Wow! Very impressed with this vehicle. Drove the 2003 Vue until the dealer agreed to buy back the vehicle due to extensive VTi problems. I cannot believe the refinements made in the new model year! Cabin noise is MUCH quieter. My V6 is extremely quiet, a welcome difference from the obnoxious noise levels I found in the 2003 4 cyl. The interior looks great. Chrome accented gauges, leather wrapped shifter and steering wheel, better seat fabric, two toned dash, are all very nice. The V6 is one sexy beast. I got 550 km on a tank with my 2003 4-cyl, and 550 km on a tank with my 2004 V6! It revs really low, at 1600 RPM doing 100KPH on a highway, which has got to be good for the gas mileage. Awesome acceleration when needed (with some serious G-force in the cabin!). Feels like I'm driving something substantial, not cheap and flimsy with the 2003 4-cyl.

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2003 4 cyl VUE

550 km on a tank of gas. Pretty good acceleration from a stop for such a weenie engine. Lots of room, and I love the seat height adjustment. Plenty of storage space.

CVT (VTi) is a scary piece of junk. Saturn will go down with the Pinto when it comes to ill designed vehicles. Imagine if this happened when my warranty was up? I heard somewhere that a replacement tranny with labour is upwards of $15K!!!

The CVT, or as Saturn calls it, VTi (Variable Transmission with Intelligence) is one scary piece of work. I call it the HAL transmission, since it is very intelligent, and it tries to kill human occupants. On numerous occasions the CVT would allow the vehicle to begin moving, then would suddenly and inexplicably lose power, stranding our family in the middle of intersections or roads. Sometimes the CVT would kick in right away again, and sometimes I would have to restart the vehicle and pray for it to move, while drivers behind me honked or shouted obsenities. Brought the vehicle in a number of times with the problem. Service personnel were very courteous and even experienced the problem for themselves during road tests. Unfortunately, they found no cure for it. They tried to reprogram the TCI Calibration unit, to no effect. I began the process for arbitration, and even spoke to the Canadian Ministry of Transportation, where a recall and safety officer added my complaint to an ongoing investigation of this CVT issue (it was not the first time he heard of this problem). The Oshawa customer service people were totally useless, and instructed me to drive my vehicle again after the 4th calibration. I appealed to the dealership general manager who advocated on my behalf and secured a buy back. I figure it would have been ruled in my favour during arbitration, but this was a welcome bet. I loved my VUE, particularly the pricing and the comforts. Being 6'6" I couldn't even fit into the Santa Fe, but there is ample room in a Vue. I bought a 2004 Vue with the Honda V6 which is an amazing vehicle!

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Drove the L300 and Ion during extended courtesy car loans. L300 has a cheap feel, but the Ion is one heck of a car for the money.

Bulletproof reliability. Fuel economy. Low maintenance costs (although my $500 timing belt replacement is about due). Quality of materials (interior not faded or worn)

Underpowered. Smallish (my wife and I are fine, but my dad and I bump elbows). No good reason to get rid of it for a new car!!!

Great, great car. Bought it in 2000 with 30K miles, it just turned 100K the other day. Absolutely no problems - correction - the little 'clip' that holds the driver's side sun visor in place broke after a couple of years. Other than that the car is as nice as it was when I bought it. After a good wash, wax and armor-all it looks and drives like new. I've never had to have any work done - routine maintenance is it. Some people aren't crazy about hatchbacks, and I have to admit that when I bought it I was looking for a coupe, but it definitely comes in handy when moving, etc. My last car was an '87 Civic HB that I bought for $475 with 140K miles. I drove that car to death - traded it in for $1300 with 270K miles. It was on it's last legs when I traded it in, but man did that car take some abuse! This car is definitely better in all respects. It's definitely being treated better (no pizza deliveries). I have no doubt that it will go another 100K miles without any major problems. It's not the car for everyone. You don't see all that many of them (hatchbacks anyway). It's not a race car [[maybe in fast & furious movies]] It's sprung a little too softly for my personal tastes. But I don't think anyone is going to argue when you say that it is a great, great little car.

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1987 Honda Civic HB, 1987 Chevy Sprint (Geo Metro)

very peppy v6 and above all quiet. excellent service from the dealer. i like to step into and step out of a car

lower control are bushing was not installed to specifacation at factory caused a popping noise on accleration. was repaired after two visits per repair proceedure. front seat seam split and was repaired quicly. needs alittle more style in the interior materials used. deck over spare tire is prone to damage, not enough under support of lid.

A very comfortable ride with just enough features to satisfy my wife and I and not overdone with gadgets. I am 6'4 and my wife is 5'2 and we both can operate this vehicle in comfort and safety with the power seat. I especially like the traction control and the ABS braking system. My wife and I both love the cargo area grocery caddy that keeps things from rolling aroung the car.

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2001 Saturn SL

See above

See above

I bought a 2003 V6 AWD last year. I agree with every complaint that was posted. It's noisy. It's rough. It drives like a piece of crap. I really don't like it at all. Recently brought it in to the dealer for maintenance and, while I was waiting, I vented my dislikes about the VUE to a salesman. Just for the heck of it, I took the 2004 V6 AWD out for a test spin. Wow! It felt like a different vehicle!! Power. Smooth. Quiet. The interior is still cheap plastics, but the new steering wheel is great! Long story short... I bought it and gave the crappy 2003 one to my wife. Now we have both in the family. This particular dealer is probably the best I have ever dealt with. Don;t get me wrong. They do just as many dirt bag gimmicks as the next dealer. Buyt at least they are nice about it.

22/28 gas mileage (I do some distance every day); design is appealing and looks nice 'n beefy with the upgraded tires; Saturn service is great.

The center-console storage compartment has a lid that is reminiscent of the plastic top on a coffee can, and is not luxuriously accesible. Had to get the driver's exterior door handle adjusted because it was rubbing and leaving a mark (dealer said 1 in 20 Vue's has that problem, and they fixed it quickly).

Last week I dropped 22 large on the base V4 automatic, modestly tricked-out with the Power Package, Moonroof, ABS with TC, 16-inch alloys, and mats. I've driven it a couple hundred miles and like it a lot. Price/value ratio appears to be excellent. I read that the V4 is slower than a dial-up internet connection using tin-foil phone jacks, but I have no complaints as I don't intend on drag racing against a Porsche, and a climb up the north face of Everest is not currently planned. Most professional reviews I read said the 2004 models are leaps and bounds better than the 02 and 03's, and I concur. With one child, this SUV is perfect for us as we jet around town and take the occassional 2-hour drive.

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Honda Accord, Acura Integra, Toyota Camry

AWD and antilock breaks worked well in snow and bad weather. I like the plastic body panels, making it "parking lot friendly." V-6 has plenty of pep. Good price, but now I know why - it's junk!

See above. Also, the interior is cheap. Even the control knobs feel cheap. The sun visors are too short (practically worthless) when in the side position for a tall driver who requires the seat to be slid back.

After much research, I bought TWO V-6 AWD Vues in Jan '03. I cannot adequately express my extreme disappointment. The service dept has been great. Good thing, since I am there seemingly every month. These are some of the problems that have cropped up, just so far... Car A: 1) engine mount bolt only finger tight, allowing engine to move around making noise. 2) Driveshaft replaced for being out of balance. 3) Passenger rear window blew out. 4) Front strut bearings replaced. 5) Rear differential module replaced. 6) Instrument cluster replaced. Car B: 1) Mar on paint finish. 2) Transmission leak. 3) Rear differential module replaced. Both vehicles have had to have the oil filter housing replaced after they were broken when the oil filter was changed. Both vehicles have less than 19,000 miles. If there were only problems with one car, then I'd say it was a lemon. But BOTH cars are problematic. Saturn Vue is JUNK! These cars were my first, and now my LAST Saturn...

GAS MILAGE

AS ABOVE.. SERVICE DEPT. ADVOIDING ME AS THIS IS A PILE BUT WHAT CAN THEY DO? SATURN, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED..

WOW.. CALL ME A SUCKER..THIS VEHICLE IS A PILE OF JUNK.. NO HEAT..APPARENTLY, HEATER CORE IS MOUNTED TO HIGH ON FIRE WALL TO WORK PROPERLY..BLOWS COOL AIR// IN SHOP WITH NO CONCLUSION.. ENGINE AND ROAD NOISE TERRIBLE,RATTLES AND SQUEEKS.. BOUGHT UPGRADED AWD.V6.. DONT BOTHER..DONT BUY.. DONT BUY.. DONT BUY..

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CHEVY BLAZER AND S-10

Honda V6, nimble steering, polymer panels, quick acceleration, no-hassle buying, spare tire inside under cargo floor (clean tire if you have to change it).

Dash rattle that will be fixed at the first service, center console sits low (reach down for coffee mug), rear seats don't fold completly flat, would like more & larger storage in the cabin.

Spent close to a year researching and test driving SUVs. I didn't care for the 2003 VUE so waited for the 2004. They fixed everything on the 2004 I didn't like on the 2003. The Saturn buying experience was everything I heard it would be, as has been the service. I have never owned a car that was this much fun to drive. It is quick and responsive, and the Honda V6 3.5L (250HP, 0-60 in 6.9) has to be driven to be believed. The fold up cargo tray in back I thought was a cutsy idea, but after a few trips to the store and a day of running errands, it was nice to have a convient place to put all the bags where they didn't slid around. While it is easy to find other SUVs that would surpass the VUE in one or two specific areas, it would be difficult to find one that combines so many features with such a reasonable price. One suggestion... upgrade to the 6-way power seat... well worth it.

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96 Chevey Blazer that I bought new and traded in on the VUE.

Cheap interior, have had the leather rip in 3 places under my carseat.(where it doesn't touch!)Stained blue from normal clothing. Engine rattles (something about motor mount and exhaust?) Also rattles in doors. Wind noise when on Freeway like the window is not closing properly. Suspension is awful. Squeeks and rattles constantly. I am very unhappy with the car and frustrated, because I am most likely going to lose lots of money just to get rid of the car. I want to cry. I get depressed looking at the car and thinking I still owe 18k on it!!! Do not buy a vue!!