Personal Review for 2005 Saturn Vue We finally broke down and bought a replacement vehicle for our 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche that came off lease last year. We still had our VW Beetle as a second vehicle, but trust me it's not a family vehicle ;o)
Overview
The Saturn Vue is very similar to other SUV or Crossover SUV's in it's class. We liked the overall styling of the vehicle and simplicity of the interior in particular. The dash area is nice and all controls within reach. Cup holders are very low which puts your liquids out of harms way. The only items we didn't like about front area is the very small storage for CD's, etc... The back works beautifully and caters to all family needs. The rear seats are 80/20 split so you have abundant options for storage and hauling larger objects. The front passenger seat folds down as in front of the 20 split so you could even carry an 8ft ladder or some 2x4's from the local hardware store with the rear hatch closed. Another neat feature in the Vue is the rear pop up storage bin. This nice addition lets you keep small items like small groceries, bags, etc... within a small confined area so they're not slushing around in the back.
Handling
We bought a Vue with the Honda manufactured 3.5L V6. This engine packs 250hp and will haul about 3300lbs. We plan on buying a small pop-up trailer for camping so this was a necessity. The automatic transmission shifts smoothly and passing on the HWY is not an issue. We found the steering on the Vue to be a bit tight, but you get used to it quickly.
Overall
Although we've only had it for a few weeks now, we still like our decision and it suits our growing family. With the little one in the back seat and black lab in the hatch, we have plenty of room. Fuel economy is not bad on this SUV either. EPA fuel economy ratings are 19/25 mpg for the AWD V6 and although we've only had it a few weeks it's pretty close. Our only pet issue is the HWY driving noise. We find the wind noise to be louder then we're used to, but the stereo drowns that out ;o)
Conclusion
We recommend this vehicle to anyone who outgrows their current car and needs more space while keeping good fuel economy. The V6 AWD is a huge plus, especially for those living within the snowbelt. We didn't have it this past winter, so I will post another review this coming winter season.
We give it a Family 2 Thumbs Up!
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Contributor's Note
This is our families personal review of the 2005 Saturn Vue. If you want to shop for a repairable Saturn Vue please check out http://auto-salvage-project.com for the best deals on the net!
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