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The Vue has a slippery streamlined look, with a low hood and small grille. Body-colored door handles, mirrors and bumpers provide a continuous flow to the panels but your eye is instantly attracted to the thin chromed side grille decoration at the trailing edge of the front fender. This trim isn't functional, but I found it interesting how such a small part adds instant character to the vehicle. There are many new vehicles sporting decorative grilles on the front fenders, but none are as attract...

This is the hands-down winner for most-improved player of the year—this is an excellent little SUV. It's fantastic looking, well built and is a good driver. The interior is nicely laid out and the materials used inside are of a high quality for a vehicle in this price range.

The name is about the only thing having to do with the Saturn Vue that hasn't been changed for 2008. Well, the wheelbase is the same, and overall size is within inches or less, usually less, in all exterior and interior dimensions. But from the outside, it looks very different. From the inside, ditto, and on the road the new Vue is significantly improved over the older version in ride and handling.

By exploiting its best resources, GM was able to develop a vehicle that can answer the needs of different markets. Therefore, don't be surprised if the 2008 Saturn Vue feels like a Honda CR-V or a Kia Sportage once you sit on board. The interior layout is as modern as the exterior styling. The materials are pleasant to touch and look at, with fit and finish being neat and tidy. The color scheme has been cleverly thought out and includes a number of chrome accents. The seats are large and plush, ...

Several weeks ago, I listened to a presentation by Dr. Menehen Anderman of Advanced Automotive Batteries, given at the SAE Hybrid Symposium in San Diego. The most striking conclusion of Dr. Anderman's talk was that, while those of us captivated by advanced automotive technologies are hanging on every press release issued about the super-tech plug-in Chevy Volt, the truth is that time scale of getting the Volts of this world into meaningful production volume is going to be painfully long. No, Dr....

Want an SUV but feel like you'd need extra dark privacy tinted windows to shield yourself from the scorn of newly minted "green" drivers? Thankfully, if you still crave off-road ruggedness in your ride, Saturn has the answer. It's called the Vue Hybrid. Now, a few other manufacturers have a hybrid to offer that can carry more than two people and bag or two of groceries. But too often they are pretty bland designs, bereft of style. Not so with the Vue Hybrid which features the benefits of a low-e...

I got the same reaction while driving the 2008 Vue that I've gotten with every Saturn I've driven lately. People look at me like I just turned green, they look at the car, and then they turn to me and say: That's a Saturn? I take great pleasure in responding: Yes, it is.

Kafi, the youngest and hardest to please, noticed that the Saturn Vue's interior has improved remarkably since 2002, the Vue's first model year. There was no cheap plastic. Leather that felt and looked like real leather covered the Vue XR's seats. Fit and finish were perfect. Overall interior design was attractive. "I like this one," Kafi said. "I could be happy with this one."

If you're in the market for a compact SUV, chances are value for money is at or near the top of your list of prerequisites.

Many of Saturn's newest cars, including the Aura, Sky and Astra, have been based on vehicles designed for Opel, General Motors' European division. The Vue is no different -- it's nearly identical to the Opel Antara, though while the Antara uses a fuel-efficient diesel, the Vue gets gasoline engines better suited to American tastes.

Saturn uses the same mild hybrid setup used in the Aura and Malibu sedans. This system uses a 5kW motor/generator that takes the place of the conventional alternator. The motor/generator is belt driven off the engine crankshaft and provides automatic start/stop capability, some electric power boost and regenerative braking. The comparatively weak motor, combined with a nickel metal hydride battery with only 48V, obviously limits the capability of the system. During acceleration, the motor can ba...

Gone is that excellent Honda engine. But you know what? Nobody misses it. And that alone is a bit of a revelation.

Many North American and Asian car makers have used the term "European-inspired" to describe a new model at one time or another. Few, however, actually walk the walk the way Saturn is doing these days, as the brand slowly restocks its line-up with vehicles plucked from General Motors of Europe's Opel showrooms.

The good news is that the 2008 Vue matches or bests the competition on almost every front. If a perception problem is the SUV's biggest problem, Saturn should be quite pleased.

The Saturn Vue Green Line offers those in the market for a hybrid SUV an interesting choice. The price premium you'll pay for it versus a regular Vue is steeper than GM's other "mild" hybrids, the Chevy Malibu Hybrid and Saturn Aura Green Line, but its mileage gains are more impressive. All told, the Green Line yields 27 percent better gas mileage in overall driving versus the four-cylinder Vue — a testament both to the efficiency of the hybrid and, relative to competing SUVs, the thirstiness ...