"The Redline Relay" I like that. A Honda V6 and the extra oomf from the 4wd and a super charger. O yeah, Now that would be different!

Are you listening Saturn?

unkle bik

09-30-2004, 12:07 PM

While the name is catchy,It's still a minivan, rossao.

matt2791

09-30-2004, 04:49 PM

Ick- another SUV... Where's the convertible?

haypops

09-30-2004, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by matt2791
Ick- another SUV...

SUV? who said anything about a SUV?

walt

10-01-2004, 07:41 AM

GM did not have to pay some big shot executive hundreds of thousands of dollars to figure this one out. The rebadged Montana is not going to be a big hit in the Mini Van market whether it wears Saturn, Buick, or Pontiac badges.When Car and Driver,and consummers get done picking them apart I think sales will be average to what the Montana is now. If GM was serious about going after the Mini Van market they should of built something from the ground up.

TheAntiBob

10-01-2004, 04:34 PM

What many are misssing is the price of the Relay. This vehicle is very well equiped for what you pay.

The price gap between the Relay and say the Toyota and Honda is huge. So what if it doesn't have the latest trick motor. Toyota is getting beat up by owners who have had major failures under warranty. (oil gelling) And Honda sure doesn't have a sterling reputation for their transmissions either.

tosil

10-02-2004, 02:15 AM

I think the Relay is the best looking out of the four GM minis...same goes for the inside. My 01 SC2 is getting pritty small for me, so the Relay would be great for me. I like to camp, travel, even cruise with friends, I might even have a kid soon, so a van is the best bang for the buck right now..... I've driven a 2000 Montana, and liked the ride, but the transmission on that vehicle failed at 170000 km. Brother in Law should have not bought that POS, I'm convinced it was an ex-rental.

cdp326

10-03-2004, 01:33 PM

the platform is early 90s? i thought the platform had been new in 1997...hmm...the engine isn't new, it's revised, i think it's an evolution of the original then-new V6 from the 1980 X-cars i.e. citation, phoenix, etc...we have the essentially same engine as the 3.4 V6 in our montana.

piney

10-03-2004, 05:56 PM

Originally posted by cdp326
the platform is early 90s? i thought the platform had been new in 1997...hmm...

While the platform was released in 1997, it takes 4 or so years for GM to throw a platform together - so, while it was released in 1997 it is early1990s engineering.

cdp326

10-03-2004, 07:11 PM

the original GM vans of 1990 were to have a swing up door (a la tailgate) instead of a sliding one, but that was deemed to be "too impractical." wimps. why couldn't they have made, say, a scissor door that swings like a lamborghini? that would be cool, and mostly practical.

piney

10-03-2004, 07:22 PM

Originally posted by cdp326
the original GM vans of 1990 were to have a swing up door (a la tailgate) instead of a sliding one, but that was deemed to be "too impractical." wimps. why couldn't they have made, say, a scissor door that swings like a lamborghini? that would be cool, and mostly practical.

Except for when GM's notoriously weak and short lived shock arms go out and cut junior in half.... they just have gotten them from the same folks who designed the side saddle tanks on the C/K trucks....

saturncanuck

10-06-2004, 08:35 AM

Originally posted by UNKLE BIK
Without sounding too negative, I think it will last about as long as the L-Series.

I don't think that's fair.

The LS / L200 / L300 failed because it was advertised wrong, no advance notice, assumptions that everyone will want one, poor launch. Then, when the car failed via GM's fault, they gave up on it and never supported it.

The VUE launch was better and that does well.

The Relay is being promoted-- in advance -- and is on-track to being launched right and doing well. My worry is the badge engineering. Will people find the "Saturn Way" enticing over buying a Montana / Uplander / Terraza?

I think so, but time will tell........

04AWDV6VUE

10-06-2004, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by saturncanuck
I don't think that's fair.

The LS / L200 / L300 failed because it was advertised wrong, no advance notice, assumptions that everyone will want one, poor launch. Then, when the car failed via GM's fault, they gave up on it and never supported it.

The VUE launch was better and that does well.

The Relay is being promoted-- in advance -- and is on-track to being launched right and doing well. My worry is the badge engineering. Will people find the "Saturn Way" enticing over buying a Montana / Uplander / Terraza?

I think so, but time will tell........

Good point. Very well put. I must have a bad case of Saturnistis...I am getting excited over the launch of a minivan....oh wait...a CSV.

....................
Jake
'04 AWD V6 VUE (Current)
'00 SC2 (Former)

silverplum

10-08-2004, 07:04 PM

I have noticed that the two up level models come standard with a remote starter in Canada. I question such items in this day and age because I see them as just something to waste fuel.

SW2Muck

10-08-2004, 07:56 PM

Originally posted by silverplum
I have noticed that the two up level models come standard with a remote starter in Canada. I question such items in this day and age because I see them as just something to waste fuel.

No doubt! I'm still getting over the novelty of not having to step on the gas pedal to start my car! For me, remote start is about as useless as power windows, cruise control, and auto hatches and sliding doors!
Of course, us SubArcticans, (I'm from Buffalo originally), know how to get a car rolling in the winter!
But, in fairness though, is it really possible to get a truly stripped car anymore? I think the old S-Series was one of the last to have a truly stripped model.

Anyway, I'm sticking to my guns, and saying that only Saturn diehards will buy this as really it offers absolutely nothing unique from the competition and the Kia Sedona is still cheaper and better looking. I'm sorry, most people could care less about remote start and that isn't going to sway many people to buy these "CSV's". Haypops gave me a decent argument for it in a previous thread, but still if you want a really quick cool-down in hot climates, get dual-air! Its not that hard to twist a key!

I'll put it this way, I want the Relay to do well because I like Saturn, not that I like the car itself.

saturncanuck

11-08-2004, 10:50 AM

I have noticed that the two up level models come standard with a remote starter in Canada. I question such items in this day and age because I see them as just something to waste fuel.

If the people buying Mini-Vans (and SUVs) were concerned about fuel ecomy, they wouldn't be driving a 3.5L V6 to haul around the kids and the dog.

:dizzy:

haypops

11-08-2004, 11:20 AM

I suppose everythning is relative, but I would argue that minivans are a reasonable alternative to 5 liter SUVs. The minivan is actually just a midsize front wheel sedan mechanicaly, that is more functional.

ricksLS1

11-08-2004, 11:48 AM

Now if Saturn could rebadge an Odessey as a Saturn :D Many are buying the VUE and buying so because of Honda's reputation. Some VUE owners even want to put powred by Honda on it. I feel sorry as the Relay is to little and late to the party compared to the competition like was stated before with the L.

SpeedPlayer 97sl2

11-08-2004, 05:11 PM

I think it will sell okay. It's tough competition out there with the new Odyssey and Sienna. The Quest hasn't been doing too well since its redesign, and the Chrysler/Dodge twins, while doing well, have lost A LOT of market share to the Odyssey and Sienna in recent years. Don't know how receptive people will be to the upcoming Mazda MPV replacement (some people may find this new Mazda attractive for its smaller size).

I think Ford's Windstar/Freestar has fallen off the map.

Caprice

11-08-2004, 05:33 PM

I think they should drop-in a Honda V6 to the Relay, then more potential Odyssey/Sienna customers will buy Saturn.
That would certainly get my attention!

TXVue04

11-09-2004, 01:27 PM

Personally I would just wait for the larger version of the VUE

Why Not

11-09-2004, 10:55 PM

I don't think the Relay is ment to compete with the Honda or the Toyota , it will compare more with the Ford Or Chrysler/Dodge . And by the way alot of VUE buyers don't know or care that it has a Honda V6 .

KenSatrun

11-10-2004, 02:04 PM

No doubt! I'm still getting over the novelty of not having to step on the gas pedal to start my car! For me, remote start is about as useless as power windows, cruise control, and auto hatches and sliding doors!
Of course, us SubArcticans, (I'm from Buffalo originally), know how to get a car rolling in the winter!

I don't care for them newfangled automatic transmissions! And my crank-start car never let me down, although it did break aunti-may's arm once!

Seriously, I think it's just what you're use to. Maybe you value-oriented folks up north of the border don't have any use for power windows, cruise control, etc, but I can't imagine a car without them. I get upset when I don't have remote keyless entry or an outside temperature gauge. More and more convenience items are moving downmarket as they get less expensive to produce and more reliable. And they only do so because people are demanding them.

I too use to think that power sliding doors were useless and prone to breakage. However today I wouldn't get a minivan without them. If you've got small children, they're the best thing since sliced bread! And don't even get me going on the importance of a DVD player. I drove 5,000 miles this summer with a 3 and 5 year old, and could have done more thanks to mr. DVD.

P.S. If I lived in Canada and didn't have an attached garage, you can bet that my car would have remote start on it! It's only $175 on a RELAY - sounds like a deal to me.

cdp326

11-10-2004, 03:02 PM

here's a few tidbits hehe :p:

1-the 25 gallon fuel tank. Our montana, being the same design, goes to that full. the SWB model's went to 20 gallons but those models seem to be dropped. as if they didn't have the structure available :rolleyes: SWB minivans aren't bad!! why do people not buy them??? how often do they use the 3rd row anyway??? it's already more comfortable than most SUV's....

2-the fuel mileage EPA on the previous-current generation (what do we call the 97-05's exactly???) was 19/26 w/ FWD and 18/25 with AWD...that was already better than most. if that actually is achieved in civilian use (heheh :p) with the 25 gallon fuel tank it should have a good range, albeit average for the class. it will still be better than any ford or kia minivan.

3-remote start is a good way to help get your car warming up and cooling off if you're on your way to it say, from the parking lot.

sl2_00

11-12-2004, 12:21 PM

ya, sorry have to side with the "WTF" crowd here :whoa:

Galileo

11-13-2004, 09:19 AM

So my local retailer (Saturn of York, PA) has sold 3 of the first 4 Relay's in it's first week on the ground here. The first one was purchased as an additional vehicle to a couple with a Saturn so there was no trade-in vehicle. The second customer traded-in their full-size Chevy conversion van. The Last customer is trading-in their Ford Windstar. Just thought this would be relevant to the thread. Go Relay! :D

Kahakeaboi

11-30-2004, 02:13 AM

GO RELAY! Now if only our retailer could get theirs! Come on, how hard is it to send a few over to Saturn of Honolulu!?!

Aaron

ChgoBlues

12-08-2004, 09:59 PM

I think they should drop-in a Honda V6 to the Relay, then more potential Odyssey/Sienna customers will buy Saturn.

As much as everyone would want this, goes against the agreement with Honda and yes, would put the Relay in direct competition with the Odyssey. However, the number of engines GM gets through the agreement doesn't allow for both the Vue and Relay to harness the power this motor puts out. The V6 installed is rated at 200 hp and still has the same towing capacity of 3500 lbs the Honda V6 does but the architecture is proven and realiable, something very important to GM and Saturn right now. Saturn cannot not have any more "failures" in product when they are trying to expand the brand.

piney

12-09-2004, 10:49 AM

As much as everyone would want this, goes against the agreement with Honda and yes, would put the Relay in direct competition with the Odyssey.

Ummm, have you seen the space and efficiency of its use in the new Odyssey?? It is light years roomier than the Relay and its close cousins. :yes: The Relay is being marketed as a people mover not a minivan since it clearly does not hang with the benchmarks of today's minivan. :no: The build quality is excellent as well. I'm a Saturn fan but not blindly loyal to the point of overlooking the obvious. :us:

davidsky

12-22-2004, 07:30 PM

walt

01-15-2005, 06:17 PM

Some of us may be eating some crow from what Im hearing. Sales are good,Im surprised,I thought the public would of went for the newer imports. :blockhead

haypops

01-15-2005, 06:21 PM

Those new imports can be quite pricey. I am a van fan, but I dont know that prices approaching $30,000 would attract me at all.

Specialist

01-17-2005, 09:54 AM

Isn't the motor new for 2004 just like Chysler's hemi.

GM would like you to think the 3.5l 60°V6 is brand new. However, it is a "freshened" version of the LA1 (3.4l) / LG8 (3.1l) that traces their history back to the 1980's 2.8l.

The new "refreshened, refreshened" LZ engine series is coming out soon in a 3.5l/3.9l form. They feature variable cam phasing and a true water cross over to help get rid of the lower intake gasket sealing issues. The LZ's were to have a displacement on demand technology - we'll have to wait and see what they launch later this year.

tableforSeven

01-18-2005, 09:35 AM

Hello all -
I'm new here....just bought my Relay yesterday.

To answer the question from personal experience -- I'm a returning Saturn customer. My husband and I had 2 Saturns years ago...but haven't been able to fit into one for a long time. We have 5 kids - and have needed a mini-van since our 3rd child was born.
We needed a new mini-van and looked at evey one out there -- and liked what we saw in the Relay the most. :)

haypops

01-18-2005, 09:41 AM

tablefor7: Welcome back! :)

Galileo

01-18-2005, 09:42 AM

tableforSeven

01-18-2005, 10:43 AM

Fantastic... welcome back to Saturn and this forum! What color is your Relay? What was the feature(s) that made you choose it over the competition? I'm looking forward to reading your posts since the Relay is a brand new model and market for Saturn.
We got the green with tan-cloth seats. It's a Relay 2.
One thing I really liked was the roominess of the interior. Also - with the cloth captain's chairs in the second-row being smaller - there's a good amount of room for my 3 older kids to get in and out of the back without having to climb over anything (we have carseats in both middle-row seats...so we can't fold them down for easy acess to the back). There's no tray in the middle row to fold down and we opted not to get the 'toy box'...this just works best for us.
My kids like the DVD....of course. ;)

I admit - the 'trunk'-space could be better....but I'm a packing-pro so trips should be ok...even with 5 kids.

Wanted to add:
I wasn't looking to get automatick-sliding doors...but we do have one - passenger side (drivers side sliding door is manual)...I'm definately enjoying it already -- no more getting out in the cold to get my girls out at the school.
Also - my Relay has the auto-start...with temps below zero this morning -- I certainly liked starting my van through the livingroom window :p and having it warm when the kids and I got in. :)

Kahakeaboi

01-18-2005, 02:30 PM

wow! Congratulations, table for seven. Good choice. the green is nice. That was the first one our retailer got in here, on Oahu. I hope you will enjoy your Relay for years to come! And best of all, welcome to the boards and welcome back to the saturn family!!!

Aaron :-)