Driven: 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line: Mild on the fuel economy

September 3, 11:14 AMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Auto Review Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

It’s a good thing our 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid is painted a pleasant pastel Sea Mist Green because it’s a very, oh, mild color. Which fits in nicely with saying the Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid is what’s known as a “mild hybrid.”
In today’s hybrid world there are several types of hybrids. There’s the “full hybrid” of the Toyota school—also used by Ford—that can run under electric power, gasoline engine power or a combination of both. And then there’s the “mild hybrid,” pioneered by Honda, that uses an electric motor to give an occasional power boost to a smaller than usual gasoline engine for economy without sacrificing performance.

The Saturn Vue Hybrid is one of the latter. But instead of the Honda system which integrates the electric motor into the driveline, the hybrid system on the Vue has a “hang-on” electric motor/generator.

In many ways the Vue Hybrid is similar to the base Saturn Vue. It has the same 2.4-liter Ecotec in-line four-cylinder engine that produces by itself 169 horsepower. In 2007, the base engine for the Saturn Vue was an anemic 2.2-liter four. But by adding an electric motor to the 2.4, Saturn boosts output to a rated 172 horsepower and 167 lb-ft of torque.

Action packed  Under the hood is where the action is, however. The engine is mounted transversely, set off to the right side of the engine compartment while all the hybrid gizmos are under a plastic there-be-dragons hood on the left. The boost motor/generator is connected to the driveshaft at the front of the engine. The motor is just visible between the engine and the body and looks like a regular alternator, but bigger.

Not only does the motor/generator work in tandem with the engine for additional acceleration, but on the overrun with the throttle closed, the starter generator lives up to the second half of its name charging a battery pack under the trunk floor. The Vue Green Line also has regenerative braking.

A big part of fuel savings for city drivers is the stop/start mode. Stop and the engine stops running, saving fuel. It starts up again to drive away. Because the Vue Green Line can't run under just electic motor alone, fuel savings from the start/stop mode won't show up on the odometer but in a comparison of a vehicle without it, savings could be significant if stop time is a significant part of the daily drive.

Not that it’s obvious from the outside that the Green Line is a hybrid. Only a “hybrid” badge on each door and the rear hatch provide any indication. The interior of the Saturn Vue Green Line is much like that of other Vues, too. It’s only in the instrument panel that you’ll see the difference.

In the bottom of the tachometer is a gauge a needle that swings back and forth between icons of batteries, one with an arrow going in, and another with the arrow pointing outwards, to show when the battery is being charged or providing boost.

We go ECO  Another difference from other Vues is a little green “ECO” that lights up when the car is being driven in an “economical mode.” Basically, that means light throttle, of course, but never during acceleration or at highway speeds, unless downhill…which can always be done economically. If only the world were all downhill, we could get really high mileage.
The Saturn Vue Green Line also has the usual trip computer which can be used to monitor instant fuel mileage or to keep track of average fuel economy.

But with 3789 pounds to pull about with 176 horsepower, the Saturn Vue Green Line hardly a ball of fire. Zero-to-sixty takes more than ten seconds. That’s better than the base Vue which has 3825 pounds to haul about and doesn’t have the boost motor, but if even with the Green Line, if merges into fast moving traffic are part of your routine, plan to plan ahead.

The lightness of you  Saturn has obviously gone about some weight saving techniques with the Vue Green Line because the Green Line has something that other gas/electric hybrids have: an extra battery pack for its electric mode operation. It’s actually heavy enough in the Green Line to shift the center of gravity slightly rearward. It’s still an SUV, however, without the handling suspension of the Vue Red Line performance model, so it drives and handles like an SUV. Ride is compliant, however, and road and wind noise well controlled for a vehicle in this price range.

We were disappointed, however, in the fuel mileage we achieved with the hybrid drivetrain. In a week of driving, we were unable to show much more than 20 mpg, despite the EPA estimates of 25 city/32 highway miles per gallon. Perhaps those numbers are easier to make on flat ground. We do most of our driving on hilly roads, and with the four-speed transmission with a conservative shift map that wants to shift up early and stay in a higher gear longer. On level roads, that just makes the Vue Green Line accelerate slowly, but on hills, the Vue first bogs down, requiring more throttle from the driver to keep up speed. Except that’s not enough, but pushing down more makes the transmission shift all the way down to second, the engine whirring away just to maintain headway. No doubt the electric motor is kicking in to keep up speed, but the drain on battery charge and fuel economy is still there, and it doesn’t seem like gravity ever really pays it back on the downhills. We suspect the EPA’s numbers are more valid for flatlanders.

Our 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid listed for $24,170, well equipped with the usual keyless remote, power windows and door locks, but also automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, steering wheel audio and cruise control buttons (thumbwheels, actually, for setting speed and adjusting volume), floor mats (extra cost on a BMW), and XM radio with three months free service (or as the pusher says, the first hit is free). The Green Line also comes standard with ABS, traction control, and stability control, plus side airbags for the front seat and full-length side curtain airbags.

Our tester was equipped with the optional “Comfort and Convenience Package” that includes and eight-way driver power seat, heated outside mirrors, heated windshield washer nozzles, rain-sensing wipers, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, all for $925, a relative bargain. With $625 destination fee, the total list price for our test 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid was $25,720. That’s lower than the price on full hybrids, but then so will fuel mileage be.

General Motors has already announced that in 2009, a dual-mode hybrid Vue using a system similar to that on the full-size GM 2008 SUVs will be available, and in 2010, a plug-in hybrid Saturn Vue will also be offered.

They well may be worth the wait, though be prepared to pay more. On the other hand, your mileage may vary, and your Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid just may be born to be mild.  

Illustrations, top to bottom: 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line, photo by John Matras; ghost view of 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line powertrain, electric drive motor/generator highlighted in red, courtesy General Motors; 2008 Saturn Vue Green Line istrument panel showing tachometer in stopped mode, John Matras photo.