I have been driving Saturns since 1992, and this 06 Vue AWD V6 is our family's seventh one, my second Vue. I really didn't need a new one; the other Vue was a 03, but with the winters being so bad where I live, my husband wanted me to have the all-wheel drive, which is an upgrade from the standard. I really like I how much smoother this one rides; the 03 was the first year out for the Vue, so they have tweaked them a bit. Having leather seats and seat warmers didn't hurt either. The Vue is affordable, comfortable, and fun to drive.
I really love my Vue, but it wasn't the cars that sold me so much, it was their service after getting them. The company has a great reputation nation wide for great service. I have been to two different dealerships, in different city's and been treated the same every time. Awesome sales, awesome service. I can always get my car in within a couple of days, they figure out what is wrong, and within a couple of hours I am on my way. If the vehicle is out of warranty, then they give me the cost of fixing it right up front and it has always been reasonable. Having owned other vehicles in the past, I have spent weeks waiting to get a vehicle fixed, had to rent another one and spent countless hours on the phone arguing about how long it should take to get it done. My husband bought a 05 Chevy for our nephew; he tore the transmission out, and we have been waiting seven weeks for it to be fixed. Finally I had to get the owner of the dealership involved to get it done and the cost was unbelievable. That is why I buy Saturn's.
The Vue comes in the Redline Version (designed for performance and looks sportier) as well as the Greenline (the hybrid version, which gives great gas mileage, up to 585 miles to a tank, 25/32 estimated mph). I have the normal one with an AWD V6, gets great gas mileage ( 19/26 estimated mph) though obviously not like the Greenline, and is one of the most comfortable SUV I have every ridden in. Front seats lay back, back seats have the 60/40 split and lay down flat for storage or hauling just about anything I want to bring home from the Lowes or Home Depot. If its too big for the inside, I pull it home on a trailer.
Price: from around $24,950 for the AWD V6 on the 08, depending on the features you choose.
Features: 5 Passenger Seating, Rear Defroster, Rear Shoulder Harness, Power Door Locks, Power Windows, Console, Center Arm Rest, Heated Seats, Bucket Seats, Leather Seats, CD Player, AM/FM Radio, Air Conditioning, Trip Odometer, Digital Dash, Tilt Steering Wheel, Cruise Control, Tinted Windows, OnStar-These are just a few of the things that I have and that the new ones have as well. I love having OnStar as it has a hands-free phone. They pay for the subscription the first year; after that you do. It goes through Verizon, at least mine does, and is on my family share plan for the phone, makes it nice for hands-free calling.
One of the things I have always worried about was breaking down or my family breaking down and being stuck somewhere and with my Saturn and my daughters Saturn those fears are gone. Both of us are in college and we have to drive 150 miles a day to different schools. It makes me feel safe knowing that I can depend on our Saturn's to get us there and back without having any problems. Plus, Saturn has a great warranty as well, GM 100,000 mile/5 year power train limited warranty. I have not had any real problems with any of ours but its nice to know if I do we are covered.
We have also been able to tow the snowmobiles with the Vue. Seems to pull okay uphill without losing much power but wouldn't want to pull much more than two of them on a small trailer. We also pulled a small UHaul trailer with no problems.
Spacious and roomy, my 6'2"son is comfortable riding in it, even in the back seat, even on long trips except that he hates to travel. :) I have a connective tissue disorder which causes joint pain so riding in a car can really be uncomfortable. Usually we have to stop every hour for me to get out and walk around for a few minutes to keep from stiffening up. Now I can actually go for a couple of hours before stopping and I don't really feel much stiffness and pain. Riding in the Vue is actually pretty comfortable for me, getting in and out at hip level a plus. I would highly recommend it to those with arthritis or joint problems.
There are only a few things I would change if I could. Better gas mileage, of course. Wouldn't we all? I don't care much for the hard plastic on the doors. I have no idea what I would change it with though. Perhaps cloth would be better. I would also like a compartment that closes in between the two front seats. I always have so many things, Kleenex, mints, pens, cds, various other things and the are always falling out of the little cubby hole that is between the seats. If it was bigger and the arm rests were gone, it could double for the arm rests instead. I would also like a handle to hang onto when getting in or out of the passenger seat or the backseats and a of couple reading lights in the backseat.
There are many other Saturn's besides the Vue; you can check them out at Saturn.com if you want to see the specifics of this vehicle or any of the others. The site has a lot of interactive things to do, like build your own Saturn, and how and where to purchase it. Pretty cool. I love my Saturn and there are few things I would change on it. I even get emails telling me when I need to change the oil from OnStar. How awesome is that?

Amount Paid (US$): $25,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2006
Model and Options: Vue AWD V6, automatic, tinted windows, a/c,cruise,cd player,