bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

A couple of friends have Saturn Vues and both of them bragged "yeah, it's got a Honda V6 in it". I was a bit skeptical and when I got home I checked and sure enough, it's true and I think it's the same 3.5 they put in the MDX, Pilot, Odyssey, etc.

Also, while the recent exterior changes on the Vue still don't take it out of the 'homely' class , the interior is really quite nice.



More pics info here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2005/06/18/2006-saturn-vue/

spwolf

yep, kind of funny that a lot of GM ppl are dissing lack of torque in Honda engines, then when someone talks about Vue, first thing they mention is the engine :-).

Interior does look smooth. Problem is that once you sit in it and look at it closer, all the horible plastic becomes sore sight to your eyes.

mmarshall

Yes, bit....this is nothing new. Saturn first announced the availability of the 3.5L Honda V6 for the Red-Line ( performance-series ) VUE 2 or 3 years ago......and since then, as I understand it, has made it the standard V6 on all VUE's. Needless to say, it is a far better engine than the torquey but unreliable Opel-derived V6 that preceeded it.

Nice shot of the interior.....it's about time Saturn gave the VUE's interior a little bit of nice trim ( wood paneling in this case ) Past VUE interiors have had about as much classiness as the inside of a coal mine, with less-than-perfect fit-and-finish and numerous squeaks and rattles to match.

Faraaz23

Wow, i have never heard this. I had no idea Honda and GM were doing any business with each other. Is there any other GM-Honda cooperation going on? My other question is.... is it the honda-designed engine that is manufactured by GM (or its contractors).... or is it the actual honda-built engine that is given ready-made to saturn to plop into the engine compartment? How much does the VUE cost? If its not that expensive, that may just be a decent alternative for reliable A to B transportation.

mmarshall

No, it is a real honest-to-goodness Honda 3.5L....adapted, of course, to a Saturn transmission and FWD / AWD system.

The only other GM-Honda cooperation that I know of was with the Honda Odyssey minivan using GM-supplied electric sliding door hardware...but it was so troublesome and slow-to-operate that Honda dumped it and is now using their own in-house-designed hardware now.

You can get VUE prices from the Saturn web site. Saturns normally sell for list...no markups, no discounts.....but the rigid pricing system of the past may be starting to change, with some dealer markups and discounts now allowed.

http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/vue/pricing.jsp

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

OK but that doens't mean everyone knows it.

TheRupp

I knew this as well, where you been Bit?

Seroiusly, news to me as well. Is the Vibe still a Toyota as well?

<VENOM>

From what I read Honda is providing the engine and trans,

mmarshall

Engine? Definitely. Transmission....not sure.

mmarshall

Yes. The Pontiac Vibe is a rebadged version of the Toyota Matrix ( which itself is a Corolla derivative).
The Matrix, however, IMO is a more sensible buy for two reasons: First, Toyota's warranty is better than GM's, and, second, Toyota mechanics and technicians and dealerships are more familiar with the basic car than Pontiac ones.

toy4two

BAHAHAHA. Good ole GM.

Its a shame they are allowing Markups on Saturns, I was seriously considering buying a new Sky, and I liked it over the Solstice just for the reason there would be no markups, dealer haggle. Now thats done, I'll wait until the used market in a few years.

mmarshall

Saturn may be allowing some dealer price discretion now, but even though I have not bought or shopped with someone lately for a Saturn ( last time was 2001) and cannot say for sure, given Saturn's history, they are not likely to allow the kind of ridiculous markps we saw in the past on vehicles like the first-year PT Cruisers, 2-seat Thunderbirds, S2000's, Beetles, etc..... or even its own brother the Pontiac Solstice. Even apart from dealer or corporate pricing policy, the Solstice has gotten a lot more attention in the auto press than the Sky, and demand alone.....a major factor in pricing......is likely to be higher for the Solstice. My guess is that even if it does not go out the door for list, the average Sky will undercut the average (similiarly-equipped ) Solstice by a substantial margin.....and I am still recommending that potential Solstice shoppers wait a couple of months and first check out a Sky. Then...if they don't like the Sky's looks or don't want one for any other reason.....THEN buy a Solstice.....for probably more money. Or just wait another year or so until the novelty wears off and the price of BOTH come down. " Gotta Have " often means " Gotta Pay ".