I've always been turned off by Saturns for some reason (maybe because they're GM, or simply not that great looking) but I rented one in DC and drove around DC, VA and MD for five days two weeks ago, and was quite pleasantly surprised. This one had all the bells and whistles - door locks,(which lock when you put the car in gear), windows, sunroof, etc.and even a CD player (but I had no CDs with me, dammit). I found it to be a somewhat peppy 4 cyl. and rode well at speed, in fact it felt rock steady at 75 and more. I like the fact of the plastic body parts, ease of entry and exit, and (outside of the slightly numb-feeling steering) a pleasant car to drive. Gas mileage seemed okay - (very) roughly by my estimate - about 24 mpg overall with more emphasis on city driving.
I have no clue how long lasting they may be, but I might even look at the Saturn line before buying a new car.