Tech with a twist of lime! & FLHybrid Club.

f AutoblogGreen reports: 1/28

AutoblogGreen has an extensive review of the Saturn View Green Line, while I don't think GM went far enough with this vehicle its a great start. They've come a long way from thinking that Toyota would loose their shirts selling hybrids. For the technology used this vehicle gets decent gas mileage at a fraction of the price. Though my Prius still gets better mileage at the drag strip than this vehicle gets in the EPA lab conditions. I think that GM likes to try out new propulsion technologies with the Saturn brand, remember the EV1? I'm still dumbfounded that GM has taken such large steps backward, you would think that after creating a vehicle like the EV1 you'd use the lessons learned to get ahead of the competition.

People have a variety of reasons for buying hybrid vehicles, one of which is saving money on fuel – they go green to save some green. For others, there's the sincere motivation of environmental stewardship. And for others still, though they may be loath to admit, there's an undeniable ego aspect – think of that hybrid badge as the automotive equivalent of a polo pony on a collared shirt.

The one "problem" with hybrids is that they cost more than non-hybrid cars – you pay a premium for the technology. That added cover charge may be enough to keep some from getting past that green velvet rope. To try and address this, General Motors has developed its Green Line "light" hybrid system.

GM was obviously watching closely as other companies like Toyota, Honda, and Ford made waves and grabbed headlines with their high-profile hybrid vehicles. In response, GM earmarked Saturn to be the brand to offer a mass-market hybrid, and it would go after customers by marketing an inexpensive alternative to other, more costly hybrids. The result is the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line.

I won't let my confusion with the actions of the corporation get in the way of the product, this solid product does what it was designed to do, bring battery-assist technology to a very low price-point. Read the review and tell us what you think.

Entry-Level Hybrid. 

Kacey Green
www.GRLT.com, www.FLhybrid.com
"Tech with a twist of lime!", Promoting the spread of clean personal transportation technologies.

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Kacey Green said:

For just a few grand more you can get a Ford Escape Hybrid or a used Prius. Here you do get the utility of an SUV, but my Prius holds more with all the seats in their normal position than my brother's SUV. I agree that SUVs have more utility than sedans but hatchbacks, from a practicality standpoint negate the need for most SUVs.

January 29, 2007 | url

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