Enjoying the VUE

[balexander87]

I drive a 2008 Saturn VUE XR AWD and I really enjoy it. Our family of three (soon to be four!!) have taken it on some very enjoyable camping trips, and I have taken it on a couple of guys' mountain biking trips that I'll never forget. We have put a ton of miles on it traveling back and forth from SW Michigan to Missouri to visit our families, and it is super comfy on the road, handles great, has good power, has been very reliable (knock on wood!!), and gets decent mileage.

While I would LOVE to get a crew cab pickup, a 4Runner/GX470, or an older Trooper, what I have right now is a great vehicle, and I'm not really in a position to take on a payment or empty my bank account. Someday I will, but for now, I'm doing my best to simply "enjoy the VUE".

To be honest, this little wagon has impressed the heck out of me. Yes, it is severely lacking in the ground clearance category, but Lake Michigan has thrown its worst at us, and the thing just grips and goes, even with the arguably sub-optimal (compared to what else is out there) Duelers on all four corners. With a roof rack, I can throw a cargo box or bike racks (or both!) on the roof and go. I can't help but think that with a few small modifications/additions, the VUE will be an excellent workhorse for the foreseeable future.

Examples of things I'd like to add/change: WeatherTech liners all around, Hitch + Hitch mount bike rack (you can FEEL the drag with them on the roof!!), maybe some A/T tires when the current ones are done.

I'm excited to see where this thing will go. Don't worry, I don't have any delusions of grandeur. I know it won't be doing the Rubicon, but I'm guessing there are a ton of two tracks it will go down just fine, and all I want to do is get to some cool places, not necessarily "wheel".

In any case, thanks to the Expo Light thread for helping me to see what my little wagon might have in it

 

[ExplorerTom]

Nice!

I used to have a 2004 VUE. It was the FWD 4 cylinder 5 speed manual. Had it for 8 years and 100k miles. Took it camping a couple times but never ventured too far off the beaten path.

 

[ihatemybike]

Ah, the Expo Light thread. I had forgot about that. I really kinda wish Basement Yeti and I would have collaborated on the lifted Metro he suggested.

I just did a quick search, but didn't find much about lifting your generation of the Vue. Probably could do a custom spacer lift to gain between 1"-2", don't know how much the stock camber adjusters can correct for though or if any after market ones would work.

 

[balexander87]

A lift is something I may look into down the road. Although the wheel wells look huge compared to the stock 235/60R17 tires. I may be able to gain an inch or so just with bigger tires.

When it comes to looking up info on this generation VUE, I've had better luck looking into the Opel/Vauxhall Antara it was borrowed from. Still not much out there though.

 

[balexander87]

"Antara" on the Dakar Rally, anyone???

So I guess I could always custom fab a space frame chassis, drivetrain, and long travel suspension and transfer the body panels over

 

[kbahus]

That chuck box looks familiar! Glad you are using it!

 

[tanglefoot]

Nice setup! Seeing a 1st-gen VUE out on the mining roads the last time I was camping helped shift my paradigm about what's needed in order to explore. It seemed to be making easy work of the trails and water crossings, and soaking up the bumps much better than my mule wagon.

 

[balexander87]

Nice setup! Seeing a 1st-gen VUE out on the mining roads the last time I was camping helped shift my paradigm about what's needed in order to explore. It seemed to be making easy work of the trails and water crossings, and soaking up the bumps much better than my mule wagon.

This is the exact sort of thing I'm going for. I would love to get something that I know would handle anything I might throw at it, but if I'm being honest, my VUE might handle everything just fine, and if it ever fails, then I'll look to upgrade. In the meantime, it's a nice, comfy DD that handles my weekend trips and let's me explore.

 

[balexander87]

Seeing a 1st-gen VUE out on the mining roads the last time I was camping helped shift my paradigm about what's needed in order to explore.

I appreciate this comment very much. This is what I am trying to do, shift my paradigm. Use and adapt the VUE until I find it doesn't suit my needs or is no longer practical, then look to update. At that point, I'll likely have a much better idea of what exactly it is that I need.

Edit: Sorry for the, more or less, double post :-/

 

[balexander87]

So, I got curious about the VUE's AWD system, primarily to understand if it is as failure prone as the system used in earlier versions. I was disappointed with the lack of verifiable information, but did find this one account over at SaturnFans that sounds at least moderately informed.

It seems that, as opposed to the old (failure prone) gerotor based system which operates passively, engaging only after the front wheels spin....

The new system used in the Vue (as well as the Outlook, Acadia, and Enclave) is controlled by a microprosessor and operates by means of an electromagnetic clutch. It is very similar to the Haldex system marketed by Haldex Traction AB. The main difference being that Haldex still uses hydraulic pressure to apply the clutches, while the electromagnetic system used by GM (which I believe is developed by Borg Warner) uses electromagnetic force to apply the clutches. The operating principles are the same though. The new GM system is well integrated with stability control, traction control, and ABS. The system activly monitors vehicle dynamics and driver input to determine when to being engaging AWD before it is actually needed. With the ability to manipulate power delivery using AWD and stability control (by selectivly applying brakes at each individual corner), the new Vue is very robust in terms of torque management. For all you folks in the snow belt, it should be dynamite in slippery conditions!

I can attest to the performance in snow. The thing goes like a tank. With appropriate throttle input, the rear end can be made to lose traction and oversteer much like a RWD vehicle, not understeer like I have experienced with other FWD vehicles. In less slippery conditions, it is just plain hard to make this thing break loose. It does a great job of managing traction.

Now it has me wondering just how capable it really is. What is the limit? Not surprisingly, I've yet to come across a thorough testing of this thing off-road. Again, I have no delusions of this thing performing like a fully locked 4wd, but more and more I am curious what the limit really is.

Might just have to see about testing it out myself...

 

[kojackJKU]

I am going to say sort of like the patriot, where as the patriot probably has lower gearing and the BLD helps a lot. But the vue would be similar in application. 95% of the people here don't need fully locked rigs. So, drive what cha got and enjoy the outdoors. Make sure you have some recovery equipement and give 'er!

 

[balexander87]

Good point. Recovery points and gear just moved to the top of the list


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[kojackJKU]

I have a 10 ton come along. No, its not a winch, but it's better than nothing in a pinch.

 

[vhercules]

with a good set of all terrains you will be surprised how capable it could be. I have taken my crv to places most people dont take their pickups. Not bragging but just giving an example as the crv is supposed to have a weak awd system. from what you have described looks like the vue has a better awd system ?? by the way the vue has a honda engine right ?

 

[ExplorerTom]

Late 1st gen and 2nd gen VUEs have the Honda 3.5L V6 and 5 speed auto (roughly the same trans used in the Honda Odyssey minivan) but I think this gen (3rd gen) uses some other kind of engine/trans.

There was also a 3.0L V6 option early on that wasn't a Honda as well as a GM 2.2L 4 cylinder (motor I had).