Honda CR-V vs Saturn VUE

kyfdx · April 2005

Why don't you look for a used '99-'01 CRV, since you like that model so well? Plenty of them out there.. .equipped just like yours..

varmint · April 2005

That's a bummer.

I think the Element still comes in green. 2002 through 2004 CR-Vs also came in green.

But to address the real source of your frustration, Honda has never offered a plethora of options. They make cars two or three ways... well-equipped, loaded, or really loaded. It's easier to build a car with only a few variations than to build a car with a hundred variations. The simplicity of Honda's approach means higher quality and lower costs for the consumers (as well as more profit for them).

I think you just got lucky that the 1998 CR-V offered exactly what you want with nothing else. Today you could probably buy a RAV4 with only those options you want, but you'll pay as much as a CR-V with the extras.

In 1998, the CR-V came with fewer trim options than they do now. Nowadays, people are demanding more from these small SUVs. For example, there were none with a V6 when you bought the CR-V. Now there are six or seven. As such the prices have gone up and the option packages have increased.

stever · April 2005

"Women either buy or influence the purchase of 85 percent of all new cars and trucks sold in the United States today."

Maybe you can give the guy at the VUE store a copy of the article:

The Gender Gap - Do Dealerships Treat Women Differently?

Or just send your wife to the dealership alone....

Steve, Host

isellhondas · May 2005

Guess they haven't shipped us any of these yet!

stever · June 2006

Maybe in the '07's?

Steve, Host

blueiedgod · June 2006

They do, it is called Saturn Vue Redline, ships with a Honda V6. :-)

anythngbutgm · September 2006

While shopping last month, we tested out one and IMO, the engine was the only redeeming quality of that thing. Hated it.

gt_ae_86 · December 2007

After spending a huge amount of money this summer just to keep the Vue running (it had around 86000 miles on it), we decided to get rid of it while it was up and running. We turned down some trades we thought were sub par, but when it left us on the side of the road the very next week, we took it from the Saturn dealership to the Honda dealership as soon as it was fixed.

The Vue (4-cyl. AWD, Vti) drove well, got good gas mileage and looked good. However, it was ALWAYS breaking down. We were on our third transmission (just waiting for it to go out on us) and it seemed like every time we took it in for an oil change, something else needed to be fixed.

cravenfan · March 2008

Here is what I posted on the Vue forum:

http://www.saturnfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116077

Thanks to all your posts, it came down to a Vue or a CRV, my wife and I decided to get the CRV for the following reasons, none of which were huge, but added up:

- Overall driver feel was a bit "tigher".
- Factory Sunroof.
- Telescoping and further down tilt on the wheel than the Vue.
- Gas milage difference (yes, with that comes less power).
- Better DIC info.
- Duel zone heating/cooling.
- Captains chairs for driver/passenger.
- Outside mirrors a bit smaller.
- Got at invoice, so no real difference there.

What we gave up:

- Onstar free for a year.
- More power (less mpg)
- Overall body styling an edge for the Vue (except the mirrors).
- Universal home remote.
- Paid a bit more, but mostly for the sunroof.

The other thing is the cost of ownership...somewhere south of $10,000 cost to own less for the CRV under the Vue. I liked both, but the CRV, with the cost of gas and all things being fairly equal, won out for us.

Honda CR-V vs Saturn VUE

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