Wonder if we'll get any Saturn forum enthusiasts hating this thread? I doubt it. It's not really about the make or quality of the vehicle, but basically I'm just so used to driving the Prius. Anyways, had to pick up 84 cases of Girl Scout cookies today and needed to drive my old (Honda V6) VUE. The husband has been driving it while I get my kicks in the Prius. I loved driving this vehicle before we got the Prius but talk about unintended acceleration! I surged out of the driveway with the non-eco mode pedal and almost ran through a stop sign because the brakes were like mush. My protein shake spilled all over the cupholder, never had that happen before. The car's acceleration and braking felt like a total foreign experience to me (I had previouly driven this vehicle smoothly and happily for 6 years). When I was idle at a red light, the vehicle's "loud" 600 rpm's felt more like revving. I had to keep my foot firmly on the brake. I think I may have spilled more of my drink when the light turned green. I found myself subconsciously P&G'ing only to find the rpm's remained the same as well as my lousy fuel economy. My usual coasting cues were squashed by the boxey aerodynamics thus having to continue with the jerky acceleration and mushiness when approaching the stop sign. The cookies weren't too thrilled either. I was certainly happy to arrive at home. I love my Prius..so much appreciation for it, even more after that gawd awful driving experience. This --> :kiss: is for the DH when he gets home with the Prius, but first I need to clean out some cupholders.
That's a funny story. Getting used to the throttle response in a Prius makes going to another vehicle and interesting experience. Also, I didn't know Saturn VUEs used Honda engines (if I read that correctly)
I drive a Dodge Charger patrol car at work after my Prius gets me to station. Talk about a noticeable night/day difference. The Charger feels like you're trying to control a badly behaving animal after the well mannered drive to work in the Prius.
I'm pretty sure Saturn does not have a Honda engine. Not too long ago I *did* drive a Honda Accord, and had a similar experience of having to concentrate in order to not accelerate more than I wanted. I drove a Honda Civic for years before the Prius came along. Then for a week I drove a mini-van during a vacation, and when I turned in the rental and drove away in the Civic I felt like I was lying on the ground it was so low. 5 minutes later the feeling went away, and 5 minutes after that I once again was happy and comfortable in the car. It really is just a matter of what one is used to. Not good or bad, which is why I find so pathetic complaints from people who refuse to buy a Prius after an initial experience a bit different from their current car.
I once borrowed a Land Rover and ran through a couple stop signs because of mushy or unresponsive brakes; however, I think there was something wrong with the brakes. I drive in Normal mode and have no problem going back and forth between the Prius and Lexus. It doesn't seem that different to me (other than constant idling while stopped).
The saturn Vue REDLINE does have a Honda drivetrain. It's one of or the only times a Honda drivetrain has been in another vehicle. It's a 255 (?) HP AWD vehicle, probably a diamond in the rough for Saturn. I don't believe most of the Vues have a Honda drivetrain. I assume this is ripped out of the Honda Pilot. one of the worst vehicles I ever drove if not the worst was an early 90's Saturn. It was an awful vehicle. Still, they were not all bad, the use of plastic panels was interesting and obviously they cannot rust but caused manufacturing problems and tight-fit problems.
It's the J35A3 Honda made engine. GM swapped their Circle L engine (for use in European Civics) with Honda for the use of J35A3 in the VUE [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_L66_engine"]GM L66 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
My wife has a 2001 Yukon with a 5.3 liter V8 that I hardly ever drive. Every time I touch the pedal in that thing its like.... lane: Oh Sh#%!!
In 4 years a Saturn Fanboy pretending to be a mob will come and troll the forum. It is all your fault. Lets hope he writes better than Kos.
You made the cookies unhappy? lol I needed to work on my girlfriends Corolla this past weekend. I had to back it out of a parking space and pull into a carport. Reverse is a very high gear and my foot has gotten used to my Prius. I had to wipe my nose print off of the windshield after LUNGING backward in that car. She didn't see me do it and I quickly adjusted. Just really happy nothing was behind me. I will remember that the next time I'm in another vehicle. Lesson learned. Whew...
You might... if I Google for saturn crude, this thread comes up as the second hit. Googling for bmw crude yields our "famous" thread as the first hit. My former 255 hp 02 Maxima had a gas pedal that was calibrated to be pretty sensitive. I'm guessing it was to enhance the sensation that the car was powerful (which it was, for the time). Yeah, I'd heard about the goofy arrangement of the Honda V6 being in a Saturn even before your post (I didn't know about the swap though). I guess it's a lot better than GM putting in made in China engines in a bunch of their US market cars.
