XM Satellite Radio also is offered, and was included on our vehicle as part of a “sun and sound” package ($995) that also brought an upgraded audio system with MP3 CD player and a power sunroof. Optional on V-6 models are projector-beam fog lights and roof rails, although the rails are not available on the Red Line.Ĭontinuing as one of the best features of this and other Saturn models are the polymer body side panels that are resistant to dings and dents.Īn optional DVD rear-seat entertainment system is new for 2006, although it was not among the options on our test vehicle. Outside, the Vue has new front and rear fascias, hood, grille, and headlights. Standard on all Vue models this year is a “power package” that brings cruise control power windows/mirrors/door locks with remote a security system and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass and outside-temperature display. And if you have lots of stuff to haul, and can do without the passenger seats, the middle seat can be folded flat to increase cargo space to 63.8 cubic feet, and the front passenger seat can be folded to accommodate items up to eight feet long – such as a ladder, snow skis, or bed rails. The Vue seats five people, yet still has 30.8 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat. These include a rear cargo organizer that flips up to hold grocery bags, and side storage bins that can hold gallon jugs of milk or other items, Saturn says. Seat fabric has been upgraded on V-6 models, and what GM calls “clutter-fighting storage solutions” have been added or upgraded on the ’06 Vue.
The new systems also can play MP3 compact discs.
#06 saturn vue redline portable#
New audio systems also are available, and they include an input jack for iPods and other portable music players. Leather seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are available, and were included as part of the Red Line package ($2,495) on our test vehicle. Changes include the new center instrument stack, door trim, center console, and steering-wheel radio controls. GM says the Vue’s interior has been redesigned to make it more refined and functional. An air bag deployment signals the system to notify the OnStar operator, and with the built-in GPS system, OnStar can pinpoint the vehicle’s location for the operator to give to emergency services – a great feature if the occupants of the car are incapacitated by the collision. It was quite an impressive test of the OnStar system, and underscored for me just how useful the system can be. The operator then called the appropriate emergency services to report the accident, and stayed on the line until police and EMS arrived. My significant other recently was involved in a crash of an OnStar-equipped vehicle, and within seconds, the OnStar operator’s voice came over the speaker in the vehicle’s cabin asking if everyone was OK (they were).
#06 saturn vue redline driver#
GM says the addition of OnStar, which includes a system that automatically notifies an OnStar operator if the vehicle is involved in a collision, complements the Vue’s top five-star safety rating for the driver and front passenger in both front- and side-impact crash tests.
#06 saturn vue redline plus#
Honda doesn’t offer a six-cylinder version of the CR-V it comes only with an inline four-cylinder.įor 2006, Vue models begin at $17,990 (including freight) for the base Vue with a four-cylinder engine, and range to $23,650 for the all-wheel-drive V-6 model, plus options.įor safety’s sake, Saturn now includes GM’s OnStar system as standard equipment on all Vue models, along with a year of basic service. Until the arrival of the new 269-horsepower, V-6 powered 2006 Toyota RAV4 in December, this was the most-powerful engine in the compact SUV class. No higher-powered engine is offered with the Red Line package, but the 250 horsepower this engine provides still pushes the Vue along quite impressively. The engine used in the Red Line remains the Honda-built 3.5-liter V-6 used in other six-cylinder versions of the Vue. It also gets some refinements that are unique to the Red Line model. The most interesting model for the 2006 model year, though, is the sporty Red Line version, which we tested for this report. EPA ratings will be 27 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg on the highway, GM says. That vehicle, with a 20 percent improvement in fuel economy over this year’s V-6 models, will start at just under $23,000. The overall look remains the same, though, as this is just the fourth year of production, and the vehicle isn’t quite ready for a complete makeover.Ĭoming this summer, as an early 2007 model, is the new Vue Green Line model – the first gasoline-electric hybrid passenger vehicle to be offered by General Motors.
Saturn’s stylish and fun-to-drive compact sport utility, known as the Vue, returned for 2006 with some significant updates, including some new exterior styling cues and a revamped interior.
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