Vue Hybrid is a Good Fit for Small Families

2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid ECOTEC

model as tested $29,845

Test Drove 1/29/09 – 2/5/09
reviewed by Sara Lacey

The 2009 Saturn Vue Hybrid had me all giddy. I was thrilled there was a challenger to the Ford Escape Hybrid in the American-made-small-hybrid-SUV category. I’ve seen the non-hybrid Vue out and about, and I really like its looks. I was excited to try a cute-looking, domestic hybrid that’s small but could carry my family of four through winter’s snow and ice — terrific!

My test car was a mild hybrid, although you wouldn’t know it from the not-so-mild hybrid stickers plastered all over it. It had a four-cylinder engine that’s designed to turn off at stoplights, drive-throughs and any other idling time. This engine is supplemented by an electric motor that assists the gas engine with some extra power when needed. There’s a second version of the Saturn Vue Hybrid; it’s a full hybrid with a V-6 engine, two electric motors, a regenerative braking system and a high-voltage battery pack. The Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid is scheduled to hit dealerships in the spring.

The Vue Hybrid only comes in front-wheel drive. It got me through Colorado’s snow and ice, but I’d prefer to have all-wheel drive as an option. The Vue Hybrid felt like driving any other car, but my test car’s gas engine rarely shut off when I drove it, which was odd since it’s supposed to whenever you’re idling at a stoplight. I got a combined 26.1 mpg in my week in the Vue Hybrid; it gets an EPA-estimated 25/32 mpg city/highway.

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