It's more than the length that makes the Outlook look a lot smoother than the Pilot. The Outlook isn't as bold as the Edge, Ford's new five-passenger mid-size SUV, but it's clearly a modern design in the GM family, with rounded edges like the latest Tahoe.
The grille with a wide chrome bar and Saturn logo proudly announces itself, and stands out against a black background. The black airdam at the bottom slices a rigid horizontal line across the chin, and its contrast against the body color makes the fascia look like the edge of a cliff. Large trapezoidal openings for the foglamps look like wicked eyes a cartoonist might draw, and above them the similar-shaped headlamps fill the corners of the car; foglamps are unavailable on the XE, leaving big black holes there. A character groove down the center of the hood finishes it all off. It's a good-looking face.
From the side, the nose is conspicuously short and rounded. The eye moves rearward quickly, as the roof sweeps straight back and appears to be a mere thin sliver at its trailing edge. The dark rear glass takes over, wrapping around about 40 percent of the vehicle, finally stopped by a wide sloping C-pillar. The fender flares are fat, and the six-spoke alloy wheels are clean and unpretentious, with six beefy lugs in the hub.
The Outlook loses some of its style at the rear. The black dam matches the front, making the SUV look like it has super high ground clearance. The taillamps are ordinary, and the chrome over the license plate doesn't add anything. In fact, the XE with its body-colored trim is cleaner than the XR with chrome, from door handles to roof rails.
