The new Vue has a lot going for it. It’s an attractive, nicely appointed, well sorted and fun car to drive. The drivetrain is a gem, with plenty of power and a good six-speed automatic providing punch when needed, but staying out of your ears when you don’t. The interior is nicely thought out and a cut above what we’re used to seeing from GM, and from many of the Vue’s competitors for that matter. The Vue also has a terrific warranty thanks to its GM lineage, which should take the sting out of any potential reliability issues (which, in all fairness, aren’t much of a concern these days).

Despite it’s strengths, the Vue isn’t a slam dunk. The name is still a potential stumbling block for some. The previous Vue sold pretty well, but was unacceptably junky to us, and carrying over that name may scare off potential buyers who rejected the earlier version of Saturn’s small ‘ute. Some serious marketing dollars will have to be poured into the pipeline to reeducate customers on that front. Current Vue owners looking to upgrade may balk at the $3,000 base price increase over the ’07 Vue, extra equipment or not. There’s also the issue of market saturation. Virtually every manufacturer has something in this segment, and few of the vehicles are bad. The Honda CR-V may only have a four-banger, but it’s still a heck of a trucklet. The Ford Escape is newly redesigned and also boasts V-6 power in the same price range. The Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Santa Fe have V-6 power and an available third row of seats for roughly the same price.

Regardless, buyers in the compact crossover segment would do themselves a huge disservice to pass over this little Saturn.