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.
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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.
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While the Detroit 3 might be headed into the vortex of a rust bowl one might be envious of the success of our Japanese friends on American shores. But that envy might change into sympathy if you look at what’s happening in the land of the rising sun.

Auto sales in Japan, having declined for 18 straight months. Analysts attribute the slide to an aging populace, zero population growth and a weak economy. The country’s population peaked in 2004 at 127.8 million and has declined by about 17,000 since then. Government demographers forecast that the population will decline to 95.1 million by 2050 a significant downward bump.
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I’ve always been a firm believer that first impressions are an important indication of what’s to come. The first impression the 2008 Saturn Sky Turbo was a bright and bubbly one that promised lots of fun. From a branding standpoint, there didn’t appear to be any logos indicating that this was the Redline model, other than the turbo badge on the aft flank. Sliding behind the wheel, I found the cockpit more suited to a round guy than the standard of the class, Mazda’s MX-5. The interior is actually as hip looking as the outside and was comfy to boot.
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