Faults:

- Noise from the steering column.

- Speakers rattle the doors at low levels.

- Annoying rattle from overhead side airbags.

- loud noise from engine when starting.

I'm planning on taking the car in to have these issues serviced later this week. When I mentioned the speakers the dealership informed me that there is a plastic piece separating the exterior panel from the interior. They offered to add some padding, but I prefered that they not take the door apart and create new noise issues. Overall the Saturn service department is very helpful, but I'm not happy with the amount of noises that are developing in a car with under 10,000 miles.

General Comments:

The car the quickest SUV off the line for the price. You can't get more power without paying considerably more. The thing handles almost like a sports car. It performs well in all kinds of weather including blizzard conditions and deep snow. Much better than my buddies brand new Landrover Freelander.

Although the vehicle has performed well in all kinds of road conditions I would not trust it off the pavement. There is not enough clearance and I feel as if the car would quickly fall apart if pushed to hard offroad. I find myself missing my rugged Isuzu Rodeo when driving onto construction sites as I have to for my career.

The interior however does not reflect the purchase price. Saturn needs to rethink the over use of plastic. As I stated before I've noticed many noises developing throughout the interior.

Overall I would say the car looks sharp and offers great performance for the price. If I were in the market again I would probably spend a little more to get something with a nicer interior, less exterior plastic, and higher ground clearance. Maybe 4runner or Pathfinder.

Faults:

No problems so far, and I have the same engine as my two previous reliable Saturns.

General Comments:

This is my third Saturn, so I may be a bit biased. But, when shopping for a new car, I had 3 criteria and applied it to 3 makes: Jeep Wrangler, Pickup Truck, and Saturn VUE.

My criteria were: good economy, low cost of ownership, and 8" of ground clearance (I am off road in the TX hill country most weekends).

The VUE is much less expensive than the Wrangler, and much less expensive to maintain using my Wrangler owning friends experience as a comparison, and gets twice the fuel economy.

Compared to a PU truck the VUE is about the same price, but gets about 10 mpg better mileage, and rides much better.

If safety is a big concern, get the side impact air bags.

Faults:

I've had my 2004 V6 AWD for 4 months with no problems.

General Comments:

Great roomy pretty car. Must drive to appriciate. Super in the snow and ice. I would recomend the advanced audio option. It pumps.

Faults:

Nothing! Oh wait, I had a rear door freeze, it was -30'C.

General Comments:

The power is what I enjoy the most with my Vue. The ride is quiet and reasonably smooth. The seats are comfortable and supportive.

Faults:

Problem with rear axle in reverse. Dealer recall.

I paid extra for side impact curtain airbags, and they did not deploy when I felt they should. Which causes me to ask: Just how much force is required to set these airbags off? Is a multi-rollover accident not enough?

Roll over accident (2.5 times). Side curtain airbags did not deploy. Front driver, and front passenger airbags did not deploy.

General Comments:

This car performed admirably.

The manufacturer set self imposed recalls to address safety concerns.

I had plenty of room, and the cabin was very efficient.