Best VUE yet of 2008 Saturn
UPDATED: link to interior pics
We don't want to start looking like card carrying members of the Brenda Priddy & Co. fan club, but they have done it again and we feel obliged to pass it on to all of you. Caught wearing only a few bits of tape, here are some shots of a near-production 2008 Saturn VUE, which of course is based on the Opel Antara sold overseas. Sporting the friendly (and conservative) good looks of other Saturns but with a slightly more rugged skidplate-like nose, this newest VUE doesn't stray far from the formula that has made it a worthy competitor in the cute-ute segment. The current VUE, for instance, has sold 65,145 units through August, up 2.7 percent from this time last year.Priddy & Co. is reporting that the new VUE will be assembled at General Motors' Ramos Arizpe, Mexico plant. According to their sources, the new VUE will be powered by a 2.4-liter inline four as well as an optional pair of V-6s. There may even be two separate Green Line models this time around. One with a Belt Alternator System (BAS) on the 2.4-liter 4, and the second with GM's 3.6-liter V-6 and a hybrid system jointly developed with DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, and BMW. Of note are this prototype's two exhaust cutouts, even though this particular model only has a single exhaust. This could indicate a 3.6-liter Redline model, with around 300 horsepower to round out the lineup.
[Source: Winding Road]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kowell 12:32PM (9/19/2006)
If they cut the Honda 3.5L, it's over... it's the reason so many VUE are sold over the Equinox/Torrent
Reply
JarryHames 2:09PM (9/19/2006)
I know! My friend's mother purchased this car because of the Honda motor and Saturn's price. Speaking of Honda...it looks sort of CRaVish in the front.
Reply
Lithous 12:58PM (9/19/2006)
The looks turn me off as much as the fact that it will be assembled in Mexico. It looks like an Aveonox. I don't know that as many VUE owners will upgrade from previous years like they did to the 2006/2007. With the hybrid options they will find buyers though.
Reply
sk 1:27PM (9/19/2006)
Why look at the spy shots? Check out www.opel.de for the finished product called Opel Antara.
Reply
Jason 3:59PM (9/19/2006)
The back end styling looks very Asian, I am surprised. I see Toyota Matrix. Up front, anything will be an improvement over the current smashed-face.
Reply
Michael Karesh 1:26PM (9/19/2006)
GM's DOHC 3.6 is as good an engine as the Honda 3.5. It's the rest of the vehicle that remains to be evaluated. Looks small, and the rear end looks Korean. But if it has a nice interior and well-sorted suspension it'll sell.
Reply
Bob-o 8:29AM (9/20/2006)
"GM's DOHC 3.6 is as good an engine as the Honda 3.5."
Yeah, and people knew that...which is why it sold. Even if its only a perceived advantage in reliability, it's a huge factor in how people choose cars. Why do you think so many people buy Hondas and Toyotas? Its certainly not because they are interesting...
Reply
onell 2:27PM (9/19/2006)
#1, where did you get your data that many Vue are sold over Equinox/Torrent? Here are the January to August sales fact: Equinox-80,955; Torrent-30,602; Vue-65,145. Vue sales is comprised of the 2.2L & 3.5L. The 3.6L engine used in Cadillac CTS is a good engine.
Reply
Kowell 2:39PM (9/19/2006)
#7:
I don't know about you guys but up in Quebec, there are 4 Vue V6 for every Equinox/torrent on the road...
Reply
Eric L. 3:17PM (9/19/2006)
Looks nice. Almost like a Kia Sorrento, but with a car frame. The 2.4 and 3.6L engines should be good choices. The big question is if they can make the interior nice. I've read a lot about how great the Saturn Aura's interior is, but honestly I don't think its up to Accord/Camry standards yet. So it remains to be seen whether the VUE can approach RAV4/CRV standards interiorwise.
Reply
onell 3:51PM (9/19/2006)
#8, that's in Quebec alone but here in North Carolina there are 4 Equinox/Torrent for every V6 Vue!
Reply
The Mayonaise King 3:35PM (9/19/2006)
#9 Eric L, better check out those interiors again, not only is the Aura interior better looking, but fit finish is far above the Camry or Honda. The finish in the Aura is almost(almost) on the level of the Lexus.
I really like the little SUV above, it's a really neat little package. Now if it gets good mileage, they have a winner.
Reply
CMS 7:24PM (9/19/2006)
Mayonaise King -
you are the first person I have ever seen say that the fit/finish of the Aura is better than Camry/Accord. At least excluding the show car (which better have better fit/finish) then the production car. You ever drive all three? I have and I beg to differ. That being said the Aura is heads and tails above the old Saturns.
Reply
Rob 4:15PM (9/19/2006)
ok i entirely believe that the interior of the Aura may be at the Camry/Accord level (it does look pretty nice), but almost at the level of a Lexus? What are you smoking?
and here in the DC/VA/MD area there are A LOT more vues than equinox/torrents. i've probably only see one or two torrents and 20-30 equinoxes...vues, hundreds probably. but that may be because they've been out on the market longer.
Reply
koizboy 3:17PM (9/20/2006)
How can Saturn, turn such a beautiful concept into such an ugly production vehicle. Looks like the Sky was just a fleeting stroke of genius.
Reply
MikeW 6:26PM (9/19/2006)
I hope the Saturn sales people tell their prospective customer, yeah this honda engine needs a timing belt change and it needs it valve clearance adjusted by 100,000 miles.
I can't believe Honda didn't put the J30A4 (3.0 accord V6) in the CR-v.
Their loss, is the RAV4's gain.
Reply
Ligor Manushi 6:58PM (9/21/2006)
well, looks liek GM screwed up the rear end. the front is ok adn the 3.6L V6 willalso be ok and if those rear taillight get fixed before production it will be a better looker than the Rav4, maybe not the CRV
Reply
Travis 10:33AM (11/13/2006)
ok guys im gonna help things out a little bit im a salesman for saturn and i will tell u that for every 10 vues on there road around here there are maybe 1 or 2 torrents if even that and i will admit the fit on the auras arent the best but after driving the camry and the accord cuz we own a honda and a toyota dealership the aura is leagues ahead of the others and anothing to get u guys going this is gonna be the last year for the ions also
Reply