The VUE, Saturn’s latest attempt to broaden its customer base, is an
all-wheel drive mini-van disguised as an SUV.
I say mini-van because there are more style cues from the Aztek and
other GM vans than there are from the off-roader SUVs. It takes little
imagination to look at the front and see the Aztek school of design.
Fortunately, the sides and tail are well proportioned so you don’t get
that horribly slab sided look. The sides look “right” without the
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addition of side cladding.
There is seating comfort for five, but the rear middle passenger will
be slightly less comfortable than everyone else.
The front bucket seats are easily adjusted while the rear seat is a
slightly contoured bench unit of average comfort.
Legroom front and rear is excellent. Headroom is good thanks to the
high and minimally contoured roofline.
The driver will notice all the controls are close to the fingertips and
the instruments are easily seen.
The modernistic, flowing centre dash and console area houses the
controls for the heat, AC and stereo system.
There is another console for storage of small items that fills the gaps
between the front bucket seats.
Power for the VUE comes from two sources.
The basic engine is a 2.2 litre four cylinder that can be ordered on
the front-wheel drive version with a five speed manual or the new
electronically controlled variable ratio automatic.
This may well prove to be the most interesting power train combination
available in a Saturn.
The Ecotec 2.2 L four is a new engine designed for today’s demands. It
is recyclable, has more power than previous engines and gets better
fuel economy.
This combination will give you up to 11 L per 100 kilometres (26 mpg)
in the city and 7.7 L/100 km (37 mpg) on the highway, which is just
slightly better than a regular automatic and nearly the same as a
manual transmission.
As you move up through the model lineup you can add all-wheel drive and
a three litre V6 that puts out 181 horsepower and 195 lb. ft. of torque.
The V6 comes only with the all-wheel drive package and a five-speed
electronically controlled automatic transmission.
Getting power to the rear wheels of this front-wheel drive unit falls
to the new VersiTrak system. This is a part time, electronically
controlled unit roughly the size of two fireplace logs placed at right
angles to each other.
When one of the sensors on the front wheels detects slippage, a signal
is sent to the electronically controlled clutch pack and the rear
wheels start to do more than just go along for the ride.
Due to VersiTrak’s compact nature, two- and four-wheel drive equipped
units can share the same floor pan.
A small centre tunnel used as a chassis stiffener serves as a drive
shaft tunnel on 4X4 models.
Electronic control allows VersiTrak to offer fuel economy improvements
over full time 4X4 systems.
As tested, my VUE rung in at nearly $32,000 and had most creature
comforts including heated seats, but not the leather interior.
Turning the key brought the V6 to life instantly. For the first 10
minutes or so, I didn’t care how well the engine ran, just how well the
air conditioning worked.
Power seemed pretty decent and there was no noticeable surge when the
A/C compressor cut in and out.
I had to use a bit more right boot than expected, but it was hot and
all the power-robbing accessories were on.
Kick-down and part throttle kick-down worked well in town and on the
highway.
I didn’t set the world on fire, but there was enough power to get up to
speed to merge with traffic and to have a bit of fun.
One of the biggest surprises was how well it did off road. I expected
it to have a tough time making it up the cabin’s driveway.
There was enough ground clearance to get over a few logs, handle
potholes and ruts nearly 25 centimetres deep and to climb a couple of
decently steep hills.
This surprisingly deceptive amount of ground clearance comes from 16 by
6.5 inch tires. The regular looking tread will provide a decent highway
ride while providing enough traction to do more than go up the cabin’s
driveway.
The only issue I had with the VUE was that the all-wheel drive system
seemed to be a bit slow and therefore noticeable in its shuffling of
power from front to rear.
Also, the V6 seemed a bit slow to respond to the throttle on the roads.
Out in the bush where sensitive use of the throttle is paramount,
everything worked fine.
One last point. The plastic door panels that Saturn touts as the
answer to parking lot dings also resist thumps from stray trees when
you misjudge how far you will slide down the path.
Charles Renny is a freelance automotive columnist and a member of the
Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. The opinions expressed in
this column are the personal views of the writer.
