I just got done renting a V-6 Saturn VUE AWD for some work in one of our SoCal Off-Road Parks. I do trail surveys & erosion assessments. I try all sorts of different 4x4s when I have to rent.

I had this car for three days and took it off-road for two of them. It went into some old WW-II aerial gunnery ranges and into eastern TruckHaven 4x4 area.

I also drove (pretty hard) from Ontario Airport to the work site, about 160 miles each way. On the return leg, I was bucking 50+ mph head winds.

I was pretty impressed. The car returned 22 MPG all around. I had it well up in the speed range for long stretches and it road & drove nicely. I liked the power adjustable seat (I'm 6 ft).

The steering was pretty precise. I hear it's electrically assisted. It's not exactly like hydraulic units in that it has a little resistance to moving off center, but then turns nicely and tracks very well. I liked the control layout. Also wind noise was low for an SUV.

Off road it was fine for a stock vehicle. I did not drag anything on areas and roads that have caught other rental SUVs. It steered well in the sand and pulled right through with street pressures in the tires. In the clay soils and other soft stuff it went where ever I pointed it.

I would not try to take it into hard core country, but all in all, I thought it one of the best rental SUVs I've ever had. One of the other fellows had an XTerra, and I went everywhere he went without fuss or bother. He seemed to bounce and spin a bit more than I did.

I would certainly consider buying one when my Big Bronco dies. It's still running strong, so that will be a while yet. But the VUE has made my short list for a family SUV.