Re: Saturn VUE Experience

Just my 2 cents:, while I do have every other saturn in my family other than a VUE, I do know many others who have had greeat experience with them. IMHO however, your best best is to avoid the older ('04 and back 4 cyl. ) CVT tranny altogether. Saturn realized thier mistake and since 2005 has decided to go to the old tried and true Hydramatic transmission in thier automatics. This makes the 4 much more responsive, reliable and quieter.

Saturn has made alot of nice changes to the new '05 VUE 4 and 6 cyl, making it smoother and quieter, especially the 4 cyl with the new tranny. The '05 ecotec engine has been going thru some subtle tranformations and IMHO '05 is the best I have seen for the 4cyl.

In '04, the VUE engine, a variation of the older L300 V6 was replaced with a more powerful V6 upping the power to 250hp. This engine is greener and packs a big punch while maintaining great gas mileage, better than many cars.

One more note, in '05 the NTSHA came out with new SUV rollover testing techniques, which the '05 VUEs were recalled then redesigned to pass these specific tests. Just FYI, Saturn then issued a large campaign to call back all prior models to re-equip them with the same type of reinforcement to the rear wheels as the '05 for free. If you do buy a VUE prior to '05 make sure that this campaign was already done.

Cost of ownership is quite low on the 4 a bit higher on the 6 as it is a Honda engine. Gas is between 24-31 mpg (as ppl have actually told me). Insurance is lower as the VUE has a 5 star safety rating all round.

marx404

Huh ?

Try shoving 8 foot long shelving in a 94 SL if you want to see what ultra-mini is like. I thought the VUE was a fairly large thing. I costs more than a Dodge Caravan ( at least after all the discounts Dodge has now) and doesn't get any better gas mileage so I'm surprised it would be considered mini. ? ron

I'm holding out with the thought that GM may use that model for their hybrid on a couple of years or less. I hope at that time they will replace the all plastic door panel with something cloth or leather too (personal preference as I hate rattle prone areas). Maybe they will paint the front/rear lower panels to match much as they did on the SL-1 SL-2 series (the SL-1 had the cheaper black bumper panels where the SL-2 were painted to match). I know they are painted on the Redline but the color selection is minimal (no white and we live where it's hot and the black Redline won't cut it here - although it looks nice).

B~

Well, compared to a car - yes it's bigger. But, it's still a mini (or small) SUV....It's in the same size class as the Ford Escape.

(i.e.: Ford Escape/GMC Envoy/VUE = small/mini class ; Ford Explorer/GMC Trailblazer = Mid class; Ford Expedition/GMC Yukon = Large class ; Ford Excursion / GMC Suburban = "Why don't you just buy a Truck?" class

As far a the price - Supply and demand (and the additional factor that most SUV's are 4x4/AWD - More parts/technology) Minivans sales have slowed a bit over the last few years. With the SUV's out, the mini-van has struggled with the "uncool" or family image. A man or woman driving their family around on the weekend is ok with the van, but by themselves during the week to work or running around? That's why many families are SUVing as they can cross the divide. You can take the kids to soccer, and yet still take the lady out at night! Can't do that with a Caravan!

Personally I don't have either - (SL2 & a F-150). Wife is trying to get me to look at the Freestyle crossover to replace the '94 SL2. The outside styling just doesn't do anything for me...I like the styling of the Pacifica better, but the prices on these are outrageous too...Anyone else have info or thoughts on any of the crossovers?

Scott

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 08:32:35 -0400, someone posing as Ron Herfurth donned fireproof bloomers and chiseled in the wall:

Well, I'm just talking from my impressions driving it. I feel way cramped - not as bad as in a car, but still. At least my head doesn't hit the roof - much. The shoulder room is marginal. However, it IS my wife's car.

Um, I just consider it based on size. It fits in with the other mini car-utes like the RAV4, Highlander, Escape/Tribute, RX330...

I figure the mid-size sport utes are the Envoy/TrailBlazer, Tahoe/Yukon, Explorer/Mountainer, PathFinder, 4Runner...

Then there's the nice-size SUV's like the Suburban or the Excursion.

My Father recently purchased a Freestyle (AWD with the CVT). I was very impressed. The styling is bland, but I personally like it better than the Pacifica. To me, the Pacifica looks like a squashed Voyager (which is exactly what it is). I have a Vue with the CVT. When my Father purchased the Fresstyle I was leery because of my not completely satisfaction with the Vue's CVT. Boy was I wrong. The Freestyle's CVT is nothing like the one in the Vue. I was super impressed with the behavior of this transmission.

Ed

Thanks for the info! And thanks for the sum up word of "bland" that I was trying to think of when looking at the Freestyle.

Well, as I am hoping to get another year out of the SL2 (until it poops out), maybe (hopefully) the styling will change by the time I'm ready to look seriously. It's really only the outside styling that I don't like. The front end in particular looks like every other Ford for the last few years. Don't get me wrong - Every Ford I've had has been the best car I've owned. My '99 F150 (80K) has never been back to the dealer and has only had brakes, tires & oil changes to it. Before the Saturn, I had a '93 T-Bird (211K) miles on it with really no problems (2 alternators and wear items) and a '76 Granada that I tried like hell to kill and couldn't. (looked like crap but kept running) So I'm a relatively happy Ford guy, but hopefully they'll update the look soon....

Again, thanks -

Please donot buy one of these. Saturn will not back you up on these.At

99000 miles 3 wheel bearings, Intake gasket leak,and cylinders 1 and 2 misfiring,$1300.00 ( my expense) Transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd this was a software problem.upgrade $100.00,( my expense) Broken vacuum hose vehicle towed to dealership, wiper nozzle feel out,rear wheel aligment that the dealship did because of the recall on stabilizers ( both back tires ruined on my expense) and crossover pipe weld at flange came apart at the exhaust manifold poor weld which had to be welded to get me back on road ( my expense) ata exhaust muffler place. will never buy a Saturn again !!!

99000? duh...Not under warranty, how long do you expect someone to hold your hand?

Saturn? Sounds like you got the Honda powertrain to me...

Why people buy vehicles and never expect repair cost down the line is beyond me.

I used to feel that way when my first 2 alternators died just days out of warranty. However at 11 years and 112,000 miles those alternators are the bulk of what I've spent so I'm feeling much better about my 94 SL1. Of course the fact that it passed inspection last month so I've got another "free" year on it and plenty of time to check out the '06 models and colors has also helped my current attitude toward Saturn. It always hurts when you've got to shell out a bunch of money for repairs all at once, but if you amortize the total cost over the life of the car is the cost per year that bad? If you've got 99,000 miles it sounds like you got a very early VUE; I've always subscribed to the folklore that cars have a lot of problems their first year or 2 so buy a little later. 94 seems to have been a good year for the S; I think '06 will be a good one for the ION.

ron

I have a 2004 VUE. It's been quite reliable and is great for long-distance driving. It's also got plenty of power....

Best of luck with whatever car you do get.

mh