Anyone have a 2003-2005 Saturn Vue?

We are going to be buying a new vehicle within the next few months on a budget. We are considering getting a Saturn Vue. My concern is that they have always seemed like a "cheap" vehicle. Are they are plastic as they seem? What about safety and gas mileage? Do you love them, or hate them, and why? I am so confused. I want something a little cute, but I also want safety, and good gas mileage. How do carseats fit? Any problems with a Radian install? Please help me!

Ps. If it helps at all, the other vehicles we are looking at are another Ford Focus, but a sedan, or a sedan Mazda 3, or possibly a Pontiac Vibe. Any opinions on these cars would help too. Thanks!

We had an '03 Vue up until it was wrecked and repaired, and I learned DD2 was on the way shortly after it emerged from the body shop. Then we ended up getting a Sienna, but likely would have replaced the Vue with another Vue if we hadn't needed the additional seating capacity with a second child on the way and grandparents who often ride with us. Here are a couple of crash damage photos before our Vue was repaired:





No injuries, thank goodness. We were side swiped first, and then shoved across the road into a frontal collision with utility pole guide wires that caused most of the damage to the front end.

The Vue didn't fare all that well in the IIHS side impact crash tests, and it unfortunately wasn't crash tested with the optional side curtain airbags, which are must haves IMHO. Ours had side curtain airbags, and it was kind of hard to find a Vue with them in 2003 when we bought it. None of the airbags deployed in our crash.

I'd also recommend avoiding the 4-cylinder model with the CVT (continuously variable transmission), available in the '03 through approx. the '05 model year, because the CVT is notoriously unreliable. Unreliable as in total failure that strands drivers by the side of the road. :thumbsdown: The forums at www.saturnfans.com are a good source of info. I used to lurk there before we bought our Vue, and that's where I learned about possible issues with the CVT.

Our Vue was a V6 model, and it was hard pressed to get the rated mpg (it was rated 19 mpg city/25 highway, not sure of the metric conversion for Canadians, sorry). I don't recall the mpg rating for the 4-cylinder models, which had either a manual transmission, or the CVT in the earlier model years, and a manual or a regular automatic transmission by about the '06 model year.

The V6 engine in the '04-'07 model is actually a Honda engine and rated at 250 hp, more powerful than the earlier non-Honda V6 in the '02-03 models. The Honda engine equipped V6 version has the same EPA fuel economy rating as the non-Honda V6.

Another perk: Three full sets of lower LATCH anchors that all can be used simultaneously. The LATCH in all 3 seating positions is a good thing, because I believe another former Vue owner, skipspin, was only able to install her Radian using LATCH. Marathon installs were a breeze for me using LATCH. :thumbsup:

The Vue's interior is kind of plasticky, and of course you get the perks of plastic body panels, lol, more ding and rust resistant than sheet metal. My relatives have a '96 Saturn SW1 wagon, and the plastic door/side panels look impressively ageless compared to other metal bodied cars of a similar vintage.

Hope this helps some, and happy car shopping.

I have a 2004, V6 with the Honda engine. I've got over 70,000 miles on it (I'm a big commuter) and I have had literally NO problems. It looks like brand new, drives great in the snow as well (AWD). Gas milege is 23/mpg, which although not wonderful is not bad for being a bigger car. Also fits my DH's kyack rack on tope nicely.

I had 3, an '03 with the funky tranmission, an 05 with the HOnda V-6 (my favorite car ever) but we were hit from behind, stopped on the highway in traffic, jeep grand cherokee going 50 behind me didn't stop until myself and the 2 cars infront of me all pooled our resources and stopped her. My poor vue was totalled, as was the suzuki SUV in front of me. My 6yo was in his husky in the back (beautiful intall latch and LBP) and was fine. I was fine, the poor car absorbed so much impact, it did its job and sacrificed itself for us! It was replaced with an '06 that had some problems, like the drriver door wasn't on right, it was loud, and it leaked in the car wash! We traded it in on something bigger but if the Outlook had been out when we bought a vvan I just might be driving one of those. I loved my Vues.

Laurie

Thank you guys for your responces. This does definatley help with the choosing. Three LATCH positions sounds heavenly! The only thing that I have heard over and over is the gas mileage issue, (and Jeanum, don't worry about the Canadian conversion, we actually use mpg up here too) So after talking with dh about the Vue a little more, it is unfortunatley towards the bottom of the list now. Dh wants something that gets really good gas milage, as our other travel vehicle is a huge truck, which is of course HORRID on gas, actually it is terrific on gas, because it doesn't take gas. It's a diesel, so it's HORRID on diesel. LOL! So it sounds like a car is the way we are going. Oh well!

JennasMommy said:

Thank you guys for your responces. This does definatley help with the choosing. Three LATCH positions sounds heavenly! The only thing that I have heard over and over is the gas mileage issue, (and Jeanum, don't worry about the Canadian conversion, we actually use mpg up here too) So after talking with dh about the Vue a little more, it is unfortunatley towards the bottom of the list now. Dh wants something that gets really good gas milage, as our other travel vehicle is a huge truck, which is of course HORRID on gas, actually it is terrific on gas, because it doesn't take gas. It's a diesel, so it's HORRID on diesel. LOL! So it sounds like a car is the way we are going. Oh well!

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the Vue is available as a hybrid, i think starting n 07?, and I have heard good things about it, it increases the gas mileage to 23/29 which is a decent step up from the 19/25 the regular is rated at. These are the NEW values, so they might sound low, but they are not. Keep in mind that under the new system, the Honda Civic only has a rating of 25/36, so realistically, it's not bad mileage for what the vehicle is.

My co-worker has a 2002 (maybe 03?) Vue that he really likes. We worked together when he bought it and it's still running great. It's in a couple of minor accidents, but that's not the vehicles fault. Other than that, they've had no issues at all.

Another vehicle you might want to consider is the Honda CR-V. I have an '07, which is totally new styling, but I also really like the older ones too.

And I also agree with bobandjess. . the gas milage isn't that bad, considering the type of vehicle. My new CR-V averages 22MPG (real-world, mostly city).

I've had a 2004 and 2005 vue. The 04 sacrificed itself to save me in a frontal crash. The car was totaled. I was fine :thumbsup:

I have the 4-cyl 5spd manual transmission and I get GREAT mileage. I drive in stop and go traffic to DS's school, DD's daycare, and my work everyday and only get gas every 2 weeks.

I love my Vue. It doesn't feel cheap to me at all.

This is an older thread so I don't know if you're still looking, but I'll give my input anyway.

We're a Saturn family. We our Saturns. My mother and I have SL1s, my sister has an ION, and my father traded his wagon for a 2003 VUE, his first ever brand new vehicle (and the man had owned vehicles for about 40 years by that point).

We all love his VUE. I went all giddy and bouncy when I saw the 3 LATCH positions in the back. The cargo area comes with a built in net (at least his did, I don't know if this is an extra or not). It does have slightly forward of the bight belts (not as bad as some vehicles I've seen) but I've yet to have a difficult install with any seats I've used in it (Evenflo something-or-other, CarGo, Snugride, Scenera, Marathon, and just for kicks, my neighbors AOE... she thinks I'm insane, but that's okay).

The gas mileage isn't as great as a sedan or small car, but compared to what I hear other SUV owners complaining about, it seems to be decent for that type of vehicle. I don't know off the top of my head his actual mileage, though.

There are no dings or scratches on it, the paint still looks brand new, the inside is nice and roomy, and it doesn't feel like a cheap car by any means.

It has yet to be in an accident, but we're confident all our Saturns would do their jobs and sacrifice themselves to save us.

To be honest, the only vehicle that's been in an accident is my oddball dh's Nissan Frontier...