The 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line Hybrid is powered by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain that combines a unique electric motor / generator with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder and a four-speed automatic transmission and is rated at 170 horsepower.
With a starting price less than $23,000, Saturn says its new-for-2007 Vue Green Line Hybrid will be the least expensive hybrid SUV on the market when it goes on sale in mid-2006. Saturn also says its Green Line SUV, which is rated at 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway, offers an estimated 20-percent increase in fuel economy over the standard Vue despite its additional 27 horsepower.Technology
A unique powertrain is the key. A 170-hp, 2.4-liter, four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing is teamed with an electric motor-generator. Most hybrids use a continuously variable transmission, but not the Vue Green Line. Saturn stuck with its trusty 4T45-E four-speed automatic transmission to keep the price down.
Keep in mind though, the Saturn Green Line is strictly a front-wheel drive (FWD) SUV. If serious winter traction or competent trail performance is important in your world, the all-wheel drive (AWD) Ford Escape and Toyota Highlander hybrids may better address your needs. If however your priorities include SUV practicality, miserly fuel consumption and the lowest price of entry among any hybrid SUV currently available, the Vue Green Line is the clear winner.
The Vue's cockpit is heavily cost-constrained. The flat, unsupportive bucket seats are covered with the least leather-like leather ever made by hand of man. The steering-wheel cruise-control buttons are like miniature Mormons: small, oddly oriented and hard to depress. The wiper stalk moves as if a plastic burr left over from manufacturing hasn't yet broken off.
The Saturn Vue Green Line is a bridge vehicle between the old Saturn and the new Saturn, the "like never before" company that offers the Aura mid-size sedan and other modern cars. The Vue Green Line is from the "like always" side of the ledger: basic transportation that gets you where you're going.