2008 Saturn VUE Hybrid Gets Best Highway mpg Rating of Any SUV
On it’s road to the Volt, GM has been laying out a series of progressively greener cars along the way. Today, they announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rated the 2008 Saturn VUE Green line as getting 32 mpg highway and 25 mpg city, a 27% improvement over the non-hybrid model. This is the highest current highway mpg rating for any SUV. GM also reports the rating system being used for 2008 is more accurate and real-world than prior testing models
This vehicle uses the mild hybrid belt-alternator system. It is also priced at $24,170 which is less than the Ford Escape hybrid which gets 34/30 mpg, beating the VUE in city driving.
Next up on the VUE production schedule will be a 2-mode hybrid system, for 2008, expected to get a 45% mpg improvement, and then in 2009, the world’s first mass-produced plug-in, the plug-in VUE.
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27 Responses to “2008 Saturn VUE Hybrid Gets Best Highway mpg Rating of Any SUV”
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October 12th, 2007 at 10:50 am
I think I speak for everybody in the Hybrid enthusiast community when i say…. “meh”.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Special K:
I don’t understand when people discourage higher mpg, even though they claim to be hybrid enthusiasts. People are not going to stop buying SUVs and CUVs. Isn’t it a good thing that GM and others are trying to save gas where the most of it is used?
October 12th, 2007 at 11:05 am
Also, if you aren’t impressed now, wait until next year when the Vue gets the two-mode system AND becomes a plug-in hybrid.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:16 am
I would love to see this vehicle with the E-Flex system.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:31 am
GM really has to understand that the city fuel economy is what is really important for hybrids and focus on improving that instead of the highway.
Oh well, I guess it is one more vehicle to add to the “x vehicles getting over 30 MPG highway” stat.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:40 am
My Pontiac Vibe gets better mileage than that.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
The reason why I say “meh” is because look at the sales of all hybrids vs. the Prius. Carmakers are making what they think people want, obviously with the sales of the Prius outpassing all other hybrids by some 50-1 then car makers aren’t exactly doing a whole lot of listening. These “mild hybrids” are nothing more than just a rebadging a car “green” even if it’s not and trying to make a buck. It’s cheap and dirty sales tactic that’s not working. Maybe a step in the right direction, but as long as they (US car makers) keep baby-crawling towards the finish line with a big sign saying “We’re getting there eventually, we promise” is still gonna get them stomped by the Japanese.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Marty McFly Says:
“I would love to see this vehicle with the E-Flex system.”
Me too! Or even a small station wagon. Anything with some space behind the rear seat.
October 12th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Don’t forget that the majority of all vehicles on the road are non-hybrids. And with that in mind, every expansion of hybrid options to fill each niche allows people who would otherwise be buying conventional ICE-powered vehicles are switching to hybrids. The aggregate effect of that is reduced dependence on foreign oil, continuation of the development of both the hybrid and electric market, as well as the technology for it. This is a good thing for GM and us. And for those who need an SUV for whatever reason should consider the VUE and the Ford Escape Hybrid. And considering purchase optimization, if they drive more in the city and don’t mind spending more money, they should opt for the Ford, if they need a bigger and more powerful, as well as luxurious, model they should look at the Toyota and Lexus offerings, but if people prefer to spend less and drive on the highway more, the best option becomes the VUE. Personally I don’t drive an SUV, I drive a compact car, but if I were in the market for one, I’d definitely consider the VUE first.
October 12th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Got to agree with posts #7 and #8.
I would really like a vehicle with e-flex drive and real trunk space, station wagon style, cross over, mini van etc.
Anything on the way there is good, but not for me, I’m holding out for something better (Volt).
As to the idea of even 50 mpg vs 40 miles on zero gas. The 40 miles gas free wins every time. Especially as I’ve already installed a solar array sized to include the Volt’s demand.
The auto manufactures complain about a 35 mpg cafe standard for SUVs. Just look Ford Escape 34mpg, plus this vehicle at 32mpg. What they cannot get a few percent improvement in a few years? But GM says that they’ll have 45% improvement on this in just a couple of years.
Liars, damn liars and auto lobbyists?
October 12th, 2007 at 2:41 pm
Special K:
I see your point, but at some point you have to stop blaming the auto companies and start blaming the consumers.
Sure, a lot of Priuses have been sold, but hybrids still make up a very small part of the market because most people prefer a smaller up-front cost to better mpg. GM is trying to cater to people who are not super-ecofriendly by offering vehicles that improve mileage without costing $5000 more than a conventional car.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Prius is popular because it is instantly recognized as a hybrid. The owners can feel smug about how green they look driving around the ugly thing. There’s a reason the Prius outsells the Civic/Accord/Camry hybrids by a longshot.
October 12th, 2007 at 3:38 pm
Am I a wierdo with no sense of aesthetics or something?!? I’never considered the second generation Prius to be ugly! I’ve always thought that it’s kind of cool-looking. Really, I mean, is it just me???
October 12th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
I don’t think Prius front is too bad but I think the tail end is very ugly.
October 12th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
I personally say…leave the SUV’s to be gas guzzlers, and focus the green/hybrid/electric technology to smaller cars and sedans. This is just giving customers another excuse not to give up their “oh so precious” SUV.
October 12th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
The Prius has always looked like a pregnant skateboard to me, it just doesn’t look like a car. The lines look like something a kid would draw for a class project on what the ‘car of the future’ will look like.
That having been said, 48 mpg in town sounds pretty nice, as I putter around at 18 mpg…
October 12th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Looks to me like plug-in conversion of dual modes will be a snap, once the first one is engineered. Could this be a harbinger of plug-in dual modes? That would encompass a whole lot of platforms and
may be a good way to produce a lot of plug-ins that hit a lower price point without
massive redesigns. A 10 mile range is certainly better than nothing, but I’d like to see 15 to 20 on the larger models like the Vue. Sounds like that’s doable in the not so distant future, to listen to A123 System guys and future battery cost reductions.
October 13th, 2007 at 9:57 am
I think it’ll be good if PHEV’s migrate to the SUV and truck markets. It’ll be a lot cheaper than putting E-flex into that segment, and it’ll still probably give a lot of people 100mpg. And if you add biodiesel or flex-fuel engines, than 100mpg of gasoline or petrodiesel is guaranteed. I think this is a very good step. PHEY’s can also be used for V2G services and income, just not as well. There are a lot of benefits to it.
October 13th, 2007 at 10:29 am
I will definitely consider the plug-in dual-mode hybrid Vue when it comes out.
I much prefer the upright seating position and greater utility afforded by the compact SUV form factor versus the 4-door sedan form factor.
October 13th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Couple of interesting comparison on this MPG. The Saturn Vue Hybrid get better MPG than the Saturn Aura Hybrid (just one mile difference). Another interesting point is that the 2008 Saturn Vue Hybrid gets better MPG then the new 2008 Honda Accord (this is LX with the smallest engine) with 21 mpg/31 mpg. Of course the Accord is not hybrid but the Accord always has the perception of being greener than one of those SUVs. I for myself own two small cars but maybe improving the MPG on SUV like Vue can be make a difference.
October 13th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
I think that the “styling” of the Prius was dominated by aero considerations. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought I read that it has the lowest Cd in the industry.
It won’t make anybody forget the Ferrari 275 GTB but, if you believe as I do that form follows function, you have to give them credit. I hope that the Volt does as well.
It reminds me of the controversial debut of the C5 Corvette with its decidedly bulbous tail. It came straight out of the wind tunnel. While styling is a matter of taste, no one can argue with the astounding highway fuel mileage of the C5, let alone its racing successes.
October 13th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Noel, you are right, the Prius has the lowest cd of any car currently in production. I like the ‘pregnant skateboard’ look a little better now…
October 13th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_drag_coefficients
Sorry, put the Wiki aerodynamics link in the wrong place in the last post.
October 14th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Geez people!!! The volt is scheduled out in late 2010. Do you expect a car better than the volt to come out from GM before the Volt??? Of course not. If they could put a volt style eflex system in another car next year then we wouldn’t be bothering ourselves with a Volt website now would we.
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Compare ALL SUV’s to ALL hybrids would be a better comparison but the comparison is pointless either way. People want and need suv’s. Deal with it.
Hybrid technology isn’t about getting the most miles per gallon from “A” car it is more about either
1. importing less oil.
2. saving money at the gas station.
Like it or not (and you should) putting hybrid technology into bigger cars is where the technology saves the most.
October 14th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
omegaman66:
I don’t hink anyone would argue with you on that. I think that many of us just long to see GM take the technical high ground, and the champion fuel economy bragging rights, away from Toyota.
I would love to see something like an e-flex Smart sized city car to get about 100 miles engine free and 50 -60 real mpg on the engine. It would be a total halo car for GM, every bit as important, if not more so, than the Corvette. The Prius has clearly done this, and more, for Toyota.
I realize that this is unlikely to happen, so bring on the Volt. I posted the other day about the need for an e-flex mini van and/or small pickup for small business folks like me. All in good time, I hope.
I agree with you. Saving gas is good, whether in a Volt or a Tahoe. I hope that there will be a whole range of such vehicles in the future. In the meantime, let’s have something with spectacular fuel economy to push back against the Prius.
December 14th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Merrily we inch along . . . how about a diesel plug-in hybrid. All the technology is already there; new diesel standards and technology are much cleaner than gas; easy to convert to biodiesel as distribution channels increase (for even cleaner burn); more power and torque; and of course engine life has to factor into the definition of sustainable somewhere and 300k is not at all uncommon for the diesel. If I had to choose between diesel and hybrid, I’ll take any of the new generation diesels over any hybrid, anytime.
But back to the present . . . I am happy to see GM jump into the fray not for nationalist reasons but the embodied energy of any product manufactured in Japan and then imported for sale here puts a HUGE dent in it’s lifetime efficiency and energy footprint. Plus I am still wondering what’s gonna happen with all those spent batteries when the old ones need to be replaced. Seriously, does anybody know what the plan is?
January 21st, 2008 at 11:22 am
special k is right, the mild hybrid approach is typical american auto/corporate sluggish & deal-killer approach to adapting to change b/c of the up-front expense incurred. just rent & watch “who killed the electric car?”, a great doc, & you will understand the insidiousness that lies behind gm’s embarrassing resistance to change. you have republican leadership’s corporate cronies to thank for this (ie: big oil profiteers & sucklings). the dual-mode hybrid will be a welcome & long overdue adjustment to what consumers really want