James Healey.

The 2008 Saturn Vue SUV, a full redesign, is nearly identical to the German Opel Antara model that General Motors(GM),
parent to both brands, sells in Europe.

Saturn is trying to morph from GM's touchy-feely brand to its Euro marque, so it kept as much German feel as possible.

GM is trying to cut costs by sharing development and components rather than starting from scratch on each new vehicle.

Besides being a near-twin of Antara, including visually, Vue shares some underpinnings with GM's Chevrolet Equinox
and Pontiac Torrent, and with GM affiliate Suzuki's XL-7, but shares no body parts.

There's an art to this commonality.
How much do you keep for the sake of low cost?
How much do you change to appeal to buyers in a specific market — America, for example?

GM's last try to hew so tightly to an Opel design resulted in a U.S. minivan line so bad it drove GM from the minivan market.
This time seems different. The vehicle seems about the right size (the narrow minivans were not).
And important changes were made for the U.S. market.

The Vue design crew:

•Axed that cup-holderless Opel center console for a Yankee-friendly two-holer. Good move.

•Substituted softer seat foam for the park-bench-inspired German padding. Also good.

•Kept the tight, Teutonic driving feel, mainly via admirable steering and suspension tuning.

A few more things should have been changed, however. For instance:

•The rim of the Opel steering wheel will seem too fat and a bit misshapen to some U.S. drivers.

•Opel-designed second-row seats don't slide fore and aft as many Vue rivals' do, to help tailor the mix of passenger
and cargo space. It also has no safety head restraint for the middle rider.

Great: Undermine safety and utility in a single stroke.

•The loop-handle hand brake seems hinged at the wrong place for easy operation.

•Phony vents on the front fenders — identical to Antara's — are visual dreck.
Reasonable people often disagree on matters of taste, so you might like them.

•The seemingly handy slide-out drawers on the rear of the center console are positioned exactly where Sis or Junior
will kick them (absent-mindedly, of course; nobody's kids deliberately kick things in the car, after all).
The drawers are especially vulnerable if you strap your youngster in the middle of the second row.
That would be logical, because that's the safest spot in the vehicle. It's the one slot where lack of a head restraint matters
less because a youngster's probably not tall enough to need it.

The test vehicle was a premium XR AWD model, powered by the U.S.-specific 3.6-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic.
Generally a sporting and satisfying setup.

However …

The automatic transmission delayed too much before executing full-throttle downshifts.
When the driver nails the pedal, the transmission should right-bang-now kick down.
You don't slam the throttle unless you want immediate scoot.

Also, when shifting into drive or reverse from a standstill, the transmission didn't grab hold without a push on the throttle.
Usually, automatics engage immediately to avoid rolling when on a slope.

In the Vue, you could imagine rolling backward into the Ferrari parked behind you as you try to pull forward out of a parking space.
Keep the left foot on the brake and ease into the go pedal with your right in such cases. It's awkward and shouldn't be necessary.

The optional leather seats looked and felt exceptional.
Interior noise was minimal, giving a premium ambience.
Some road surfaces sent up a distant roar from the tires, but if you look hard enough, you can find roads that cause that,
even on luxury models. No demerits there.

GM's unusually long 100,000-mile powertrain warranty and free trial subscriptions to XM radio and the OnStar communications
system all are nice frosting.

One drawback of GM's global approach: Vue has a wide engine compartment to accept a variety of powertrains.
That compromises the location and geometry of the front suspension so that Vue winds up with a cumbersome turning
circle diameter of 40 feet. More typical: 35 to 38 feet.

The test machine issued a squeak intermittently from the headliner, likely a flaw unique to the tester. Trust, but verify.

Vue winds up a bit more fun to drive than rivals, such as Honda CR-V, because of the energetic GM V-6 and reasonably
sporty cornering feel.

It lags behind some rivals in utility and overall appeal, however, because GM didn't design sliding rear seats and it allowed
unpleasant German design elements — a misplaced handbrake and misshapen steering wheel rim, for instance
— to carry over into the U.S. model.

2008 Saturn Vue XR

•What is it? Redesign of the small, four-door, crossover SUV. Available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD).
Made at Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

•How soon? XE and XR gasoline models on sale since June. Red Line performance on sale since July.

Green Line gasoline-electric mild hybrid went on sale in January in California and is now arriving nationwide.
Two-mode full hybrid planned for fourth quarter. Plug-in hybrid promised in 2010 or 2011.

•What's the drivetrain? Plenty of combos. XE FWD has 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated 169 horsepower at 6,200 rpm,
161 pounds-feet of torque at 5,100 rpm; four-speed automatic.
XE AWD gets 3.5-liter V-6 rated 222 hp at 5,900, 219 lbs.-ft. at 3,200; six-speed automatic.
XR, Red Line: 3.6-liter V-6, 257 hp at 6,500, 248 lbs.-ft. at 2,100; six-speed automatic.
Green Line mild hybrid comes only with FWD and four-speed automatic, has 2.4-liter four-cylinder rated 172 hp at 6,500 rpm,
167 lbs.-ft. at 4,500 rpm. An electric motor that also serves as the alternator gets the Vue underway from standstill and provides
extra power for acceleration.

All models have traction control.

Optional AWD normally is FWD, sends power to rear wheels when fronts slip, on hard acceleration or when power to rear
wheels would help stabilize the vehicle.

•What's the safety gear? Expected belts. Front- and side-impact bags for front occupants, head-curtain bags front and back;
stability control; anti-lock brakes.

•What's the rest? Standard are climate control; power steering, brakes, windows, locks, mirrors; AM/FM/CD/MP3 stereo;

•How big? Similar to Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, but a few inches longer than most, about 500 pounds
heavier and slightly smaller inside.

Vue is 180.1 inches long, 72.8 inches wide, 67 inches tall on a 106.6-inch wheelbase. Weight: 3,789 to 4,325 lbs.

Passenger space listed at 97.7 cubic feet. Cargo space 29.2 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 56.4 cu. ft. when second row's folded.

Rated to carry from 889 lbs. (XE AWD) to 1,015 lbs. (XE FWD) of people, cargo.

Rated to tow up to 3,500 lbs.

Turning circle an unusually wide 40 feet (35 feet to 38 feet is typical).

•How thirsty?
2.4-liter engine is rated 19 mpg in town, 26 on the highway, 22 in combined driving.
V-6 FWD 16/23-24/19. V-6 AWD 15-16/22/17-18.
Green Line hybrid is 25/32/28.

Regular-grade (87-octane) gasoline specified.
Tank holds 19.2 gallons (FWD) or 16.7 gallons (AWD).

•Overall: More sport, less utility than rivals.