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What Edmunds.com Says:Not quite a Prius, but this Vue is probably an even better combination of hybrid efficiency and SUV utility.
What We Know: The 2009 Vue Green Line Two Mode is expected to arrive in dealer showrooms in the fourth quarter of 2008. The Vue Green Line Two Mode will deliver an estimated 50 percent fuel economy increase over the non-hybrid V6 Vue, according to Saturn. The EPA says the front-wheel-drive 2008 Saturn Vue with a 3.6-liter V6 delivers 16 mpg in city driving and 24 mpg on the highway. The new Vue hybrid uses the two-mode hybrid technology for the first time on a front-wheel-drive vehicle. The technology was introduced on the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon Two-Mode SUVs.
The Vue Green Line Two Mode is equipped with the 3.6-liter VVT V6 with direct injection technology. Acceleration time is said to be just over 7 seconds, and the maximum towing load will be 3,500 pounds. Saturn said the new Green Line is expected to have a driving range of more than 500 miles.
You'll have to look twice to spot the exterior differences between the new Vue hybrid and the non-hybrid version of the vehicle. Changes include "2 Mode" badging, lightweight aluminum alloy wheels and low-rolling-resistance tires that enhance fuel economy. The new hybrid also gets chrome door handles, chrome dual exhaust tips and chrome skid plates.
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