With our last hybrid experience here in The Garage, we were a bit underwhelmed by the on road experience, so what was life with the 08 Saturn Vue like? It was actually a lot more fun than we expected. Just as the new Vue looks playful and stylish, it plays that part well out in the commuter wars as well.
The Green Line model is equipped with a 2.4L inline 4 cylinder, mated to a 4 speed automatic transmission. Working alongside the conventional stuff is an electric motor/generator that provides additional power on acceleration, and regenerates it’s power on deceleration. Along with this, the engine shuts down when the vehicle is stopped and early fuel cut off on decel further aids fuel economy. All this adds up to give the front wheel drive Vue Green Line decent acceleration for a 4 cylinder cuv of this size. Continue reading →
When Saturn came on the scene, back in 1990 everything they were different from just about everything else on the road. They wore plastic body panels that didn’t dent and they looked quite unlike anything consumers had seen before. The 2008 Saturn Vue is different too. Gone are the plastic panels, but it looks unlike any Hybrid consumers have seen before. Shapely and stylish, the all new 2008 Saturn Vue makes the concept of green just a little bit sexier. In fact, following the annual AJAC test fest, the 2008 Vue was crowned best new SUV/CUV from $35,000 to $60,000.
Don’t let those numbers fool you, as the Vue is a much better value than those numbers might suggest. The base model begins at $26,990 while a fully loaded Red Line rings in at $38,605. Our very well equipped tester retailed for $32,345 which seems like a pretty good deal for a hybrid cuv with real world room for a family of 5. Continue reading →
It has been a very long time since I’ve driven a new GM product and I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’ve never driven a Saturn. That makes it sort of fitting then that my first dip into the GM media fleet comes at the wheel of the 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid. As the winner of the 2008 AJAC award for Best New SUV/CUV from $35,000 to $60,000 I expected to be impressed. So far, the Vue has not disappointed. It looks great inside and out and has enough pep on the road that it doesn’t really feel like a hybrid.
I’m going to have to do a bit of research on the pricing side of things. Notice the category that the Vue won in AJAC’s annual tests is 35 to 60 grand. That seems a bit out of whack when you consider the Vue is a much better value than that. In fact, you can put your own Vue on the Canadian roads for as little as $26,990 and even a loaded up AWD Red Line version only tallies in at $38,605. Our Hybrid tester with premium package still rings in at just a tick over $32,345 which seems like a pretty good value considering the amount of tech stuff beneath the skin.
Darwin Head of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan won $1 million last night in Vancouver in between periods of a game between the Canucks and the Avalanche. His feat: He shot 15 pucks — the exact amount he needed — into an empty net from the far blue line in just 24 seconds but not only did he walk away with $1 million bucks he and his buddies each won a Chevy Malibu Hybrid to boot. What do you think Aye?
A good friend of mine told me about a lunch with Bob Lutz and I have to say I love the way Lutz’s mind works. Not only do we both agree on many points of view but he also has the same strong feelings as I do with regards to global warming. Now here’s a guy who doesn’t hold back when he’s got something to say. Recently he said, “One of the big three will die but not us.” Bob Lutz, General Motors’ vice chairman who made a name developing cars like the Dodge Viper says he loves doing the unexpected and acting “contrary to the conventional wisdom, forcing people to re-think their beliefs.” Lutz is very excited about the fuel efficient Chevrolet Volt which is going to run on a lithium-ion battery. “The Volt thrills me because it’s the last thing anybody expected from GM,” he said at a private lunch in Arlington today.
During lunch Lutz said, Hybrid cars like those made by Toyota “make no economic sense,” because their price will never come down, and diesel autos like those touted by Chrysler are also uneconomic. The only place in Europe that diesel-driven cars are big, he said, is where diesel fuel is half the cost of regular gasoline; in most places there, the costs are comparable and diesel has little market penetration. Global warming is a “total crock of s#it. I’m a skeptic, not a denier. Having said that, my opinion doesn’t matter. I’m motivated more by the desire to replace imported oil than by the CO2.”
With more and more good-quality cars on the market these days, “you’ve got to look at the business artistically, too. Part of our business is creating blockbusters just like the movie business yet we never think of ourselves that way. A car is an exciting mobile sculpture that you want to own, drive and be seen in. That’s why auto industry comeback stories are always design driven. One GM car that fills that bill is Cadillac’s CTS.”
“The best car dealers will thrive even in a sluggish economy. They’ve got to isolate themselves from the economic forecasts and say, I make my own prosperity. ”
Like something right out of a vintage Popular Mechanics, an automotive start up named Aptera managed to attract quite a bit of attention for itself earlier in 2007, when its concept car turned as many heads for its space age looks as it did for its promised 200 MPG range. Continue reading →
The 430 Ferrari Scuderia was officially unveiled, to much fanfare, by Michael Schumacher at the IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt back in September.
Ferrari was quick to point out that its fastest production car ever showed great achievement in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. But before those who want to green the auto industry worldwide start wearing red, they better think again if they feel Ferrari will ever go the hybrid route. Continue reading →
Fisker Automotive has released a new image of its upcoming four-door hybrid luxury sports sedan. Fisker’s new car bills itself as “Eco-Chic”, looking to create a premium hybrid with top performance and green technology. Fisker has yet to name its green sedan.
The boutique automaker does have some mechanical details that are available. The company says that the vehicle will be powered by an electric motor paired with either a gasoline or diesel engine. Fisker is expecting the car to be rechargeable through a standard 110-volt outlet, while able to travel 50 miles on electricity alone or 600 miles using both the electric and gasoline motors. Continue reading →
Mazda seems to have taken greening to its next level. The Japanese automaker has unveiled a new fabric for car interiors made entirely from plant-derived fibers. The fabric was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show on the seat covers and door trim in the all-new Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid. Continue reading →
Have you noticed that since “greening” your automobile has become the in thing for many Gore types the real greening is starting to take place in the pockets of automakers? I support a cleaner environment and more fuel efficient vehicles, but in order for me to smell the flowers in the future automakers are smelling cash.
Nothing wrong with that of course. Everyone deserves to make a buck, especially our beloved Detroit 3, but certain indications are showing that green friendly is no longer cash friendly. Continue reading →
