Suburban Dad: 2008 Saturn Vue XR

*Editor’s Note: We were originally planning to publish full coverage, including a Cars.com expert review, video and photos, of the all-new 2008 Saturn Vue on May 25, based on a GM embargo. That embargo has been lifted as of today, so we’re bringing you as much information as we can in a timely manner. We’ll alert readers when the full review goes live, but for now check out a take on the vital new Saturn product from our in-house family man.

Saturn is a family-friendly nameplate, so Suburban Dad has gotten time in many of its recent offerings. The best so far is the redesigned Vue. I wasn’t a fan of the last one, or frankly of many of Saturn’s previous offerings, because I thought they were design duds: bland and boring — terms commonly used for Suburban Dads, by the way.

The new generation of Saturns is sharp, with some good interiors, and should remake the company’s image in the eyes of consumers.

As a family-mobile, I liked the Vue. The second row offers plenty of space, keeping my three kids (relatively) happy. The cargo area seemed plenty large despite being one of the smaller ones in the class, and the adjustable and collapsible cargo net with four movable, lockable points is a great idea. Far too often I can’t keep the milk from rolling over the bread or the eggs. With the net able to adjust so that it can even be on a tilt, you can manage your cargo safely.

The interior feels like a more expensive car, with nice, molded plastic in most places and surfaces that seem solid and well thought-out. Plus, it’s more refined than many other GM products. The Vue’s leather will be great if you need to clean up after small kids, but it’s hardly the best leather I’ve seen or felt. The cockpit is laid out well, with controls where you’d expect and want them to be, although there is metal lining on the bottom of the steering wheel. I didn’t mind the looks of it, but I bet after a year or two of use my hands would wear down the finish. Plus, I like the feel of the leather-covered wheel around the top and sides; they’d have been better off leaving it all leather.

The touch-screen navigation system is the same one found in most new GM cars and is very cool. And I’ll say this for Saturn and GM: At least they’ve figured out a way to give you the name of the band you’re listening to, and the full song title, without scrolling and without chopping the info up into bite-size, incomprehensible mush the way many new radios do.

I was impressed with the storage space in front, as well. There’s a very deep glove box and a fairly deep space between the front two seats. That space is covered by a smaller, latch-top space that’s big enough only for some small pieces of paper; I’m not sure what Saturn has in mind there, although the Urban DINK says he got his smart phone in there.

As for driving, the Vue was impressive: Impressively quiet and impressively peppy. It had the verve to get onto the freeway and pass with authority, but I barely heard the engine noise. Gas mileage was fairly typical for this category, coming in about the same as a V-6 Hyundai Santa Fe, but Toyota’s RAV4 manages considerably better mileage. All automakers need to make these small to midsize SUVs less thirsty. I don’t say that because I’m a tree-hugger, I say it because, as a Suburban Dad, I want to save money, and gas is currently exceeding $3.50 a gallon here in Chicago.

I was a bit surprised my wife didn’t fall for the Vue. She found it just “OK,” but thought there are better competitors in this group.

For me, it might have been the dark blue color, the spiffy interior and the peppy engine, but I really liked the Vue. It had a more aggressive, more futuristic look, if you will, and gets away from the traditional truck-like look of a lot of midsize SUVs. Saturn has ditched its frumpy history; if only I could dump mine.

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