Saturn made numerous changes to the interior and exterior of the S-Series to ring in the 21st century. For the exterior, Saturn added body panels, adjusted the optics on the headlamp, and changed the wheel covers on the sedans. For the interior, the new S-Series came with improvements for increased comfort, including a revised console, more cupholders and increased storage space, new materials to decrease rattling and road noise, and seats with increased support. Saturn also improved the mechanics with a new ABS brake system, more durable manual transmission, an oil change monitor, and engine revisions designed to minimize emissions and reduce engine noise.
Saturn also abandoned the 2 door coupes and the SW1 wagon, leaving the 2000 S-Series with 6 trims: the SC1 and SC2 3 door coupes, SW2 wagons, and SL, SL1, and SL2 sedan. The SC1, SL, and SL1 have a 1.9 L, 100 hp I4 engine while the SC2, SL2, and SW2 use a 1.9 L, 124 hp engine. Gas consumption comes out to 27 mpg in the city, 38 mpg on the highway across trims. Sedans and wagons seat 5 while the coupes still seat 4. Cargo space amounts to 11.4 cubic feet in the coupes, 12.1 in the sedans, and 24.9 in the wagons. The 2000 Saturn S-Series did little to alter the opinions of drivers about the lineup. While reviewers like the third door on the coupe and solid fuel consumption figures, they could also do without the noise, cheap interior materials, and lack of passenger space. Below average braking comes up as an issue in the wagons. At this point in the time, the S-Series received high marks from industry experts for its low price. However, low revenue figures indicated that this veteran of the compact market may have come to the end of the road.