Saturn Vue Green Line CUV trims the fuel bill by 20 percent
By Bob Plunkett, CarNews Media
Date Posted: 1/30/2007
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DETROIT, Mich. -- Following a late-night landing at DTW, Detroit's metro airport, we shuttle to a nearby car-park and retrieve the key to a set of wheels, which turns out to be a 2007 edition of the Vue, Saturn's car-like crossover utility vehicle (CUV) for the compact class.
With its high stance and a boxy body, Vue looks like the usual four-door CUV, and with the late hour at DTW we assume as much before driving off into the night.
Yet a traffic signal on Merriman Road just before the I-94 freeway on-ramp prompts us to pause for a red light. While stopped, we notice that Vue's engine ceases to hum.
When the signal switches to green we press the go-pedal and Vue's engine wakes up and launches the vehicle across the intersection.
That engine action -- seeming to stall when paused but coming alive again when prompted -- is the clue that tells us our Vue may not be so conventional after all.
A second clue is apparent from a round gauge in the instrument panel which indicates when the car's on-board battery is earning a charge or assisting with performance.
Then we understand: This particular Vue, despite trappings of a conventional CUV, is actually rather special.
It's a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) designed to consume about 20 percent less fuel than a normal Vue outfitted with a four-cylinder engine.
Saturn labels this new HEV as the Vue Green Line.
Appropriately, the body paint coating the Vue Green Line is a subtle shade of green.
In the engine compartment the green Vue stocks not one but two motors.
There's a thrifty four-cylinder plant which sips gasoline and a belt-driven electric starter motor which -- with a change of polarity when the HEV is coasting or braking -- works as a generator to recharge a bank of batteries housed below the cargo bay.
The gas engine is a revised twin-cam 2.4-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine by General Motors with variable valve timing (VVT).
The hybrid Vue utilizes its dual-mode power system with the electric motor/generator supplying supplemental power at critical times in order to pare the fuel consumption.
When the HEV decelerates, for instance, the fuel line for the gas engine is turned off.
When the HEV stops, the gas engine actually shuts down and the electric motor supplies the juice to operate the air conditioner and other power equipment.
When the HEV launches, the electric motor quickly restarts the gas engine, which then sends power to turn the front wheels and move the vehicle forward.
And when the HEV requires a boost of power when running at cruise speed, the electric motor kicks in again with some extra juice.
The arrangement coupling a conventional gasoline-powered engine with the starter motor/generator nets a combined power rating of 170 hp at 6600 rpm with torque of 162 lb-ft at 4400 rpm.
And the fuel economy scores add up to 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway through a four-speed automatic transaxle -- GM's Hydra-Matic 4T45E.
But here's the sweet spot: Saturn sets the MSRP for Vue Green Line at $22,370, which ranks it as market's bottom-dollar hybrid CUV.
Other aspects of Vue Green Line compare to a conventional Vue, which comes with front-wheel-drive (FWD) traction and a 2.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine.
That Vue, by the way, produces 143 hp at 5600 rpm and torque of 149 lb-ft at 4200 rpm, with fuel economy scores of 22 mpg city and 27 mpg highway.
It has a MSRP of $19,145, which indicates that the HEV premium prices out at $3,225.
Saturn rolled out the original FWD Vue in 2001 as an early CUV which blends favored features of a traditional truck-based SUV -- the tall stance and spacious cabin -- with easy-to-drive traits of a unibody sedan.
Variations followed, such as Vue with all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, a V6-powered Vue, and Vue Red Line, a performance edition with dropped suspension and monochromatic paint scheme.
All Vue versions come with attributes typical for Saturn vehicles, including safety-oriented hardware and pliable plastic side panels which are dent-resistant and flex in the face of parking-lot mishaps.
The list of safety equipment for Vue Green Line shows an anti-lock brake system (ABS) with traction control system (TCS), and frontal air bags for the two front seats.
Curtain-style air bags stretching the length of the cabin above outboard seats are also available.
Body styling for the CUV looks rugged and strong but also progressive and friendly.
Up front the prow holds a tri-port fascia with simulated skid plate and large horizontal headlamp clusters marking the corners.
The hood rises sharply to the windshield, where front pillars tip rearward into a flat roofline. Door pillars fade to black to blend with tinted windows, while second body-colored pillars slant forward in opposition to the windshield pillars. In back, a boxy wagon's bay is softened by the wrap of dark glass around each rear pillar.
Two doors on each side provide access for passengers into the cabin, while a liftgate in back leads into the cargo compartment.
The unibody structure of Vue allows placement of front and rear frames below floor level of the passenger compartment. This in turn sets side rocker panels at a low level to create a low step-over height for easy entry to the cabin without having to hike over a tall door sill.
Vue's cabin contains two rows of seats for passengers and the rear bed for cargo.Cabin decor for the green Vue includes bright chrome accents and black-faced gauges in the instrument panel.
Equipment in the cabin ranges from power controls for windows and door locks to cruise control, an air conditioning system and an audio package with four speakers. Options extend to a backseat video entertainment system with DVD player, satellite radio service, a CD deck for six CDs and a sliding sunroof.
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| 2007 SATURN VUE VEHICLE SPECIFICATIONS |
| Description: |
Compact 4-door HEV CUV |
| Model Options: |
Compact 4-door HEV CUV |
| Trim Options: |
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| Configurations: |
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| Wheelbase: |
106.6 inches |
| Overall Length: |
181.3 inches |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.4-L I4 VVT + Electric Motor/Generator |
| Transmission: |
Auto/4/4T45E |
| Drive: |
FWD |
| Braking: |
Power disc/drum + ABS/TCS |
| Airbags: |
2 (front) + opt. 4 (side curtain) |
| Gross Weight: |
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| Towing Capacity: |
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| Payload: |
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| Performance: |
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| Top Speed: |
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| Gas Mileage: |
27/32 mpg |
| MSRP Price: |
$ 22,370 |
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