Saturn Drops Honda V6 in Next-Gen Vue

Did you know that Honda builds the Saturn Vue's top-tier 3.5-liter V6 andfive-speed automatic transmission? Purchasing components from competitive automakers is hardly anything new, especially for GM and its many partners. Honda's engine and transmission gave Saturn an import-beating powertrain at a time when the only GM V6 capable of taking it to the Asians and Europeans was exclusive to Cadillac, but now the Northstar-derived 3.6-liter six and six-speed automatic gearbox combination has been made available for other brands within the General's umbrella, and it's well up to the task of delivering world quality performance and refinement in a market segment that gets more competitive with each passing year.

“It was a great engine for us,” said Saturn spokesman Mike Morrisey to Automotive News. “It played a big part of the Vue's continued success as it went through its lifecycle.”

The new 3.6 develops a maximum of 257-horsepower, which is more than the outgoing Honda V6, while its additional forward gear should help it deliver stronger performance while reducing fuel consumption.

Additionally, base 2008 Vues will get a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 169-horsepower, an improvement over the 2007 model's 2.2-liter unit that only makes 143-horsepower. Another engine will bridge the gap, GM's stalwart 3.5-liter pushrod V6, good for 222-horsepower plus better than average reliabilityand fuel economy. GM has also confirmed an updated dual-mode hybrid Vue for later this year, and to follow, a plug-in hybrid.

The GM-Honda engine deal was first announced in 2002, according to Automotive News, while the engine first became available in 2004. The Honda 3.5 replaced an expensive British-built 3.0-liter V6.

According to GM Powertrain spokesman Tom Read, when the Vue was being reworked to accept the Honda 3.5L, GM engineers took extra precautions to ensure that the two would match up, including the adaptation of Honda's five-speed automatic transmission so that it would work with General Motors' electrical architecture, as well as the coolant plumbing, exhaust system, power steering mechanisms and air conditioning system.

Most staff reviewers liked what they found, as did others across the country, and it seems so did customers who continued to purchase Saturn's compact crossover almost as well in its latter years as they did when it was new. No doubt the Honda 3.5L helped it age well, as did an updated interior for 2005.

Altogether, GM sold more than 290,000 Vues since the Honda 3.5L became optional, according to Automotive News, with about 150,000 of those featuring the top-level V6.

With the GM-Honda engine contract over, GM has confirmed that it will no longer be using Honda engines in any other vehicles, showing its confidence in its new lineup of powertrains.

Honda rarely sells its powertrains to outsiders, with Britain's Rover being alone in not only making use of the Japanese company's powertrains, but also many of its other components, including entire vehicle architectures during the '90s.

The upcoming 2008 Vue is being built in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, with sales expected to begin later this month.