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Hey guys, I hope it's not bad form to necro my own thread to add an update/conclusion:
After considering all of the things that got posted here, and after doing some more research, we decided to move forward on a Saturn Vue.
I was able to find the official manufacturer specs on the boat's weight, and decided we'd do fine with the 3500lb limit.
We ended up with an '05 Vue, with the V6 and AWD, so it's effectively a Honda Pilot in GM skin. As per the suggestions in this thread, I added a trans cooler along with a basic electric trailer brake setup. I also replaced the Vue's struts and sway-bar links just so that the worn-out suspension would be nice and stiff again, preventing weight of the trailer from bouncing/knocking the thing around too much. I also replaced the trans fluid with some of Honda's newer DW-1 spec stuff. We were fortunate to find a Vue with a factory tow package, so the hitch and the wiring were already taken care of.
We just got done with a 2.5 hour (each way) towing roadtrip with the Vue and the boat, and it has been a tremendous improvement over the JGC. The Vue, in this trim, makes plenty of power to get up to speed quickly, and with the trailer brakes, coming to a stop is no longer a white-knuckle affair. I would hesitate to say something like "I don't even notice the trailer is back there" but I certainly found myself thinking about it a lot less, and actually relaxing. The only place it got a little hairy was when the interstate narrowed in a construction zone -- at which point my eyes were glued to my side mirrors, making sure the trailer wheels weren't outside the lines.
The only negative thing I can comment on where the Vue is concerned is that the AWD system in it is junk as far as I can tell. I was pulling the boat out of a very, very steep launch (the absolute steepest I've ever seen) ... and I was a bit of a dingus when I backed the trailer in, and let the wheels go too far back (so the trailer wheels were below/behind the concrete pavers) so the Vue had a hell of a time getting the whole rig out... and of course, despite the "AWD" badge on the back, I was still spinning just one wheel. With a bit of tenacity, I managed to get the thing out, but it was still a tumultuous affair all the same. It's the one place I would have loved having the JGC's locking diffs. Next time, new tires!
Best part? On the trip up (each way was about 140 miles) -- it was a hot, sunny 85 degree day, and we still only burned through half a tank of gas with the boat behind us. We won't be towing long distances like this particularly often (once or twice a year at the most) so I consider it a satisfactory test.
Saturn Vue gets a solid 7/10 I'd say. Not perfect, but not bad.
Thanks again.