Edmunds '08 Saturn Vue Review

[jamz]

emember when SUVs ran free in the wild? None of this hauling-kids-to-soccer-practice domestication. Back in the day, sport-utility vehicles hauled motorboats and ATVs. Not technologically babied neo-Griswolds.

Fortunately, the advent of performance-inspired crossovers marks a return to those days of a carefree existence. Where instead of trail-rated and off-road tough, the "sport" in "sport-utility" refers to performance. And while the 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line might be meant for civilized roads, you can still run wild.

A Chip on Its Cute Shoulder
The 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line ($28,770 base price) has an aggressive attitude for a cute ute, and not just beneath its sheet metal. Its large air duct below the front bumper — encased in an additional grille and bookended by projector-beam foglights — differentiates it from the base Vue XE and midlevel XR, presenting a formidable face that remains attractive.

Our Ruby Red test car stood out among the other SUVs populating the SoCal neighborhoods of young upper-middle-class moms and dads. But this isn't the car for them and their Kitson-wearing brood. It's for you, the REI-loving urbanite who wants to cruise well-paved, long sweeping mountain roads with no worries about carsick toddlers.

With its tapered roof line — a design cue lifted from the PreVue concept — matched to the top-line trim's standard 18-inch alloy wheels, rear spoiler and chrome trapezoid exhaust tips, this compact SUV resembles a sport coupe that's all grown up. Instinct tells you to drive it fast, if only to get your jollies during off-peak hours on the interstate.

You Must Be This Tall To Ride
The Red Line's sleek exterior style is echoed within the cabin. Front bucket seats upholstered in ebony leather with red stitching and featuring seat surfaces with perforated suede inserts invited us to strap in and go.

Grabbing hold of the hard leather-wrapped steering wheel in one hand and the matching gearshifter in the other, we obliged. A pancake house in Redondo Beach called our name. The road to Redondo isn't exactly the autobahn, but you take what you can get in a cute ute, and this sort of excursion is how city dwellers forage for food.

The new 2008 Vue's much-improved interior afforded us momentary peace on the way to a Sunday brunch where we'd be surrounded by families hopped up on apple pancakes. With no wind or road noise at freeway speeds, we were able to meditate on its upgraded design and features.

Worlds apart from our 2002 Saturn Vue long-term test vehicle, the upscale compartment of the German-engineered 2008 Vue recalls a conversation area at some bachelor pad. You want to keep muddy Stride Rites and spilled Cheerios far away from its smooth black leather, soft suede trim and embroidered floor mats. Hard, dark gray plastic lines the dash, but the touches of bright faux carbon-fiber trim and chrome accents contribute a clean, classy look.

Escaping the Pack
Although true performance enthusiasts might have no use for the idea of a performance-oriented SUV unless it's carrying a V8 engine from Audi, BMW or Porsche, the Red Line's 3.6-liter V6 fills the need of those who only want to dust the wolf packs of meandering mommy-mobiles on the freeway. And with 257 horsepower at 6,500 rpm, this Vue can easily escape boxed-in traffic situations.

A sport suspension and a lowered ride height help give the chassis a responsive sense of poise on the road, and this translates into a confidence-inspiring sensation of control. You feel attached to this all-wheel-drive version of the Vue Red Line, not led by it. A composed ride of Euro-style resiliency, minimal body roll and direct, confident handling transform mundane lane changes into a highway waltz.

Let loose at the test track, the Red Line's 64.0-mph slalom speed puts it on par with the turbocharged all-wheel-drive Acura RDX and Mazda CX-7, even though their smaller proportions give them an advantage, as these compact competitors register 65.7- and 64.3-mph slalom speeds.

In straight-line acceleration, however, a 180-pound handicap means the Vue Red Line is chasing after the Acura and the Mazda. It runs the quarter-mile in 16.5 seconds at 84.8 mph. In comparison, the RDX hits the quarter in 15.2 seconds at 90.4 mph, and the CX-7 does the deed in 15.9 seconds at 86.4 mph.

The Vue Red Line's braking ability is rated better than average by our testers, hauling our portly crossover's 4,110 pounds to a stop from 60 mph in 130 feet. And despite several 60-0 runs, the brake pedal remained consistently firm with no fade.

Shifty Intentions
Where the Red Line proves to be too tame, however, lies in the manual-shifting department. Although the standard six-speed automatic transmission with GM's Tapshift responds crisply to upshifts, there's a slight hesitation when downshifting. It's a characteristic of a transmission calibrated for optimum fuel economy. For the Vue Red Line, this sluggish response compromises its claimed sporting ability, and does so on a daily basis.

Just like most owners of this SUV will be apt to do, we used Tapshift in stop-and-go traffic to ease off the brakes and enliven crosstown errands rather than to command twisty canyon roads at the outer city limits.

Despite the fuel-saving intention of the Vue's transmission calibration and its EPA rating of 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway, we averaged 14.7 mpg in mixed driving.

A Theory of Evolution
The 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line shows us just how far GM's car-based crossover has evolved from the first-generation vehicle with dent-resistant plastic body panels and crummy, generic interior materials. Now transformed with European good looks, a German-engineered chassis and sport-tuned ride and handling, plus a 257-hp V6, the performance-trimmed Vue Red Line is finally a contender.

SUVs like the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne have expanded the possibilities of what a sport-utility can be, and now we're finding more vehicles in the SUV category that have discarded soccer-mom duty. Sometimes, you aspire to more than just a bland carlike crossover, and the 2008 Saturn Vue Red Line brings more sport and more style down to the cute-ute category.