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Beefier version gives 2 views of Saturn SUV

Saturn boasts a couple of firsts for the 2004 model year.

First year for a high-performance sport-utility vehicle, a hopped up version of the Vue called the Red Line.

And first year for that performance in a quieter 24-valve V-6 engine, a 3.5-liter compliments of Honda.

Oh, there’s another. It’s the first time you can get a Saturn Red Line Vue in “electric lime,” though you might refer to it as electric slime because it’s a sea sickness shade of green that should be barred from the color palette.

When it comes to “electric lime,” we can only hope that the color gurus at Saturn decide one year is enough.

The Red Line Vue sports a neat and very fashionable wire mesh grille best complemented by the black or silver paint finish–not the slime.

Ironically, the Saturn Red Line isn’t, repeat, isn’t offered in red until the 2005 model year.

If you object to making too much of a color, park an “electric lime” Vue in your driveway and see how long you can go before hiding it in the garage–or, if you don’t have a garage building one.

Enough said.

The Red Line Vue is a performance rendition of the Vue SUV. It’s a limited-edition number designed to bring attention to the lineup and show that General Motors hasn’t turned a blind eye to a division that has spent the bulk of its time since its 1991 model year inception avoiding bringing new product to market.

While billed as a high-performance Vue, don’t expect the Red Line to shoot flames from the exhaust pipe or billow smoke from the radials on takeoff.

The 3.5-liter V-6 develops 250 horsepower and produces 242 foot-pounds of torque, a significant improvement over the 3-liter V-6 it replaces in the Vue lineup that developed 181 h.p. and 195 foot-pounds of torque. For now the Honda V-6, same one that pilots the Honda Pilot SUV, is offered only in the Vue at GM.

Saturn beams at how Vue’s 250-h.p. V-6 compares with the 3-liter, 200-h.p. V-6 in the Ford Escape, the best-selling compact SUV. Beams, however, aren’t counted as sales.

The 3.5 moves alertly from the light and doesn’t hesitate when you press the pedal when pulling out to pass. And teamed with a 5-speed automatic, the 3.5 delivers a respectable 18 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway in the all-wheel-drive version tested.

To take advantage of the new engine, the 3.5 is offered in the regular Vue as well, starting at $22,405 with front-wheel-drive, $24,055 with AWD.

Where the Red Line fails to live up to the performance billing is in handling. While the Red Line Vue has a one-inch lower sports suspension and big 18-inch radial tires, there was pronounced lean in corners when testing it on the track though it offers AWD.

On regular roads there was pronounced body roll in turns and corners. The 18-inch radials look sporty but didn’t grab the p avement as firmly as in a performance sedan or coupe.

You get more of the sporty look in the Red Line Vue, more actual performance in the Saturn Red Line Ion coupe that is also new for ’04 and boasts a 2-liter, 200-h.p., supercharged 4-cylinder.

Of course, it helps that the Ion tips the scales at 2,600 pounds, Vue at 3,600.

Vue is doing well at Saturn. In the first four months of this year sales were up 14.5 percent, to 30,094 units, putting it on a path to top the 72,935 sold in calendar ’03.

But total Saturn sales are off 18 percent, to 73,515 units, because the midsize L-Series sedan has not attracted potential Toyota Camry or Honda Accord buyers as hoped it would.

Production on the L-Series will end this summer. Some of those models will be available for a limited time as 2005s.

Saturn will replace the L-Series sedan with a new model for ’06 that will share the front-wheel-drive Epsilon platform with the midsize Pontiac G and Chevrolet Malibu.

Saturn’s best years probably are ahead of it. This fall it adds the ’05 Relay, a crossover sport van with the function of a van, the look of an SUV, that will offer a choice of FWD or AWD.

But the bulk of Saturn’s expansion plans are earmarked for the ’06 calendar year, when it brings out a small rear-wheel-drive roadster off GM’s new Kappa platform that will be shared with the upcoming Pontiac Solstice; that new midsize sedan built off the Epsilon platform; and a new crossover that will be a big brother to the Vue.

So why a Red Line Vue?

To have a sport-ute that stands out in the compact crowd now on the market, and one that appeals to a younger crowd, especially those buying small SUVs and customizing them.

While Saturn has opted to go the Red Line route to attract folks, Ford has chosen to offer a gas/electric Escape to cater to the young and tree huggers.

Saturn will have a Vue hybrid, but not until the ’06 model year.

Ford Motor Co. estimates it will sell 20,000 hybrid Escapes this year, though there are reports that it has 30,000 orders.

Saturn doesn’t say how many Red Line Vues it hopes to sell, but it’s not expected to come anywhere near 20,000 units.

Base price of the AWD Vue is $24,055. To that add $1,995 for the Red Line package with the lower sports suspension, 18-inch tires and alloy wheels, wire mesh grille, ground effects and chrome exhaust tip.

Standard equipment an any Vue includes air conditioning, AM/FM stereo radio with CD player, power door locks/windows/mirrors, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, dual-stage front air bags, daytime running lamps and fog lamps, rear window washer/wiper, split/folding rear seats and, of course, polymer body panels that resist parking lot dings and won’t rust.

Two notable features include a cargo hold organizer with individual storage bins that lift out of the floor to hold anything from groceries to wet swim suits, and a deep indent on the floor along the rear cargo wall ideally suited to hold a gallon of milk securely.

Now that the ’05 Dodge Magnum sport wagon is available with deep indents on both sides of the rear cargo floor to hold two to four gallons of milk, be prepared for milk-jug wars to the replace cupholder wars in the industry.

2004 Saturn Vue AWD Red Line

Wheelbase: 106.6 inches

Length: 181.3 inches

Engine: 3.5-liter, 250-h.p. V-6

Transmission: 5-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 18 m.p.g. city/25 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $24,055

Price as tested: $28,265. Includes $595 for comfort package with six-way power driver’s seat with lumbar support and driver/passenger heated seats; $695 for leather seats; $80 for front/rear floor mats; $695 for OnStar emergency communications system; $150 for AM/FM stereo with CD and MP3 players; and $1,995 for Red Line package with lower ed sport suspension, 18-inch radials and alloy wheels, novel front fascia, low-profile ground effects and chrome exhaust tip. Add $575 for freight.

Pluses: Better looking (thanks to wire mesh grille) and better performing (thanks to suspension changes and new V-6 from Honda) version of Saturn’s sport-utility vehicle. Good mileage for an AWD sport-ute, along with all-weather driving security. Plastic body panels won’t rust.

Minuses: If given the option of “electric lime” exterior finish, have someone slap you to your senses before making a decision. Red Line performance more focused on zero- to 60-m.p.h. times than ability to take turns swiftly.