Over the River with the Vue Green Line
By Jill Lajdziak
General Manager, Saturn
Over the river and through the woods... that's the way to grandma's house. But in addition to knowing the way, you need to get there with the kids, with all their stuff, safely and affordably. And it wouldn't hurt to consider the environment and save some gas.
Saturn has been working hard on a vehicle that delivers all of the above. I'm especially proud to tell you that we have one - the 2008 Vue Green Line hybrid SUV. What's so exciting about this car? Well, it's the most fuel-efficient hybrid SUV on the highway, and also the most affordable on the market. It costs under $25,000, and gets 32 miles per gallon on the highway - a combination that's easy on your wallet and your conscience.
What makes this model so adept at conserving fuel? It shuts off the engine at idle, cuts off fuel early during deceleration, and gives electric power assist during acceleration. And this technology is only the beginning of what you'll be seeing from Saturn down the road, such as two-mode hybrids and plug-ins.
But the proof is in what the new VUE can do - up to 585 highway miles on one tank of gasoline. That means a round-trip drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, from Washington, D.C. to New York City or from Detroit to Chicago. So, you can travel over the river or through the woods, or both, to get to grandma's house without sacrificing safety, utility, your budget, or the environment. I know I'll be counting on it to take one husband, two teenage boys, and me from Detroit to Green Bay for Thanksgiving next month. And I'll be proud to be driving it.
Check out more photos of the Vue over on Flickr
18 Comments
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Thanks Jill, I like the look of the new VUE Hybrid..
A quick question, what does limited availability mean? Will it be more available later on in the model year?
Jill:
Just wanted to say nice job on this vehicle as well as the rest of the Saturn line-up. I am pleased to see the high caliber of products coming from your division these days. Keep up the good work.
P.S. Keep working on the Plug-in version, please! Let us all know how that is coming along some time.
I have mixed feelings on the mild hybrid. On one hand, I applaud you for giving consumers and meaningful alternative when it comes to hybrids by offering less benefits for less cost. Some people can’t afford a full hybrid, so the mild hybrid is a good middle ground. Eventually I can see parts of the mild hybrid becoming standard on most, if not all cars.
On the other hand, as nice as the mild hybrid is over a traditional vehicle, GM really does need to get into the full hybrid game faster. I’m glad two-modes and plug ins are on the way, but until then by offering only the mild hybrid you’re really limiting yourself.
Saturn products are definitely coming along, but do you see a need to ready a response to the new clean diesels that will be hitting en mass next year? The VW Tiguan, comparable in size to the VUE is rumored to get the clean diesel engine, and get 50 MPG, combined.
Hay Jill,
Those numbers are phenomenal and the design and price are right on. With a top notch brand hitting a segment that is already on fire I expect great things from this vehicle along with the Outlook.
I just can’t wait to hear about the electric vehicle. I am one that understands that as GM’s market share and sales excel in Africa, the Middle East, China, India and South America along with other hot markets, the one threat to its growth is oil.
To keep GM moving and moving forward we must commit to not only better fuel economy for the existing oil supply but work on drive trains utilizing hybrid, hydrogen, electric, ethanol and diesel.
You see, we want and plan on having GM around for a long time, and we fully expect its success to continue well into this new millennium and you make the foundation stronger with this new technology and your strong and vibrant brand.
Congratulations, you are a big part of GM’s successful turnaround that is being written right now.
Thank you so much and…
Beautiful article.
My parents took their two teenage boys (myself included) on the 200 mile drive to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving in their 2001 Toyota Prius for a few years. At least until I graduated college and got my own place. And before you go saying that I must be a tiny person, my dad, brother and I are all over 6′ tall.
So I don’t buy the “You need an SUV if you’ve got kids” mantra. My wife and I just had our first, and our Pontiac Vibe GT is more than enough for 90% of the driving we do. I can’t foresee a time when I’ll need anything much bigger than a mid-size station wagon. Of course, living less than four miles from work and less than a mile from just about everything else really helps.
And our next car is likely to be a VW Golf or Jetta TDI, a Prius, or one of the new Honda Hybrids, unless GM releases the Volt in time.
While I’m sure you’ve got a great vehicle in the Hybrid Vue, where’s the car for me? All I want is something that gets over 40mpg, is easy to parallel park, and is nimble in city traffic.
This is very good for being a light hybrid. Also on thing I don’t understand is how the Saturn Vue hybrid get better MPG than the Saturn Aura. Understand they have been fine tuning the Vue hybrid to maximize the technology, maybe they should do same for Aura.
I like the idea of GM putting its two-mode hybrid system into vehicles like the Vue as well as passenger cars. The single-mode hybrids help save gas, but imagine the possibilities for MPG (and sales!) if the two-mode system was broadly available across GM’s product line.
Okay.
Great.
Bring on the plugs!
I think that this technology is great, but why isn’t it offered with the V-6 too? I’m also curious why Saturn chose not to use the 6-speed transmission instead of the 4-speed in order to eek out even greater fuel economy. I can only assume that the two-mode hybrid will be the offering with the V-6 and 6-speed combination. Hopefully you will migrate that to the Saturn Outlook as well. That is a vehicle that my wife and I are definitely interested in, but we’ve been waiting to hear as to when the dueal-mode hybrid will be offered.
Does the new VUE have the same junk-sound as the Aura’s console, glovebox, and doors? Does the shifter sound and feel like dollar-store junk toys? How many $$ six-figure GM execs drove the Aura with those glaring, simple, examples of poor attention to detail and let it go? FYI: The car buying public IS NOT too stupid to notice, like you assume. Until you get these details right, you will NOT earn a quality reputation.
Looks like some improvements were made to the mild hybrid system to get that kind of mpg. If it had a 6 speed automatic and direct gas injection on the 2.4 it would probable get 34 and 27 mpg plus some more power due to the direct injection.
Jill,
Why does the Vue hybrid get better fuel efficiency than the Aura hybrid, given that they appear to have the same BAS system? While its great to have a 32-mpg SUV, there are plenty of buyers that would much prefer to have a 40-mpg car or hatchback that simply do not need or want a SUV. Why aren’t there any small GM vehicles with any hybrid options?
Also, regarding the Aura — I have to think offering a XE-4 model with the 2.4 Ecotec is a mistake. The Aura, as I understand, is supposed to be positioned above the Malibu. By offering a value leading XE-4 model, the Aura and Malibu have too much overlap and it damages the Aura’s premium image. I am fully aware that the XE-4 was added to the Aura’s lineup to increase sales volume, as there are lots of buyers that want a 4-cylinder midsize sedan. But, Saturn needs brand panache — look at BMW. Do you see 4-cylinder engines in their 3-Series line of cars? They don’t earn sales volume with price-leading models, they earn it with reputation and premium performance. While Saturn is obviously not competing directly with BMW, having a car that struggles to pull its own weight is not going to build brand image that is desirable.
Okay.
Great.
Bring on the plugs!
That’s great but what I don’t understand is why the 2008 Malibu does not get much better gas mileage with the same system as the Vue. Does anyone know why this is? The 2008 Malibu is lighter and more aerodynamic than the Vue.
32mpg is very good for this type of vehicle, but it could even be better. The 800 pound lighter 07 Vue with the new updated hybrid system would be getting around 34-35mpg. I wonder how good the mileage would have been with an aluminum space frame?
I’m just curious, but what is the actual MPG? Did you get 35 mpg on the highway?
Mine just isn’t getting that kind of mileage and I’m frustrated.
Thank you for a great article.
I keep reading reviews from last year about how the VUE Hybrid (nee Green Line) is the most affordable hybrid SUV at around $25,000. I couldn’t afford one last year but am in need of a new car this year, yet I find this year the base MSRP for the mild-hybrid is $28,855 and the most affordable ones I can find on the lot are over $30,000. The Federal tax rebate has not increased from 2008 to 2009 (still $1,550) and there are no more significant incentives at dealerships (0% or $1,500 is not even as good as 0% and Employee Pricing from last year). As far as I know nothing has changed for the VUE from last year to this one. What gives?