A Green Vue

After getting back to Michigan, we sat down to reflect on our experience with the Saturn Vue “Green Line”, which was very graciously loaned to us by Darius Sivin, member of UAW Local 1981 and staffer in the UAW’s Health and Safety Department.

The EPA estimates that the Saturn Vue “Green Line” should get a combined (hwy./city) fuel mileage of 29 mpg.  We expected that our mileage would be somewhat lower than that because we drove in some severe cold temperatures and on some pretty slippery roads.  Plus, we understand that NiMH batteries, like the one in the Vue, don’t often work as well in cold temperatures (more on the challenges for hybrid batteries in our “Plugs-ins in Minnesota?” post). EPA will be revising its fuel economy ratings for the 2008 model year to better account for these “real world” conditions. After tallying all our fill-ups, we calculated an average fuel-economy of 25 mpg over about 2000 miles.

While we might have been a little disappointed in this number at first, our moods picked up a bit when we considered everything else the Vue offered us, like passenger and cargo space, and other amenities.  Since our “crew” always consisted of at least three adults, plus a week and a half’s worth of luggage, camera equipment, boxes of fact sheets, post cards, flyers, banners, display boards, etc. … it would have been hard to find another vehicle that could’ve gotten us around while achieving that high of fuel economy.

The “Auto Stop” mode was our favorite feature of the Vue, and it thrilled us every time we came to a stop and heard the engine go off. We also had fun watching the “ECO” light come on when we were driving most efficiently.  And, given that we were road tripping in the middle of winter, we were definitely big fans of the traction control that did an excellent job of keeping us in line whenever we tried to accelerate over snow or ice.

Considering that the Saturn Vue “Green Line” got us safely, comfortably and happily over 2000 miles of wintry roads, while still achieving 25mpg, we’re happy to recommend it to readers.  Later this year, there’s a new model coming out that should get a bigger fuel-economy boost.  There’s also a two-mode hybrid version coming out next year, and a possible plug-in version coming after that.  And, don’t forget that buyers are currently eligible for a $650 tax credit upon purchase of one.

For more information about the Saturn Vue Green Line, visit:

• http://www.greenmachinestour.org/mhybridsaturn.shtml
• http://www.saturn.com/saturn/vehicles/vue/greenLine.jsp