The front-wheel-drive Saturn VUE, which stickers for about $17,600, holds its own against the Honda CR-V in regard to fuel efficiency, equaling the rating of 23 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway when equipped with the 2.2 liter four cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission. Yet, the 143-horsepower 2.2 liter motor is light in the hoof when compared to the CR-V, and its 63.8 cubic feet comes out about eight cubic feet short. And, when comparably equipped (adding the automatic transmission package to the VUE), the smaller VUE ends up costing about $500 more than the Honda CR-V. The all-wheel-drive VUE achieves 21 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.
