Commentary: Car Lacks Style of Original

With the arrival of Saturn’s first mid-size sedan, company President and Chairwoman Cynthia Trudell calls the opportunity to expand the product line “quite exciting.”

Hers may be the only excitement for the new car.

Visuals of the LS2 are safe, conservative and generic. In a late-afternoon drive around downtown Los Angeles, the ice-cream-white sedan didn’t rate a second glance from pedestrians. Not even a first glance.

Apart from a deep, dramatic chin scoop gulping for air up front, there’s nothing special about the LS look. It lacks the snap of the Honda Accord--particularly the Accord coupe--or the quiet elegance of the Toyota Camry.

Saturn and its original charm, even the distinctive curl to its tail, seem to be disappearing. Like the company, the new car has been brought closer to parent General Motors Corp. until it shows more like a mildly dumbed-down Chevy Malibu.

On the other hand, there are more than 2 million Saturnists out there who really don’t care. That Saturn badge may be enough--just as long as the car delivers reliability, offers minimal purchase and operating costs and is the larger car you were looking for after several satisfying years with an SL1 compact.

Performance, according to LS development engineer Chuck Taylor, is par for the mid-size course: zero to 60 mph in about eight seconds for the V-6 with manual transmission, about 10 seconds for an LS with a four-speed automatic.

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HIGHWAY 1

Paul Dean reviews the Tundra, Toyota’s first entry in the full-size pickup market. Coming Thursday. Section G