Saturn S-Series

The third generation Saturn SL2

The Saturn S-Series was a line of sedans, coupes, and station wagons. They were produced by Saturn, which was a part of General Motors from 1985 to 2010. They were produced from 1990 to 2002, and were sold as 1991 to 2002 model years. These Saturn cars were known for polymer body panels, a body-on-frame design not usually done for compact cars, and their mostly unique design almost completely separate from General Motors-- an unusual move for a GM brand.

The Saturn S-Series came in three generations. The first generation was from 1991 to 1995. The second generation was from 1996 to 2000. The third-- and final-- generation was from 2000 to 2002, when the Saturn S-Series was then discontinued.

First Generation

From 1990 to 1995, the first generation Saturn S-Series was produced. Notable features of the first generation S-Series include:

• "Floating roof" design (the roof does not curve back to connect to the body)
• Presence of the generic "SL" trim level with the less powerful LK0 engine and manual transmission only
• A different gauge cluster in the SC trim models (briefly)
• Pop-up headlights (on the SC, then SC2 models. SC1, all SL, and all SW models never featured pop-up headlights)
• Mention of an SL3 model in owners' manuals. No SL3 model would ever come out, but concept versions were made. These concept versions were speculated to have been equipped with in-house 6-cylinder engines. These inline six engines would be unique for having five valves per cylinder, producing about 250 horsepower out of 2.5 liters of displacement

First generation 1993 to 1996 Saturn SC2

The first generation began sales as a 1991 year model and ended as a 1996 year model. SL and SW models entered their second generation in 1995, but the SC models remained first generation until 1996.

The first generation models could be bought as:

• SL (1990-1995) featured the LK0 engine, making 85 horsepower and 107 pound-feet of torque. It could only be bought with the Saturn MP2 5-speed manual transmission. It could not be bought with many of the features available on higher trim levels. It had black front and rear bumpers.
• SL1 (1990-1995) featured the LK0 engine and could be be bought with the MP2 or MP6 4-speed automatic transmission. It could be bought with features like power steering, a passenger mirror, and a cassette player. It also had black front and rear bumpers.
• SL2 (1990-1995) featured the LL0 engine, making 123 horsepower and 122 pound-feet of torque. It came with the MP3 5-speed manual transmission or the MP7 4-speed automatic transmission. The bumpers were body-colored, which was not the case for the SL and SL1. It also had larger wheels (15 inches.)

• SC (1990-1993) featured the LL0 engine. It came with the MP3 5-speed manual transmission or the MP7 4-speed automatic transmission. It had two doors, pop-up headlights, and a shorter wheelbase (distance between wheels) than sedan models. These contributed to sharper handling and a more aggressive appearance.
• SC1 (1994-1996) featured the LK0 engine, could be be bought with the MP2 or MP6 4-speed automatic transmission. It came with the front bumper from the SL models. Because of this, the SC1 did not have pop-up headlights. It was the lightest of the Saturn S-Series models. The 1994 Saturn SC1, according to Kelley Blue Book, weighed 2,279 pounds.
• SC2 (1994-1996) featured the LL0 engine. It was a continuation of the SC in its internal components (it had the same engine and transmission options,) but had minor changes to the front bumper, making it a bit shorter than the SC.

• SW1 (1993-1995) featured the LK0 engine and could be be bought with the MP2 or MP6 4-speed automatic transmission. It was essentially just a station-wagon version of the SL1.
• SW2 (1993-1995) featured the LL0 engine. It came with the MP3 5-speed manual transmission or the MP7 4-speed automatic transmission. It had body-colored bumpers and weighed slightly more than the SL2 (generally, though it could depend on options.)