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.
Fuel economy can be a funny thing, as often perception can be very different from reality. Here in The Garage, that is truly the case for the Vue. We’ve spent most of the winter driving a wide variety of trucks and suv’s, which have left the pocket book more than a little on the light side. As a result, the Vue was a refreshing change. Finally we had a tester that didn’t cost us a small fortune for the week. Looking back on the actual numbers changes that reality a bit. Over 541 km, we used 60 liters of dino juice which worked out to 11.1 l/100km or just a tick over 21 mpg. Real world fuel economy rarely comes close to government test ratings, but in this case they are way off as the Vue is rated at 39 mpg combined city & highway. The ambient temperatures weren’t too cold and we weren’t loading it full of stuff, so I can only assume that the loose nut behind the wheel was the cause of this performance. Even still, while I would have expected better numbers, I still have the perception that the Vue got great fuel economy compared to what I’m used to.
I must say that the Vue Green Line has made a truly great impression on me. It is one of the few cuv’s that combines great looks and real room for 5 adults. Not only that, but the cut of the roofline means that even loaded full of passengers, there is still a large, usable cargo area. The same can’t be said for some of it’s competitors. If you want the feel good factor of driving a hybrid, then the Green Line would be your obvious choice. If you are a fuelie like me, you might want to think about one of the more normal gasoline versions. For the hard core, the Red Line edition boasts a whopping 257 horsepower! Hopefully we can bring you some thoughts on that beast soon!
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Really,a lot more fun than i expected….