Mona,
We have the Honda CRV and LOVE it. I have owned 3 Saturn sedans in the past and wanted to save some money so we looked into the Saturn VUE. When we started our search, I was sure I wanted the Saturn VUE. They even let us test drive it for an entire weekend. And thank goodness they did! After driving it for a weekend, I was convinced to get the CRV.
While the new VUE body was very appealing, there is some cheesy plastic going on in the interior that I hated. There are less features that come standard with the VUE and the VUE is very clunky and heavier than the CRV. The CRV drives like a car and has more storage too.
As far as safety, the VUE has a low safety rating for rollovers. The CRV has one of the best safety ratings in its class. Overall, my research found that the CRV was a much safer car and since we bought it because we were expecting our first child, safety was a huge factor for us.
We bought the CRV in October and never looked back. It was a few thousand dollars more but worth every penny. It's also more reliable than any of the Saturns I've owned. I believe the CRV and VUE get about the same gas mileage (22 miles per gallon).
My sons carseat fits comfortably in the CRV and I think it would still be fine with 2 carseats. For 3 kids it might be a stretch. If you need a car for 3 kids and are looking for something with a third seat, I have heard VERY good things about the Honda Pilot.
Happy Car Hunting! If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a personal message.