Saturn Vue comes to market as new SUV that drives like a car
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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BUCKHEAD, Ga. -- On Paces Ferry Road in the ritzy Atlanta's suburb of Buckhead, a traffic signal switches to green and we push the throttle on our Vue, a new car-like sport-utility vehicle from Saturn.
The wagon surges forward and momentum builds, while we anticipate a shift to second gear by the automatic transmission.
Speed continues to rise as we wait for that shift, but by now our vehicle is approaching the legal limit and the efficient four-pack engine seems to be running at a relatively modest rpm rate -- which it would never do with the transmission stuck in first gear.
Apparently, either we never hear or feel the shift transitions or Vue's transmission never shifts.
Yet the reality for this acceleration test on a street in Atlanta is actually a third scenario: The transmission never shifts into second and third gears because there are no second, third or even fourth gears.
Rather than the traditional step-ratio gears of a conventional automatic transmission, Vue's transmission uses pulleys and a special steel belt to precisely match engine output to vehicle speed, enabling seamless acceleration through all speeds.
Called a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the device approaches a manual shifter's fuel economy but delivers virtually undetectable shift transitions.
It's optional on the Vue's four-cylinder engine in front-wheel-drive (FWD) format but standard for the all-wheel-drive (AWD) version.
The CVT is only one of a number of nifty properties on Vue that makes Saturn's sport-utility special.
Crafted with a unit-body structure typically used for cars rather than trucks, Vue is new from every aspect and stocks innovative features not found on any other vehicle in the compact-class of sport-utility wagons.
It blends the best features of a traditional SUV -- such as the tall stance and a spacious cabin with flexible seating and cargo capacity -- with favored traits of a tightly constructed sedan, like the easy-of-entry to comfortable seats and an easy-to-drive personality.
And it comes with attributes typical of all Saturn vehicles, including a high content of safety-oriented hardware and pliable plastic side panels that are dent-resistant and flex in the face of parking-lot mishaps, along with Saturn's one-price strategy with favorable published price points.
What's with the unusual name?
"We named it the Vue because it brings a new perspective to the sport-utility market," according to a spokesperson at Saturn. "The Vue was designed to lead the next generation of compact SUVs by combining a contemporary look, leading technology, thoughtful features and a high level of safety."
The styling looks rugged and strong but also progressive and friendly. It reveals familiar proportions of a SUV with the tall stance and boxy cabin but also the clean lines of an industrial design with simple and relatively unadorned shapes.
In front the prow shows a tall multi-port fascia with integrated bumper in contrasting color and thin strips of horizontal headlamp clusters at top corners.
Outboard air inlets feature grilles on the FWD Vue, but foglamps fill those ports on AWD models.
The hood rises sharply to the windshield, where front pillars tip rearward into a flat roofline. Initial door pillars are black to blend with tinted windows, while second body-colored pillars slant forward in opposition to the windshield pillars. In back, a boxy wagon bay is softened by the wrap of dark glass around each rear pillar.
Two doors on each side provide access for passengers into the cabin, while a liftgate in back leads into the cargo compartment. Taillamps, stretching from bumper to belt line, mark Vue's rear corners.
The space-frame structure of Vue allows placement of front and rear frames below floor level of the passenger compartment. This in turn sets side rocker panels at a low level to create a low step-over height for easy entry to the cabin without having to hike over a tall door sill.
The cabin carries twin bucket seats up front followed by a bench for three that splits in 70/30 proportions and each section folds flat to expand the rear cargo bay.
Front seats stand tall so the driver gets a commanding view of the road.
Rear seatbacks recline to two positions for comfort.
The cargo bay is broad and uncluttered, with the spare tire tucked out of the way below the floor. A clever pop-up organizer cradles sacks of groceries or other small parcels and keeps contents from sliding around. Also, there are various tie-down anchors, hooks for grocery bags and two recessed receptacles big enough to hold a gallon jug.
Further, the seatback of the right front bucket folds down flat into a horizontal plane that lines up with the cargo floor. With the bench seatback also folded, you can stow a long object (such as an eight-foot ladder) inside the Vue and close the liftgate.
The dashboard contains a cockpit-style instrument cluster with large round analog gauges. Controls for entertainment and the interior environment come together in a central dash pod featuring large rotary dials for the heating and cooling system.
For locomotion, Vue pitches two different engines, one that's borrowed and another that's new.
The new plant -- a dual-cam four-cylinder design displacing 2.2 liters and generating a robust 143 hp at 5600 rpm plus 152 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm -- was developed as a universal engine for service in various brands of General Motors. It also drops into Saturn's L100 and L200 sedans, as well as the L100 station wagon.
The borrowed plant -- a two-cam 3.0-liter V6 with output of 181 hp at 6000 rpm and torque production of 195 lb-ft at 4000 rpm -- is based on an engine that powers Opel's Omega sedan in Europe. It also appears in Saturn's L300 sedan and can run at autobahn speeds.
Entry point occurs with Vue in FWD format packing the four-cylinder engine and a manual five-speed transmission. It lists for $16,325, with a $510 delivery fee added.
Vue in AWD format with CVT seamless shifter totals to $18,890 plus delivery fee, while the V6 Vue with a five-speed automatic transmission is set at $22,575.
Options include anti-lock brakes ($595), curtain-style side air bags ($395), a sunroof ($725) and packaged power equipment ($1,360).
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| 2002 SATURN VUE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact 4-door SUV
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| Model Options: |
Compact 4-door SUV
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| Wheelbase: |
106.6 inches
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| Overall Length: |
181.3 inches
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| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.2-L I4
DOHC 3.0-L V6
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| Transmission: |
I4 FWD: M/5
CVT
I4 AWD: CVT
V6 AWD: A/5
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| Drive: |
I4: FWD / AWD
V6: AWD
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front)
+ opt. 2 (side curtain)
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| Gas Mileage: |
I4 FWD M/5: 23/28 mpg
I4 FWD CVT: 21/28 mpg
I4 AWD CVT: 21/26 mpg
V6 AWD A/5: 19/25 mpg
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| MSRP Price: |
$ 16,835 to $ 26,045 |
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