VIDEO: Vue the new Opel Antara
Most of you know by now that the Opel Antara will become the new Saturn Vue, and based on spy shots showing it mostly naked, GM has wisely chosen to leave the Opel design intact. The model change comes not a moment too soon, as the current Vue's styling looks very dated when placed alongside the all-new Saturns it currently shares (or will soon share) floorspace with at dealerships.
So, what should we expect once the replacement arrives? The two attached promo videos from Opel show that the plucky (but somewhat homely-faced) Vue is set to mature into quite an attractive little SUV/CUV -- one that'll look right at home next to Aura, Sky, and Outlook in the local Saturn store, and be more than able to handle the daily driving duties most American buyers will demand of it. Cross your fingers and hope that GM's 3.6L V6 will be available as an option and that cool features like FlexFix aren't ditched as part of the car's Saturnization.
(Second video after the jump)
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay Evans 2:03PM (11/03/2006)
Looks a lot like an Mazda Tribute to me.
http://www.niranjans.com/images/shoppingcart/large/mazda_tribute_new.jpg
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Richard S. 2:13PM (11/03/2006)
Couldn't GM spluge $5 and add a remote-fuel release, rather than having a little nip sticking out of the gas cap?
Even Hyundais have remote-released fuel caps.
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Phil 3:16PM (11/03/2006)
Richard,
Go on fastlane@gmblogs and tell Bob Lutz to correct that detail. I'm sure he'll listen.
One inch larger wheels will probably be the other necessity for this market!
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Josh E. Oliver 2:31PM (11/03/2006)
Boy oh Boy! This thing has yet to hit the market, let alone make its official North American debut and their are naysayers!
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Andy 3:30PM (11/03/2006)
The Tribute looks like an Escape ('cuz it is). Maybe if I was on heroin, it'd look like the Mazda to me, too. The Antara looks nice. Will it be a quality improvement over the current VUE? That I don't know. I wonder about the MSRP. Saturn's new CUV is priced at $28,000--a lot for what was conceived as a budget car company. The Antara will certainly be priced higher than the current VUE (which is just over $17,000). The question is how much higher?
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John 3:17PM (11/03/2006)
2. Couldn't GM spluge $5 and add a remote-fuel release, rather than having a little nip sticking out of the gas cap?
Even Hyundais have remote-released fuel caps.
Posted at 2:12PM on Nov 3rd 2006 by Richard S. 0 stars
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Why does it matter? Nobody uses self-service except people on two American states anyways.
Get over the gas-stealing paranoia. Nobody has ever stolen gas from me or anyone else that I have ever known in life. Maybe it's a European or Japanese thing--gas stealing that is...
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michael 3:18PM (11/03/2006)
that looks nothing like a tribute. and it also looks 10x better than a VUE
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rem83 3:32PM (11/03/2006)
If GM can get good gas mileage out of a green-line version of this (better than the current green-line) I will definitely purchase one. I love the built-in bike rack.
Also, I tend to prefer normal gas caps. Even though a remote release is a very simple feature to implement, things can still break and I'd rather not have to worry about getting to my gas cap. Also, the only state I know of with standard full service gas stations is NJ.
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sk 4:09PM (11/03/2006)
Andy #7
Quality improvement? I had two Vue's so far hand had not a single problem with either one and I'm driving 24k+ miles per year.
I don't think that Saturn will price it higher than the current Vue. It is smaller and the competition is in the same price range. It would be a hard sell if new model is a few thousand $ more.
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Lithous 4:13PM (11/03/2006)
Opel and Saturn, a marriage which started in the 1970's (but no one knew it)...
http://www.ledworld.34sp.com/images/ebay/speidellcd/ebay10.jpg
http://www.ledworld.34sp.com/images/ebay/speidellcd/ebay12.jpg
GM should just use this logo since it is to the point.
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JackBlack 4:19PM (11/03/2006)
A remote gas flap, ummm, seems like I had one on my last car and had to pry it open one day with a screwdriver to buy gas.....No thank you...........
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Jimmy 4:52PM (11/03/2006)
I hope the offer the "Sattelbraun" leather in the Saturn. I think it looks great in the Opel:
http://www.opel.de/res/img/content/shop/cars/antara/gallery/photo/pic05_800.jpg
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number40one 5:43PM (11/03/2006)
I can't see the video (damn office firewalls)... they didn't scrap those neato vertical side vents up front, did they? (Can't tell from the spy shots because of all the tape.)
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Fabulo 5:24PM (11/03/2006)
"I hope the offer the "Sattelbraun" leather in the Saturn. I think it looks great in the Opel"
Ugliest leather color ever. My eyes are still burning.
But more seriously, the Vue is losing its latest bit of different style it had. Now it's a fat blob like CRV/RAV4 cute ute chick SUV/Wagons. a dime a dozen.
Bleh.
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Bob 8:36PM (11/03/2006)
Fabulo, the current Vue is one of the ugliest vehicles on the road. Anything is an improvement. And I would rather it look like a "fat blob" (just because it's round?) than a squared-off nightmare like the Dodge Nitro. Blech.
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Jimmy 12:13AM (11/04/2006)
Fabulo, perhaps it is an acquired taste. I also like BMW's terra-cotta leather which may burn your eyes some more:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v155/echelon153/DSCN3980.jpg
The Opel Antara is almost exactly the same size as the X3 btw.
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Steve2 12:28AM (11/04/2006)
The bike rack may disappear if it can't pass bumper standards in the US.
European bumper standards are very low, even lower than the watered-down US regs, and much lower than the Canadian regs which match the older regs.
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