Saturn Vue - Cross Post

[ManteoChik]

This is a cross post from the Chit Chat thread. I wasn't getting any hits but I really wanted some feedback.

So I've been thinking about getting a new car. I currently drive an '03 Chevy Malibu that I bought brand new. I've liked this car but I am just an SUV type of girl (I bought my Malibu while I was at school and it is pretty good on gas). I kind of started to "outgrow" my car and am wanting something bigger.

I was seriously considering getting a Trailblazer but the way gas prices are right now and the way they are probably going to stay for a while that doesn't seem like a good choice. I know I don't want my next buy to be a "car".

I want to stick with GM products because my grandfather is a retired GM official and so I get the employee price. I'm not too conerned about doing it right away because the deal I get is still better than the employee pricing they are offering the general public.

I started to consider the Saturn Vue because it's a smaller SUV and it's still a GM product without guzzling gas like a Trailblazer (I think). Does anyone own a Vue or have one. What did you think about it? Did you like the way it drove? How was the gas mileage on it?

Another reason is that they are so cheap even without using my employee discount it just seems like a good choice for another couple of years until I get a Tahoe. If anyone has anything to contribute I'd really appriciate it.

[kmmommy]

I don't have a Vue, but 2 of my co-workers have them and both love them. I don't know many details on gas mileage but they've said it isn't bad. Overall, they both recommend the Vue.

[nektarine]

Consumer Reports rated the Vue pretty well!

not quite as great on fuel-efficiency as the toyota rav-4 and honda crv, but it's up there in the top ten for small suvs.

[Jodi AKA BostonTeacher]

We seriously looked into buying one (I even started a thread like this on the WC). However, we HATED it when we test drove them. One thing we really wanted was a decent backseat since we were having a baby. The backseat was so small and uncomfortable.

The thing we really didn't like was how it drove. It was loud and you felt every little bump as if you were in a jeep. Also, it didn't have much more room than a car.

I do know people who love them though so it really is just personal opinion.

[ce_Kathleen]

We bought a brand new 2003 Vue back in April '03 and we LOVE our Vue!! We are up to 60,000 miles on it now and have had no problems with it just routine oil changes and such. My sister just bought a brand new 2005 Vue 2 months ago b/c she loved ours so much! The gas mileage is pretty good (we get 28mpg on the freeway). My sister bought the 4 cylinder manual and we have the V6 automatic and I prefer the V6 over the 4 cylinder anyday but my sister couldn't afford the V6 being a new college grad.

The thing I love the most about it is that there are LATCH connectors for all 3 back seats so you can safely use your carseat in any position. When we had our carseat inspected at the State Police they mentioned that many cars/suvs don't have the LATCH system in the center position and that you have to use the seatbelt to put the carseat there.

Now that we are PG with #2 I am beginning to think that the Vue may not be big enough (especially when we have family visit) but it will do a great job for day to day just not when we have visitors (unless we want to take 2 cars).

[MsPeachy]

Consumer Reports rated the Vue pretty well!

not quite as great on fuel-efficiency as the toyota rav-4 and honda crv, but it's up there in the top ten for small suvs. Hmm - I thought I read that they said the steering was unresponsive & that the seats were uncomfortable. But anyway, I'm not sure I'd put alot of stock in their tests since they rated the Rav-4 number one and it has no rear bumper & is quite possibly the worst vehicle for rear-end crashes b/c the spare tire takes the brunt of the hit. So it could actually be better than how they rated it.

FWIW, a co-worker of mine has one she uses for commuting and hauling her 2 big dogs around and she loves it.

[nektarine]

Hmm - I thought I read that they said the steering was unresponsive & that the seats were uncomfortable. But anyway, I'm not sure I'd put alot of stock in their tests since they rated the Rav-4 number one and it has no rear bumper & is quite possibly the worst vehicle for rear-end crashes b/c the spare tire takes the brunt of the hit. So it could actually be better than how they rated it.


it's possible that i am thinking of the reviews for a used or older model Vue, since i've mostly been reviewing reveiws of used cars. i thought it was def. within the top ten, but i could be wrong. :confused: we've been reviewing so many of the small suvs lately, that they are all starting to look alike!

sorry for any misinformation manteo!

[MsPeachy]

After posting here yesterday I re-checked the article I'd been reading. It did say that all the reviewers hated the seats. Another thing that concerned me was that CR reported that the Vue had one of the worst Reliability ratings of all the small SUVs they tested. Apparently there was a recall on 2001-2004 models (or something like that) because of certain problems. I just wanted to let you know.

PS - nektarine - It's all good. I know waht you mean. You read so much stuff in so many places, sometimes it all blends together.

[Decemberwed]

We have a 2002 Vue. We hate it. Living in TX we have the air on a lot - it is so loud that you can't have a conversation. It sounds like a wind-up toy when you accelerate and the steering is VERY touchy. The seats aren't comfortable for long drives, but are ok. We are paying extra every month to hurry up and pay it off so we can sell it. The gas milege is supposed to be around 20mpg city I think. My husband complains that the inside looks like a minivan.

We just bought a Trailblazer and loooove it. You might also want to look into the chevy small SUV, the Equinox. I know nothing about it, but it is worth a look. I am also a daughter of a retired GM employee, so we buy GM as well.

[MsPeachy]

The Equinox actually got rated 1 worse than the Vue. It scored low in emergency handling and interior fit & finish and gets slightly worse gas mileage. It scored well in back seat comfort and ease of access.

[karlatta]

I have a VUE and I love it. It's not luxury, by any means, but it accomplishes its job well.

I get decent gas mileage - about 25 mpg or so, depending on where I've been driving. I haven't had any problems with it and haven't had to take it in for anything other than oil changes. I admit that the back seat is a bit uncomfortable (it's kind of stiff and boxy), but I never sit back there, and it will be years before kiddos will be out of car seats and will even notice what the seats are like. Heck, we might not even still own the car then. It does have quite a bit of road noise, but I never notice it. Probably because before this car, I'd always driven cars with even worse road noise. :) FIL always comments on the road noise, though. And suggests ways to try to make it better. :rolleyes:

It sits low, which I like, because it's not so difficult to get in and out of, and because it doesn't feel "tippy" when I turn. I love the dent-resistant side panels. We also have another Saturn that's a couple of years older, and I love the idea that my cars never get door dings from people parked next to me. In the 2004, they started using an engine from Honda in the V6 models, so it's got plenty of horsepower. It feels much more powerful than some of the other small SUVs I test drove.

[TX Sweetheart]

MIL has one (I think she leases it but I'm not sure) and loves it. I've only been in it a couple of times but really loved it too... I'm not sure on the details (year, gas milage, etc.) though...