2008 Saturn VUE Review

I remember back in the late '80s, the early days of the Saturn, Hal Riney's San Francisco ad agency got the new business and along with it the responsibility of branding a new automaker. At the time, plastic panels and a uniquely customer-friendly attitude won over many looking for something new.

It turns out Saturn's belief that being different was exactly what the marketplace was looking for. Perhaps being different is not as safe as falling in line, but it often pays big dividends when it works. And Saturn's new Vue compact crossover SUV is different; the good kind of different.

The 2008 Vue XR tester had a bold Sunburst Orange exterior paint scheme. Another bold item was the base price of $26,895 -- that's with an optional all-wheel drive setup. The Vue XE and XR are standard equipped as front-wheel drive unibody vehicles, and both have all-wheel drive as options. The 2008 Vue starts at a very competitive $21,395 for the base XE trim.

The Vue's exterior styling cues will get your attention because they look great. For me, I got a kick out of the aggressive front grille treatment, optional 18-inch rims and the sweeping upper profile lines. This is a definite European-inspired look that is fresh and contemporary. It's hard to say exactly what it specifically resembles, but none of it reminds me of the elder Saturns.

Another favorite cue was the extractors positioned on the front bodyside panels, just before the front door hinge crease. These elements add real attitude to the complete exterior look. It took me only a moment to remember where I had last seen them -- try Land Rover's Range Rover. How's that for changing the Saturn image a bit? And the best part -- it works.

Inside the cabin there is room for five passengers, that's four adults or three kids in back. The sweeping roofline does add some appreciated headroom to the rear row, but adults will not want to remain back there for an extended road trip. My tester had OnStar, which is always a real peace of mind for any trip across town or across the country.

I found the dash assembly to be clean and easy to see. The console stack is intuitive and the contemporary functions are, again, really nothing like previous incarnations of Saturns. Seating in my tester was comfortable with soft plastic surfaces keeping the cost down. There has to be some give and take on weight and material expense when you are dealing with compact vehicles like the Vue, so it is nice when they don't look cheap.

Utility space is average for this class. Rear seats fold to add to the access and functionality of the interior cabin. Passengers will be treated to the same great visibility throughout the cabin. There's lots of glass surrounding the passengers and it makes the cabin feel open and more spacious. All Saturn Vues have active head restraints and front-seat side airbags, front and rear-seat side curtain airbags and a dual-stage front airbag system.

The Vue comes with three engine options: a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (169 horsepower); a 222-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6; and a 257-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6. The XR featured the 257-horsepower V-6 engine, which was mated to a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic transmission. Given the size of the vehicle, I had hoped to get better than 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway. I suppose given the big power from the V-6 (and the fun it delivers) that's a reasonable offset exchange. If you are really looking for better mileage, the Vue for 2008 can be purchased as a Green Line hybrid version (23/29).

Standard Vue features include StabiliTrak (electronic stability control) with Electronic Trailer Sway Control. This system detects trailer sway due to excessive speed or improper weight balance and uses the StabiliTrak system to apply braking action. If you have ever towed a couple Wave Runners or a fishing boat with a compact-size vehicle, you know this is a huge peace-of-mind feature. The towing capacity on my XR model was 3,500 pounds.

The new Saturn attitude is prevalent throughout the Vue. It offers outstanding safety and interior features with what I'm calling one of the best looking exterior treatments in the class. The Vue is a reasonably priced upgrade over smaller compact crossovers, and it will leave a lasting memory once you take a test drive.