Opinions of the Saturn Vue

I remember looking at fuel economy numbers (Canadian) a while back for the
Vue. I could be wrong, but with the AWD option the 4 and the 6 were so
close for fuel consumption, that it didn't matter. So if you can aford it
might as well.

David

 

I like the looks of the Saturn Vue and have gotten a glowing review from
a co-worker. However I am interested in hearing the opinions of others.

I definitely want AWD. I don't care about ABS. I definitely want an
automatic transmission. I don't care about super acceleration, but I
would prefer that the vehicle be able to tow a 2000 lb sailboat.
Although the boat is not so heavy, it is large and creates a lot of aero
drag.

I see that the 4 cylinder is only rated to tow 1500 lbs. However, I like
the idea of the better fuel economy and might be willing to live with
the towing capacity if the 4 cylinder / CVT transmission works well.

I am a large guy 6'3" and a lot of pounds. Will I be uncomfortable on
long drives?

I appreciate all comments.

Regards,

Ed White

 

Get ABS, in fact, I'm not sure it's even an option to get it without
ABS.

I'm not entirely sure that the CVT is available with AWD. I can tell
you that the V6 is the same as the one in our L300, and there I have
nothing but glowing reviews of that engine. Cheap to run & maintain,
and plenty of power.

It all depends on the seats, drive one and see! I see you in the
Mustang newsgroup, RAMFM when I have my Mustang hat on. If you're
comfortable in your '01, the Vue should be a no-brainer!

 

I originally got the 4 cyl with auto and AWD w/o ABS and after a week went
back and traded it in for one with the ABS. It just made me feel safer. The
difference in monthy payment was $10 / month.

If you don't care about acceleration, this is car for you. I don't really
care about it either. If I can get up fast enough to get on that highway
without getting crushed, that's good enough for me. I much prefer the better
gas mileage then being able to outjump someone in my SUV!!

The CVT is pretty cool but it takes a little while not to feel the shift
points, just smooth accelleration!! I checked online and there was a
software upgrade that got put in 2003, that improves the accelleration a
little and some issues that some previous version owners complained about.

I love mine but I don't know if this is it for towing. As previously
mentioned the accelleration isn't the best. I hate to see what adding 1500
lbs of dead weight to the back would do. I you really want to tow, I would
get the 6 cyl

The day after I bought it, I took a trip upstate. I put 1500 miles on the
car in 1 week and no compaints on my side or the wife's side. Very
comfortable

 

If you're going to do any towing get the V6. The 4 cylinder does come in
AWD with CVT though. I actually test drove a Vue a few weeks ago and was
pretty impressed. It's also one of the few "min-SUV's" that I actually
like. The 4 cylinder wasn't bad though I definitely noticed the difference
after having just driven an Ion quadcoupe manual tranny right before lol.
The CVT was strange but seemed to work ok. If you weren't going to tow I'd
say just stick with the 4 but I think towing anything with that would not be
a good idea. Seems like it lacks the raw power needed to properly tow
something. Plus if you're boat is 2000lbs and the vue's capacity in the 4
is 1500lbs you really don't want to do that. Might even void the warranty
because you used the vehicle to do something it's not designed to do.

Charles

 

I stopped by the Saturn dealership today and they have several VUEs that
meet my requirements except for one problem. Every single one has dealer
installed "teflon paint treatment." This is something I am not
interested in paying for. If someone wants that is fine, but it seems to
me to be unfair to try to force it on all Customers. Do all Saturn
dealers add this sort of stuff? Will I have nay luck in not paying for
it?

Also I have a2001 Mustang GT to trade in. Will the Saturn dealer come
anywhere close to the KBB "trade in price?"

Regards,

Ed White

 

Just say you don't want it and won't pay for it. It costs them next to nothing
to apply so say you'll take the car as is without paying for it.

It depends on how many Vues they have on the lot. If they have a lot they will
be willing to deal on the trade in. If there are only a couple left they will
be less likely to dicker.

 

I bought an AWD V6 about two months ago. My trade-in was a VW
Jetta 1.8T. I do miss the jackrabbit starts and quick cornering,
but a recent family trip was *very* nice with the larger Vue,
and I liked being able to drive on the beach.

Mileage is arguably pretty good for the vehicle: I get ~22mpg
with a mix of city/highway driving, and I got around 26mpg on
just highway driving. It's better than I expected to get - no
complaints.

I test-drove both the 4 and 6. I went with the 6 because I
wanted some semblance of power (read: fun). The 4 just didn't
do it for me.

Seating for someone your size shouldn't be a problem. The seats
go pretty far back. It might be cramped for someone sitting
right behind you if you have the seat all the way back, though.

Brian

 

ABS is a $400 option (US), and well worth it.

The CVT is the only automatic transmission you can get with a 4 cylinder
VUE, the '03 V6 uses a hydramatic 5 speed auto as the only transmission
choice, and the '04 uses a Honda 5 speed auto as the only transmission
choice.

If you can wait a little bit, I'd wait until the '04s are available in
your area, the V6 Vue will use the Honda VTEC 3.5L that puts out more
horsepower with *better* fuel economy than the '03 Opel-built V6.

The only downfall with waiting for the '04 model line, is there probably
won't be 0% financing available, but if your credit is decent, you ought
to be able to get a nice low rate.