The stereo is worth a mention it's an unusual design, with a huge on-off button in the middle surrounded by a chrome volume knob. The dual-texture leather seats add a touch of class and are more comfortable than the standard smooth plastic. The passenger side of the dashboard is a vast expanse of black plastic doors are black and gray plastic. Amber backlighting keeps night vision intact. The black-background instrument panel is dominated by an oversized speedometer and tachometer with black on silver lettering that remains visible in all types of light, flanked by small fuel and heat gauges all are surrounded by attractive bright chrome rings. The seats were comfortable and gripped well, and seemed to “breath” well too. The Red Line gained rather nice leather and suede seats, special gauges, metallic foot pedals, and ambient footwell lighting that can glow either blue or amber. New standard equipment includes OnStar with Advanced Automatic Crash Notification and an auxiliary jack for MP3 players. The interior was refreshed for 2006 with new center controls, revised door panels, and a more useful center storage console. Poor road surfaces are transmitted to the interior, but without too much discomfort. The ride is comfortable if on the stiff side, with good isolation of sudden, sharp shocks. The Vue seems much more agile than most SUVs, even those based on cars. The all wheel drive helps with squeal-free takeoffs, even under heavy throttle and around a turn. Not surprisingly with this buildup, cornering is very good, especially for a relatively large vehicle, and the Vue seems very composed when thrown around sharp turns around the town or on the highway. 18 inch aluminum wheels with P245/60R18 Bridgestone Turanza tires added to cornering and the sporty look of the Vue, which drew more stares than the 2002 model we tested. First and foremost in the Red Line treatment was a lowering by 26 mm coupled with stiffer springs, reducing body roll and increasing roadholding ability the sport steering calibration makes the steering more responsive and helps bring the wheel back on-center more quickly, though sometimes it still lagged, and going back on-center was not always easy to predict. The Red Line vehicle we tested included a number of features and only one small icon on the rear (a small chrome square with a red line through it) to indicate what it was to the uninitiated. When the engine is not running and power is not available, the wheel can be moved, albeit with more effort. By removing the drag of the belt-drive power assist, electric steering gives the engine a slight decrease in load when not actually in use it's also unlikely to suddenly disappear if a belt snaps (admittedly, a rare event nowadays). The four cylinder engine is fully modern with twin cams and four valves per cylinder, and provides enough power for most drivers the standard Vue also has good handling, albeit not up to Red Line standards, but still quite good.Ī neat new use of technology is the electric steering assistance. The transmission responded rapidly to requests for power, immediately downshifting. Saturn claims a 0-60 time of 7.5 seconds or less, and we’re willing to believe it, within reason we never had any shortage of power in the big vehicle, no matter what the speed. On the brighter side was the all wheel drive, which allows for full-power takeoffs without heavy tire squealing, despite the engine’s power and the Vue’s relatively light weight. What's more, pressing the gas pedal from cruising speed invariably resulted in a downshift before we moved forward all these traits gave the powertrain an unfinished feel and made driving the Vue less enjoyable. However, the transmission tended to lurch into gear, and after hard acceleration would pause for a while before upshifting. It is generally fairly quiet, albeit not in the same league as an Avalon and that ilk, with fairly good gas mileage. The 250-hp V6 has plenty of power, and starts from a deep rumble when the gas is first pressed up to a goodly roar at full throttle. Our test car did not have the CVT, being equipped instead with a Honda V6 and Honda five-speed automatic transmission. Then GM chose to make Saturn into the experimental division, so that the Vue came out with a CVT and electric steering when both were rare. Saturn was ignored by GM for years, as it shamed the rest of the giant corporation with its high customer loyalty and ability to sell overpriced economy cars to people who normally would go for more expensive vehicles or imports. Saturn Vue Redline car reviews Review Notes: Saturn Vue Redline (V6-AWD)Ĭornering, gas mileage (for a mid-sized SUV)
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