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- Rides and drives well
- Comfortable, spacious and luxurious interior
- Lots of safety features
- Useful storage spots
- Saturn brand has a dim future
- Front seats too short for tall drivers
- Transmission hunts on long grades
- Transmission slow to downshift
- V-6 fuel economy is nothing special
- Limited cargo space
- Weighs too much
Considered by some reviewers to be the best Saturn product ever, the current Saturn Vue was a major redesign introduced in 2008, based on a platform from General Motors' European subsidiary Opel. There are no substantial changes made for the 2009 model. The current-generation Vue is well-regarded by reviewers, with Edmunds.com describing it as having "an ideal balance of handling and ride." The Saturn Vue's interior accommodates up to five passengers and is made to a high standard of quality. Critics say it's quiet and luxurious. Cars.com's David Thomas writes of the Saturn Vue's interior, "Not only does it best other domestics, like the Ford Escape, it's also superior to top imports like the Toyota RAV4 (*est. $21,500 to $27,810), Hyundai Santa Fe (*est $21,695 to $30,545) and Honda CR-V (*est. $21,245 to $27,245)." Autoblog.com adds that "everything feels solid, whether it's the storage bin's latch or the sturdy 'click' the stalks hanging off the steering column make when you engage them." At just over 53 cubic feet, the Saturn Vue's cargo capacity with the rear seats folded falls well short of small SUV class leaders such as the Toyota RAV4 (73 cubic feet). The Saturn Vue does feature an adjustable cargo net, which slides fore and aft on rails mounted to the sides of the cargo bay.
Front-wheel drive is standard (as is the case with most other compact SUVs), but a carlike all-wheel-drive system is offered as an added-cost option. Power comes from either a 2.4-liter four-cylinder base engine with 164 horsepower, a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with 215 horsepower, or a more sophisticated 3.6-liter V-6 with variable valve timing that makes 257 horsepower. Four-cylinder models offer only a four-speed automatic transmission, but the V-6 Saturn Vue models get a six-speed automatic.
According to official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel-economy estimates, the 2009 Saturn Vue ranges from a high of 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway (four-cylinder, front-wheel drive) to a low of 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway (V-6, all-wheel drive). The EPA lists the combined city/highway mileage of front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder Saturn Vue as 22 mpg, which is the same as a four-cylinder Toyota RAV4, which is one of the top-reviewed small SUVs. When fitted with the V-6, the Saturn falls short of the powerful Toyota RAV4 V-6 by about three mpg. A hybrid Saturn Vue is also offered and is covered separately.
The Vue is loaded with safety features including antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags and active head restraints. The Vue earns five-star marks in U.S. government crash tests and does equally well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) independent testing. IIHS names the Saturn Vue a 2009 Top Safety Pick.
Reviewer complaints about the Saturn Vue are usually about fuel economy, as V-6 models fall a bit short of the class leaders. Editors at Edmunds.com and ConsumerGuide.com say the front seats may not work well for large adults. Some reviewers complain that the transmission hunts on grades and that it delays downshifting sometimes. Beyond all this, however, is a larger concern: Saturn's future is dim. General Motors has announced that as part of its restructuring plan, it will either sell or close down the Saturn brand by the end of 2009. With so many as yet unanswered questions about the future of Saturn, and so many other good compact SUV options offered by competing manufacturers, it may be wise for shoppers to look elsewhere until Saturn's fate is finally decided, for good or bad.
Edmunds.com, and ConsumerGuide.com provide detailed reports on the 2009 Saturn Vue, and the Vue earns a Recommended rating at ConsumerGuide.com. Kelly Blue Book also reviews the 2009 model, while Cars.com, ConsumerReports.org and Autoblog.com review the 2008 model, which essentially carried over unchanged for 2009.
Our Sources
1. Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com praises Vue's handsome styling and its long list of safety equipment. Editors characterize the Vue as having an ideal balance of handling and ride, but are not so happy with the front seats, claiming they may not work well for large adults. The Vue has less cargo space than some competitors, too.
Review: 2009 Saturn Vue Review, Editors of Edmunds.com
ConsumerGuide.com says the Saturn Vue is quiet, and that non-Redline (a sportier trim package) models may have the best ride in the small SUV field, both smooth and quiet. Editors complain that the transmission hunts on grades and that it sometimes delays on downshifts. Cargo space in the cab is limited, but editors feel that the interior may be the best in the compact-SUV class.
Review: 2009 Saturn Vue, Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
Kelley Blue Book's editors like the Saturn Vue's sporty styling and luxurious interior. The V-6 models provide effortless power and smooth shifts, they add. In short, Kelley Blue Book says the Saturn Vue has what it takes to win buyers away from import brands.
Review: 2009 Saturn Vue Review, Editors of Kelley Blue Book
4. Cars.com
Cars.com simply republishes their 2008 Saturn Vue review, since nothing of substance has changed with the 2009 model. Writer David Thomas summarizes, "The good news is that the 2008 Vue matches or bests the competition on almost every front. If a perception problem is the SUV's biggest problem, Saturn should be quite pleased."
Review: 2009 Saturn Vue, David Thomas, Dec. 5, 2008
AP's Tom Krisher reports that General Motors will either sell or shutter the Saturn brand by the end of 2009. At the time of the report's publication, the Saturn brand's general manager said the brand is "likely to be sold" and that GM will accept bids until June 1.
Review: GM Plans to Sell Saturn This Year, Two Years Early, Tom Krisher, April 28, 2009
6. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Editors of ConsumerReports.org buy dozens of cars annually and test them comprehensively. In addition to the usual road and track testing, the reviews include predicted reliability ratings based on past-model-year reader-survey data. ConsumerReports.org last tested a 2008 Saturn Vue, but the small SUV carried over to 2009 with no significant changes.
Review: Saturn VUE, Editors of ConsumerReports.org
7. Autoblog.com
Autoblog.com reviews the sport-trimmed all-wheel-drive Saturn Vue Red Line. Alex Nunez (who is now the senior auto editor here at ConsumerSearch) approves of the Vue's classy new interior, but he notes that it's heavy and that with the top-trim 3.6-liter V-6, he averages just 17 mpg over a week of mixed driving.
Review: In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line, Alex Nunez, Oct. 17, 2007
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