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By New Car Test Drive
Going green with a new hybrid model.
Introduction
When the Saturn Vue was first introduced for 2002, it looked ahead to a time when sport-utilities would be known for people-friendly street transportation, not boulder-bashing off-road adventure. Five years later the world has finally caught up, and car-like compact sport-utilities like the Saturn Vue are everywhere.
In the meantime, the Vue has matured into a capable, practical five-passenger package that is available in a surprising number of different configurations.
New for 2007 is the Saturn Vue Green Line, featuring a hybrid powertrain that includes a 170-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine matched with a battery-powered electric motor. The Green Line offers improved fuel economy (by about 20 percent over the standard 143-hp Vue) and cleaner air emissions, and it delivers this hybrid goodness for a price premium of $3225 over its comparable, gas-powered model.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Saturn Vue Red Line emphasizes pure driving performance on the street. This is an option package that features an aggressive suspension calibration and 18-inch tires, and it can be matched with either a four-cylinder or V6 engine.
In the middle you'll find the front-wheel-drive Vue models powered by either a 143-hp 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine or the 248-hp V6. In addition, the Vue V6 is available with four-wheel drive (4WD) to deliver improved traction and stability on the highway in every kind of weather.
A comprehensive makeover of the Saturn Vue for the 2006 model year delivered a more upscale appearance, notably in the interior. Overall, the Vue is now more refined than competitors like the Jeep Compass and Dodge Nitro, more street oriented than competitors like the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute, and more affordable than competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
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