Pretty nice stereo/CD. Peppy acceleration. Gets about 24-25 mpg in suburban/highway driving (with 1-4 people). Interior lights turn off by self (no dead batteries from kids).

Tires not so good -- iffy traction and uneven wear. Electrical system deteriorates -- window buttons and turn signal "stick", headlight lever gets hot! Rear legroom tight (with front seats all the way back). Noisy interior fan. Split fold-down has a big bar blocking hole. Lots of reflection off dash board.

I've had this wagon for almost 3 years now. It's a good family car: it carries 4 comfortably, and 5 if needed; it has room for a reasonable amount of cargo and the "wayback" opening is low with no weird shapes to manuever around. The road visibility is very good: my wife is short and I am tall and we can both see adequately. Good mileage for a big car (powerful V6) and goes 360+ miles on a tank. I added a black mat to the dashboard and some black stripes down the side (to break up the "giant shoe" look). The aerodynamics are a little weird: the windshield gets a lot of impacts and there is a cold draft through the driver's door if the window is open even a little. And turn off traction control in deep snow else you are stuck! Buying the car was largely stress-free although the dealership is too far away (and urban) to make servicing convenient. I'd consider Saturn again, but am not so bonded to the car as to rule out other manufacturers.

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Drove Ford/Dodge/Chrysler wagosn in the 70's. Looked at Subaru, Volvo, and VW before buying Saturn.

One of the better priced stations wagons. No hassle sales sales experience.

Unreliable. Radio buttons don't light up in dark so it is impossible to see the buttons at night.

I would not buy this wagon again. We purchased the 2000 Saturn LW Wagon new. In the less than three years we have owned it, we had to replace the steering column and all four tires because of a problem with rear axel. In addition we have had several other minor issues with the car that have forced us to take it in for service. The mechanic said that they have had a lot of problems with the 2000 Saturn Wagons and strongly encouraged us to call the Saturn Consumer affairs line. In fact he told us 5 times to call the line encouraging us to keep at it until we get satisfaction.

Strong passing power with the V-6. Good handling (after the warranty repair) Looks great)

Lots of warranty work Road noise. Brake shoe dust (replace first set with non-dusty pads will take care of it)

I purchased my Saturn Wagon used from a Ford dealer. It had 25K miles on it. I didn't like the rear wobble and loud noise at high speeds. I suspected the tires, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I went home and researched recalls and maintenance notices. Low and behold there is a defect in the rear axle which requires a warranty repair. Went to the saturn dealer and talked to the warranty guy. Sure enough, they would fix it.. If you can get past the service writers. It's a test of will power. Stand your ground and they'll do it. If you're real good you can get them to replace the tires also, but I opted to split the cost. It's called "Good Faith" payments. It's actually more like tipping the doorman. You take care of them, and they'll take care of you. I like it. But with all the warranty work required I'd say look for something with better reliability

Price. Comfort.

The radiator fan is the loudest i have heard on a non-commercial vehicle. I think this may be what many hear when they complain of road noise.

You wont find a better car in this price range. Plenty of room. Comfortable ride. Trendy appearance.

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Two previous Saturn SL models.

Style, design, price, performace

None to report

Looked VERY HARD to find a wagon we liked. In the Seattle area every other person drives a Subaru Outback so that was the default. Also looked at Passat and Volvo. Hands down this was the BEST VALUE for the dollar. No problems to report right out of the box. The care runs smooth as silk, good power out of the V6. Seats are very comforatable and I think the car is more stylish and sporty than any other (except perhaps the Passat) The upgraded with leather, lamps, and high end stereo is worth every penny. I don''t know how I ever lived w/o seat warmers in the past.

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Outback, Passat, Volvo, Tauras

Great engine response and transmission. The car has plenty of room for a mid sized wagon. The dash and instrument cluster are user freindly and easily visible.

Not enough room for the drivers foot unless you have small feet. The interior materials are too cheap for a good car. The seats could use more support. I''ve had 5 defective parts replaced in 7 months. Based on the continuing problem of defects I couldn''t recommend this car and would not buy another Saturn.

Overall a good deal. The standard equipment and performance make this a better buy than the others in its class. But because of continuing problems, this is not enough to say that it was a good purchase.

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Tested the Subaru Outback.

Ample performance Lots of room Handles well Good buying experience Well priced

Firestone tires are terrible - I put Michelin snows on the car and it handles better!! For summer I''ll get a set of Aquatreads Road noise Seat cushions are a bit short if you are tall, not enough thigh support

Probably the best mid-size wagon deal out there - costs way less than VW, Volvo, etc.. Service has been first rate, quality is good (no defects as of 15000 miles), lots of room and power (V6), good handling. I went from a Caravan to the Saturn and don''t miss the minivan at all. The Saturn handles better, has lots of cargo space - and if you want to load something on the roof, you can actually reach it without a ladder!

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The car looks great and it was a pleasure to buy.

I would not buy another Saturn because I am so frustrated with the service we have received. Maybe after a few years the mechanics will be familiar with this new Saturn?

We have almost put 36000 miles on the car in just over a year, so we''ve spent some quality time with it. It is by far one of the better looking wagons we looked at, particularly in this price range. After spending so much time in the car, though, some things have begun to really bother us--wind noise/tire noise, and uncomfortable seats. Worst of all, we have had a series of minor problems with the car that the dealership (in Jackson, MS) has been absolutely unable to fix. We took the car in 5 times for the same problem (we could not shift out of park). Once it broke in their garage right after we got in to drive it away!

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man i love this v6. im just looking for some little upgrades for it.this car is like a viper compared to a neon. great performance,great handling,comfortable,good styling what else? hell u guys have one u know what im talking about.

well the things i dont like are the wheels get dirty quick, and the gas tank is on the small side

i bought this car used with 12000 miles on it. i was looking to get rid of a neon and went to saturn of savannah and those guys tried to sell me a ls1 for 16500, but i wanted a honda.they had some hondas at beaufort.we called about insurance and the honda was high. so we forgot about it. we went anyway to beaufort to look. they took us over to stokes toyota to look at a minivan and i saw the nose of the lw2 sticking out. i went and looked at it a v6 182hp (hmm this could be good) so we looked at some paper work and said give it to us.overall i am very happy with this car. this car looks and can out perform all the other wagons.

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Great engine, quiet and lots of power.
Auto transmission is silky smooth and shifts at the right places to maximize power and fuel economy.
Fantastic stereo, even without the upgrades
Although there are lots of reviews calling the design "drab" and "dull" I think the LW is one of the best looking sport wagons out there.
Interior design takes some getting used to, but once you do you realize the design is well thought out. All the controls are easy to reach and see.
I'm getting 26-28 mpg with the V6. I think that's pretty good for the power this thing makes.
Buying experience. I was all set to buy a Suburu Outback but the adversarial relationship with the sales force at Balboa Suburu drove me off at the last minute, what a bunch of morons.

Little bit of excessive noise at higher speeds (above 60).
No 5 speed with the V6.
Fold down seatback design sucks! What good is a split seat when you still have that huge bar blocking the space.
Can't wait till the Firestones wear out so I can put some real tires on it, may be part of the problem with the excessive noise at higher speeds.
Service, Although the Retail part of the San Diego dealerships is great, the service departments are the absolute WORST I've ever seen and I've delt with a lot of service departments. Won' buy another Mazda, Love the car, hate Hine Mazda service.
Only reason I'm not giving the LW 5 stars overall is the LOUSY service in San Diego.

VERY GOOD WAGON. I'll admit it, I'm a wagon guy. I've had a Mercury Wagon, a Nissan Maxima Wagon, a Hyundai Elantra Wagon, a Ford Wagon and of all I like the LW best.
I've got just over 13,000 miles in 6 months and like the Saturn more every day. I don't usually get attached to a car, just a way to get from home to work or the airport but this is the first car I've owned that I really enjoy driving.
If you like wagons and want something that is refined but still sporty you've gotta drive the LW 300.

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See Overall Impression above for other wagons owned.
When I bought the LW I considered and test drove the Suburu Outback (nice wagon, All Wheel Drive handles superb, underpowered, horrid buying experience)
Audi A4 Wagon (handles well, noisy, underpowered, overpriced)
Taurus Wagon (Everybody's got one, poor interior design looks like an explosion in a plastic factory, mushy, "old folks" handling)
BMW 3 Series Wagon (Great wagon and what I really wanted, but not that much better of a wagon and at $10K more with all the options I just couldn't justify the price)