Article Comments 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line Follow-Up Test

16 messages, Last post on Jun 14, 2008 at 5:27 AM

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Article comments for Follow-Up Test: 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line - At the track, our test driver found that this front-wheel drive hybrid was "painfully slow," taking 10.7 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph. (more)

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#12 of 16 Re: Its not that bad [starbird] by stevedebi Jan 22, 2007 (2:25 pm)
Replying to: starbird (Sep 30, 2006 1:22 pm) "Waiting for that model would give a bit more style, hopefully a better interior, and allow some real data on reliability to come out." Actually, waiting for the 2008 will cause reliability to be a question mark for a couple of years; the current model has a proven track record (good or bad), but any new model is an unknown.
#13 of 16 Re: Article Comments: 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line Follow-Up Test [KarenS] by dsauvage Jun 25, 2007 (4:07 pm)
Replying to: KarenS (Sep 22, 2006 7:21 am) The Saturn Vue Hybrid I purchased is only 2 months old and I have had to replace one because parts were rattling in the door and dash and the second one already had a blowout that almost flipped the car. Onstar took forever to send someone out. They now suggest a get a spare at my expense and put it in the cargo area. So now I can smell rubber the whole ride and have lost all of my storage space. Geeh. I wanted to return it but customer friendly Saturn told me no. They told me this after 1 week of their discussing it. I have owned many new cars in my life, but have never been so totally disgusted as I have been by this purchase. By the way, I am averaging 22 miles to the gallon on open road - my old SUV did about the same. Wish I had stuck with Toyota. Instead this $24K car is made of plastic that rattles and has no tire or place for one to address safety on the road. Buyer beware. Their pledge of 100% satisfaction is bogus. I got 100% taken advantage of and want to help others so that they are not like me. Replies to this message: nuevue (Jun 26, 2007 12:40 pm)
#14 of 16 Re: Article Comments: 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line Follow-Up Test [dsauvage] by nuevue Jun 26, 2007 (12:40 pm)
Replying to: dsauvage (Jun 25, 2007 4:07 pm) Counterpoint: The Saturn Vue Hybrid that I purchased is now eight months old, has racked up almost 17,000 miles in business use, and I have no rattles, squeaks, or complaints with fit, finish, or performance. I work on a rough construction site, fold the passenger and rear seats up and down on a weekly basis, and have towed a 2000 lb load over 300 miles of hilly territory with fine performance and no performance or tranny temperature issues. (measured with an IR thermometer) Mileage is usually around 29, but I have seen several tanks at 31 and one at 32. It still hasn't asked for it's second oil change yet, and the oil is clear as new... I did have one warranty claim due to a cracked spark plug insulator, but the dealer service was exemplary. BTW, this is my first GM vehicle.
#15 of 16 Question to those getting 29 mpg for green line vue by david141 Jun 12, 2008 (6:49 pm)
I to own a Saturn Vue green line (2007) and am currently very disappointed in it's fuel economy. The Hybrid control module was replaced within the first month of my ownership of it. Ever since, my fuel economy has been 25 mpg or below, yet before the replacement (three tanks of gas) I was at 27. My question is: How far does your assist pointer/ arm move when you accelerate? Does it move all the way over to the right? In my case, I realize there is no unit of measure on the gage but in my case, the gage never reads more that 1/3 assist yet it bottoms out on the charge side. Second question, how long does your "auto stop" last (assuming mild summer like day)? Again, in my case, in "Auto Stop" the engine will start again within in 30 to 45 seconds. In some cases around my location, stop lights last longer than this. I am curious what others are experiencing simply because I am tired of contacting my Saturn Dealer and getting the same cookie cutter response "We checked the computer and everything is running OK". I figure there are some parameters that are adjustable in the computer (i.e. assist output, autostop duration) that could improve performance for all those who have purchased the Vue Green line but I don't know what is normal or what other people (since I have only seen one other Saturn Vue Green Line in my area) are getting or seeing. My Saturn dealer/ service department apparently has zero experience with hybrid systems cause everytime I bring it in it seams to have problems that have never been seen before. I look forward to some useful responses. Replies to this message: chmsomm (Jun 14, 2008 5:27 am)
#16 of 16 Re: Question to those getting 29 mpg for green line vue [david141] by chmsomm Jun 14, 2008 (5:27 am)
Replying to: david141 (Jun 12, 2008 6:49 pm) Hi David141, In general, it goes all the way to the left to charge. The needle on mine very rarely goes all the way to the right to assist. Generally on a slight incline or when I need to accelerate it goes 1/4 to the right (assist). When I do need to hard accelerate it generally go 1/2 to the right (assist) for 2-3 seconds. I can feel the change when that occurs. It will, on very rare occassions, peg to the right, if for some reason I really have to hit the gas. My feeling is (no hard numbers or facts to substantiate) that the best results are obtained when the "gentle assist" is being utilized. I try to avoid hard acceleration to keep the battery charge high. I have found no difficulty in keeping with the flow of traffic by getting to 2300-2500 rpm while acclerating. I try to avoid 3000 rpm. I take every chance I get to charge the battery by using "the coast" on downhill sections and when approaching traffic lights and stop signs (without aggravating other drivers). HybridVue described this technique and I have found it very important in getting good mileage. My mileage was a little less when I first purchased it and I tried to keep the "eco" light on. I use alot of rechargeable batteries at home for my computerized telescopes, other equipment Generally it takes longer to charge them then discharge them, so this makes since to me. When I am not using the air conditioner the autostop will generally last 90 seconds to 2 min for me. 2 min is not unusual. Per my other posts I calculated my mileage to be 27.8 in suburban commuting driving with a mix of bumper to bumper to 65 mph. This will go down when I use the a/c in the non-green mode. I like to be cool in the summer. I have found the advice given in the vehicle manual is not really very good. It does take some learning to get good mileage out of the vehicle. HybridVue should make an educational video about how to get the max mileage out of this puppy. If you rely on Saturn, you will have a long wait and come up empty. Not being forthcoming on what their calibrations really mean, what they really do creates mistrust with their customers. Between the electrical problems, and the lack of real support, Saturn has probably killed a good concept through their own ineptitude. Who would buy a two-mode hybrid from them after they don't support their mild hybrid customers?