It was the base model with the 4 cyl and 4 speed auto. On the flat FL highways, it could not get out of its own way fast enough. It was a dog on the highway.

The cruise control in this ute could not keep a constant speed no matter how hard it tried. Set the cruise at 75, and it would coast until it hit 70, then downshift and accelerate(?) until it reached 80, then upshift and do it all over again. It was terrible.

As for the looks, I like the exterior (it could be mistaken for a CR-V in the nose), but the interior I did not appreciate. The seats were uncomfortable for a long ride and orange(?) dashlighting was irrating. The radio display would completely wash out in the day light.

As my wife drives an 08 CR-V, there is no comparison. I would not recommend this, atleast in the 4 cyl model.

The diesels Opel uses are not Opel designs per se. Opel generally does zero engine design and zero transmission. The diesels they use are designed outside Opel by other manufacturers such as VM for example. They have used Getrag transmissions for years such as the F35 and F40

I beg to differ with this opinion. I’ll list some facts because this is a significantly incorrect assumption.

1 The Drawing and Clay was done in the Opel Studio. This is not in question.
2.GM Patac did the final interior/exterior/chassis design in conjunction
with GMNA
3. The V6 engines are 100% GMNA Powertrain designs as are the transmissions.
4 The 4 cylinder is a Lotus/Opel design 5 generations removed and redesigned by Saturn GM Powertrain and then GMNA Powertrain.
5 All the electronic hardware and wiring are 100% GMNA designed.
6 Electronic software is a modification from 100% GMNA scripts rewritten by Canadian GM engineers.

So to answer the question as to what did GMNA contribute. There you go.

Vue – 4 cyl: 19/26
Vue – 6 cyl: 16/23
RAV-4 – 4 cyl: 21/27
RAV-4 – 6 cyl: 19/27 “

Frank compared the FWD versions; I’ve included all versions below from fueleconomy.gov. Remember the VUE has actually been rated, while the 2007 RAV 4 numbers have been converted to 2008 numbers and may be slightly different when the 2008 RAV 4 is actually rated. We’ll see if the numbers are as high as for the simple arithmetic conversion the EPA has applied to pre-2008 numbers.

2007 RAV 4 converted to 2008 numbers:

RAV 4 4 Cyl FWD 21/27
RAV 4 4 Cyl AWD 20/25
RAV 4 6 Cyl FWD 19/27
RAV 4 6 Cyl AWD 19/26

2008 VUE:

4 Cyl FWD 19/26
3.5 6 AWD 15/22
3.6 6 FWD 16/24 and 23???
3.6 6 AWD 16/22

Maybe they figured out a way to trim off 2-300 pounds, too… I just don’t think you should slap a Redline performance-tag on something unless it has some oomph, otherwise you make the entire line meaningless.

Says volumes that South Koreans (who started assembling cars in 1967, not even manufacturing their own car design – Hyundai 1984 – or car engines – Hyundai 1990) can design a better can than GME or GMNA.

As far as “setting foot in a Saturn dealership” you should try it someday. The Toyota or Honda dealer won’t give you cookies. :)

Same gas mileage, much more interior room, slightly lower weight, distinctive style.

One would expect much better performance out of a higher-horsepower-rated “modern” engine and 6-speed transmission, but its preformance is only a rough equivalent of a vehicle with a 1979-design V-6 and a 1985-designed 4-speed auto.

And no other “cute ute” is much better!

I’d rather have 2 low-miles Azteks, or maybe an Aztek and a Rendezvous, and enough change left over from the $25 grand to pay sales tax , first year’s license and insurance, and a couple hundred gallons of fuel on both, than any one cute ute.

ALL of these vehicles have their faults and quirks. You can’t get a power passenger seat on the CRV either, which I suppose is meant to push one up to the Acura.

well done korea! Well done Germany! Well done usa? why? what has it got to do with gm or usa? nothing. the car is completely constructed by daewoo. some engine and tranny options are german opel.

just because gm bought opel a century ago, doesn`t make it a gm product. Sony owns half of hollywood,yet haven`t heard you sayin“ what a nice sony film that matrix was!` Your truck divisions like Mack is owned by Renault, haven`t heard you sayin` what a nice french mack we have.

So why `privatize` other countries achievements? I understand that gm is desperate to launch new products and look product oriented. but people ain`t that stupid. sooner or later they will ask questions why all american divisions get rebadged imports? How can saturn fight imports if it consists of imports itself?

look at vauxhall today. How many products do they have? right. ZERO. this is where detroit is heading. rebadge only helps to mask the ultra -sad situation in US manufacturing field.never ever dare to call Ecotec a gm product. look at how precise are moulds in opel astra today.

Do you really believe that this car could have something common with US , detroit or GM? don`t live in illusions.This ain`t Siegfried and Roy. Look deeper at the root of the whole problem. Usa government increased amount of H1-b visas by 20k annually,because they lack engineers, so they have to get them somewhere else. ( I guesss it explains why intel has research centers in Japan).

the math and exact sciences scores are lower in usa than in korea, China, sweden, canada, etc, barely surpassing italy.( PISAtest-2003) mammamia! the research also made interesting statistics of racial differences among results. and the rsults were substantially lower for black and hispanic people, while much higher for asiatic people.( I am not racist, so I guess it is legal to read statistics).

Unless you start really educating your children and imparting them with a value of sense of achievement , nothing `s gonna change!

FAIR GAME! hire me! In 20 years I will make your GM a fair game player and even Mr. Boldridge won`t have to wash his hands after shaking hands…. ;))))))))))(So much for pathos.)

Now, if they could just make it work as well with an electric motor, they’d be really ready to compete with Toyota – or at least, give a better impression of doing so.

Not mentioned in this review is the fact that apples to apples (EPA figures), the Vue compares quite poorly to the competition in terms of fuel economy. It should be noted that the Rav 4 and CR-V both have very good standard safety.

Another thing not mentioned in the review is compared to the competition, the Vue’s interior volume is not that great.

For the same price as a Vue V6, you can get a Rav 4 V6 with equal safety, more power and better fuel economy, as well as more interior volume.

I take your point, and it is valid, though would you apply that to the Vue name? The strong american product brands are and have been Mustang, Corvette, Caravan, Explorer, Cherokee, Suburban, and other such strong franchises.

Until the Vue got its Honda V6, I have poor recollections of its drive, its interior and its quality. The Vue brand is poor.

So drop the poor brands, yes got it. But typing this post also made me realize the flip side of this:

The Big Three’s (but mainly GM’s) capacity to assassinate a GOOD franchise. Think
- ’60s Pontiac Lemans, early ’90’s Korean Lemans.
- The Chevy SS sub-brand which, up until the current Cobalt SS, was just tacky (literally and figuratively)stickers and such.
- The Omni-based 80’s Dodge “Charger”
- The 80’s / 90’s Chevrolet Nova (a NUMMI for those who recall the Toyota/GM joint-venture)
- And I know at some point over the past 20 years, Oldsmobile threw 442 stickers onto cars that do not merit them.

So, yes, keep a good brand alive. But not at all costs.

I can see the Ion have baggaage and negative connotations as it was universally panned when it came out, but the last generation Vue has actually been one of GMs better efforts. You can’t diss a company for constantly running from established nameplates and destroying brand equity by abandoning names like Tauras and at the same time complain when they actually bring out a new version.