The drivetrain in the VUE has no components from the Saab division. I have the CVT automatic in it, and GM's lack of real world testing (they claim that it's been tested for 10 yeas, yeah right), have resulted in a tranny that has numerous design flaws.

The engine itself is awesome, and with the CVT acutally feels more powerful than the V6 version. I love the drivetrain in this car.

Unfortunately, Saturn put a new tranny in at 6700 miles due to it sucking air on turns. They had it overnight for that one. The very day that I picked it up, it developed a high pitched squeal at highway speeds. The shifter cable was rubbing on one of the halfshafts.

A couple of months later, the vehicle developed a shudder between 55 and 65 mph. The techs noted the problem, but had no fix. 6 months later, GM finally comes out with a software update for the tranny.

There was also a recall to rewire a harness on the tranny to keep the oil pump from overpressurizing and crushing the tranny filter.

Last March, we had an ice storm. I slid off of the road at low speed. I was able to drive right back onto the road. The vehicle then developed a bad shake at anything resembling highway speeds. I took it back in detailing the situation and when it started. Well, Saturn agreed that the shake should not have started, and they set out replacing all suspension components. The problem didn't go away. They then put a new driveshaft in the vehicle. Still no fix. I bought some alloy wheels, complete with zero mile tires on them on Ebay, and installing these finally fixed the shake.

Now I have a new shudder between 35 and 45 that comes and goes regardless of throttle position. I now get to find time once again to kill an entire day to get the car in, checked out, and fixed.

To Saturns credit, they've always had the vehicle back overnight, or same day. This remains the sole reason why I haven't pushed this thing off of a cliff. However, I have less than 6,000 miles left of warranty, and the repair sheet for my vehcle is almost a page long. I am in fear of what this thing is going to cost to keep on the road after that warranty is gone.