Vehicle: 2008 Saturn Vue XR with Premium Pkg, Leather Trim Pkg and Convenience Pkg
Price as tested: CDN$38730

Performance: The Vue is powered by 1 of 3 engines. The base 169hp 2.4 liter Ecotec in base XE FWD and hybrid, a 3.5L V6 High Output V6 VVT with 222 hp in XE AWD form. Or the uplevel 3.6 liter V6 that is standard on our tester, XR, or the performance-oriented RedLine series. While its good for 252 horses and 241 pounds feet of torque, it doesn’t feel as good as what the spec suggested due to Vue’s hefty weight. Our tester is weighting in at 4325 pounds, which has to be considered as heavy even in mini-ute segment. With close to 4400 pounds with driver, 252 hp doesn’t do much with acceleration. Even 241 lb/ft of torque has launched the vehicle with leisuely pace. Its 6-speed automatic gearbox’s ratios have helped Vue a whole lot during acceleration and responsiveness. The 1st gear has spared apart in order to give Vue a more responsive feel during launch, while the rest of the 5 gears are close enough for highway driving. Without this smart fuzzy logic gearbox, Vue would transformed from an adequate performer into a sluggish performer. Another credit is GM’s typical transmission behaviour, which is smooth and never feel abrupt at all shifting. As expected, throttle response is acceptable if not breathtaking.

Handling: The biggest reason to Vue’s underengined nature has to do with its solid platform. Given its basically an Opel redressed as a Saturn, we would never doubt about its chassis stiffness and rigidty. Vue’s driving feel is typical European. Even if it has an electric power steering, the steering remains precise and responsive. It provides plenty of road feel without being twitchy on highway. The body rolls and understeer are well-controlled. Ride quality is outstanding as it absorbs every roughness and patholes, which we called Canadian roads. GM’s Stabililztrak acts pro-actively whenever the vehicle has reached the edge of the limit, a very smart system.

Brakes: With 4-wheel discs and ABS, Vue stops with an authority. It doesn’t have the mushy or dead feel which we used to be in a Saturn. The stopping distance is short while the pedal feels linear.

Interior: Vue’s interior materials are a huge improvement over its predecessor. Gone are the low-rent, brittle and cheap plastic materials that decorate the dashboard and door panels. In with much nicer use of materials that are worthy of the price Saturn charges. Although I still be able to find some cheesy plastic on the minor areas, the rest of the interior is very pleasing to the touch and feel. The instrumentation gauges are clear and analog. Leather seating materials feel soft and supple, not something hard and rough as we used to feel in a Saturn.

The back seat is equally accommodating, with plenty of head and legrooms.

There are 2 storage trays at the back of the trunk area, so you can store miscellaneous during a long trip. On the other hand, the trunk is carpeted with proper attachment points and cargo net.

Conclusion: Saturn is really on a roll lately. They first introduced the excellent Aura family sedan, impressive Sky roadster and this Vue mini-ute. Despite of the lack of oomph under the bonnet and overweight, Vue has to be considered as the best mini-ute GM has built to date.

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2008 Saturn Vue
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Performance: 3/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 4/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 4/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 4/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 4/5
Value-for-money: 3/5

Overall rating: 4/5